Jackson County, MS Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Article 2 defines a GARAGE APARTMENT as a dwelling unit erected above a private garage, and a GUEST HOUSE as an accessory building containing a lodging unit, with or without kitchen facilities, used to house occasional visitors or nonpaying guests of the occupants of the main dwelling on the same site. 06, Accessory Buildings or Uses, which sets the operative rules. ' In practical terms, a garage apartment can house a family member or renter, but the property still needs one qualifying primary dwelling on the lot, and the garage apartment cannot be sold, subdivided, or occupied as a stand-alone home separate from the main house.

06 also places accessory buildings under the same yard rules as any other structure: no accessory building or use may sit in the required front yard, and if the main structure's setback exceeds the district's minimum front yard, the accessory building cannot sit closer to the street than the main structure's own building line. An accessory building may go in the required side or rear yard only if it still meets the applicable side and rear setbacks for the district. Buildings designed specifically for storage are barred from being converted into occupied living space, closing off a common workaround for adding a dwelling unit without going through the permit process.