El Paso, TX Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

035 sets citywide zoning standards for accessory dwelling units on residential lots, splitting the rules between detached and attached units. Only one ADU is permitted per lot with a detached single-family dwelling, and none are allowed on lots already holding a duplex or multi-family building. The minimum lot area to add an ADU, detached or attached, is 5,500 square feet. Size is capped at 800 square feet of gross floor area, rising to 1,200 square feet on lots of 8,000 square feet or more, and the unit may contain no more than one bedroom.

A detached ADU must sit at least 10 feet from any property line, though that rear setback drops to zero feet where the rear line abuts a 20-foot-or-wider alley, or to 5 feet (or less, with traffic engineer approval) along a narrower alley; vehicular access from the alley is allowed if on-site parking is provided. Neither a detached nor an attached ADU may exceed the height of the principal dwelling, and detached units built taller than one story or 15 feet within 10 feet of a residential property line must either omit windows on that wall or plant a 15-foot buffer of privacy trees on 15-foot centers.

Both configurations must comply with the building code for a full dwelling unit, heating, cooling, cooking and bathroom facilities, and must resemble the principal house in scale and character, matching window type, trim style and proportions; attached ADUs must also match roof pitch, siding material and color and provide a separate entrance.