ADU rules in Camden County, MO β also called accessory dwelling unit regulations or granny flat ordinances β cover setbacks, owner-occupancy, parking, and permit requirements.
Camden County's planning and zoning authority is unusually limited - it covers only the area within five miles of the Lake of the Ozarks shoreline (the 'Camden County Zoning District'), as authorized by Missouri Revised Statutes Chapter 64 and approved by Camden County voters in 1997. Inside that lakefront zoning district, Camden County's Unified Land-Use Code (ULUC), effective June 1, 2004 and amended through 2022, applies. The ULUC's residential districts (R-1 Low Density, R-2 Medium Density, R-3 High Density / Multi-Family) treat one detached single-family dwelling as the principal permitted use; a true 'accessory dwelling unit' is not a separately defined permitted use, so a second residence on a lot generally requires either rezoning, a conditional use permit, or placement in R-3 (multi-family) or a planned development. Outside the five-mile lake zoning district, Camden County has no county zoning at all - state law (RSMo Chapter 64) does not let non-charter, third-class counties impose general zoning, so unincorporated rural Camden County land beyond the lake corridor is governed only by septic, road, floodplain, and building/sewer permits, not by use-based zoning. Cities such as Camdenton, Lake Ozark, Osage Beach, Sunrise Beach and Linn Creek have their own separate municipal codes that supersede the county ULUC inside their corporate limits.
Statutory framework: Missouri is a Dillon's Rule state for county zoning. Under RSMo Sec. 64.510-.690 (third-class counties) a county may exercise zoning only after a vote of the people, and the boundaries of the resulting zoning district must be described in the ballot. In November 1997, Camden County voters approved a county zoning district covering all unincorporated land lying within five miles of the 660-foot contour shoreline of Lake of the Ozarks; that vote is the legal source of all Camden County zoning power. Land more than five miles from the lake is outside the zoning district entirely, and Camden County Planning and Zoning has no authority to require a use permit there - the only county-level controls are the building/sewer/onsite-wastewater permits administered by the Camden County Health Department under RSMo Chapter 701 and the Camden County floodplain ordinance for FEMA-mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas. ULUC structure: The Unified Land-Use Code is published on camdencountymo.gov and is divided into Articles covering Definitions, Zoning Districts, Use Regulations, Bulk Regulations, Subdivision Standards (Article 400 - Plats and Subdivisions), Floodplain Management, and Administration. Article 200 establishes the residential districts: R-1 Low Density Residential (large-lot single-family), R-2 Medium Density Residential (single-family on smaller lots), and R-3 High Density Residential (single-family, two-family and multi-family). The ULUC's permitted-use tables list 'single-family detached dwelling' as the principal use in R-1 and R-2 and add 'two-family' and 'multi-family' dwellings in R-3; an 'accessory dwelling unit' is not enumerated as a stand-alone permitted accessory use. Accessory structures (detached garages, sheds, boathouses, dock cribs, pool houses) are permitted as customary accessories to a principal dwelling but the ULUC's accessory structure standards prohibit using an accessory building as a separate dwelling unit unless it is approved as part of a two-family or multi-family use in R-3 or is approved through a conditional use permit / planned development. Setbacks are measured from the property line, road right-of-way, road easement, or the 662-foot contour line of Lake of the Ozarks - whichever is most restrictive - to the structure or any attached appurtenance (deck, eave, dock anchor). Building height limits in R-1 and R-2 typically run 35 feet; the 120-foot height allowed in B-2 and B-3 commercial districts is for commercial uses only and does not apply to residential structures. Tiny homes: the ULUC and Camden County Health Department treat a permanently sited tiny home on a foundation the same as a single-family dwelling and require it to meet the residential district's lot-size, setback, and onsite wastewater rules; a tiny home on a chassis (RV) is treated as a recreational vehicle and may not be used as a permanent residence in residential districts. Permits and fees: any new dwelling, addition or accessory structure inside the five-mile zoning district requires a zoning permit from Camden County Planning and Zoning (182 HaHa Tonka Cut Thru, Camdenton; phone 573-346-4440 ext. 1350) before a building permit or septic permit will be issued; the Camden County Health Department issues onsite wastewater permits separately. Inside city limits: properties within the cities of Lake Ozark, Osage Beach, Camdenton, Sunrise Beach and Linn Creek follow the city's own zoning code (e.g., Lake Ozark Code Ch. 405, Osage Beach Title IV) - the Camden County ULUC does not apply inside an incorporated municipality.
Building or occupying a second dwelling unit, garage apartment, in-law suite, or converted boathouse-as-residence inside the five-mile Camden County Zoning District without a ULUC zoning permit, a Camden County Health Department wastewater permit, and an approved use designation (R-3, conditional use, or planned development) is a violation of the Unified Land-Use Code enforceable by Camden County Planning and Zoning. The ULUC authorizes warning notices, stop-work orders and enforcement action through the County Counselor; under RSMo Sec. 64.690 violations of a county zoning order are punishable as ordinance violations, with each day of continuing violation a separate offense. Common ADU-related triggers in the lake corridor include: converting a detached garage, boathouse loft, or basement suite into a separately rented dwelling without rezoning to R-3 or obtaining a CUP; placing a second manufactured home or modular home on a single R-1/R-2 lot; renting a recreational vehicle or travel trailer as long-term housing; failing to obtain the required wastewater permit for a second connection on a single septic system. Outside the five-mile zoning district, Camden County has no use-based authority to cite ADU placement, but the Health Department can still cite unpermitted onsite sewage systems under RSMo Chapter 701 and 19 CSR 20-3.060. Inside an incorporated city, the city's planning department - not Camden County - enforces ADU rules.
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