Dothan, AL Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Section 114-183(b)(5)a of the City of Dothan zoning code sets ten conditions an accessory apartment must meet in single-family residential districts, enforced by the Planning and Development Department through the building permit process. The lot, tract or development parcel must contain at least 12,000 square feet, and only one accessory apartment is allowed per residential lot. The unit itself cannot exceed 800 square feet of floor area and must be designed so it does not make the property look like anything other than a single-family home from the street.

Setbacks depend on the building's height: a one-story accessory apartment must sit at least ten feet from every property line and ten feet from any existing building, while a two-story accessory apartment has to meet the full minimum setbacks of the underlying zoning district, a materially stricter standard. The code requires one on-site parking space dedicated to the accessory apartment, located on the same lot. A manufactured home may never be used as an accessory apartment, and recreational vehicles and travel trailers are barred from that use except as temporary quarters during a declared emergency.

Converting an existing outbuilding into an accessory apartment is allowed only if it is brought up to every other district dimensional standard and the building code, and the code closes off any workaround: no variations, adjustments or waivers to these accessory-apartment requirements are permitted, so the board of zoning adjustment cannot relax the 800-square-foot cap or the 12,000-square-foot lot minimum.