Kalamazoo, MI Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Section 50-4.5D(1) of the Kalamazoo Zoning Code defines an accessory dwelling unit as a secondary dwelling unit on a lot that can sit in a secondary building or be built into the principal structure. Table 4.5-1 lists ADUs as a "PD," or permitted-with-development-standards, use in every district shown, including the Node, Live-Work 1 and 2, Downtown 1 through 3, Commercial Node, Community Commercial 2, Community Commercial, and all residential (All R) districts, meaning an ADU is allowed by right once it meets the standards in subsection D(1).

For an ADU in a secondary building, the code allows one unit per lot and caps its size at 950 square feet. For an interior ADU, defined as a unit inside the principal dwelling with its own separate exterior entrance, the code again allows only one per lot, and caps its size at whichever is larger: 30% of the primary residential unit's square footage, or 600 square feet. Either type triggers a one-space parking requirement per unit, though the code lets an owner satisfy that space with overnight on-street parking if a space is available within 660 feet of the lot.

Beyond the ADU-specific standards, general accessory-structure rules in Section 50-4.5C still apply: no front-yard placement unless otherwise noted, a three-foot side and rear setback, a 15-foot corner-side setback (or the principal structure's setback if smaller), a height cap at the principal structure's height, and counting toward the lot's impervious-coverage limit.