Lake Charles, LA Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Lake Charles adopted the Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) standards as Sec. 24-5-309 of Zoning Ordinance No. 10598, and Sec. 3) is the only provision in the city's general zoning code that names and sizes a 'secondary dwelling unit,' the local term for a garage apartment or backyard cottage. The unit can be built within the principal residence or inside a freestanding accessory building on the same single-family detached lot, but it cannot exceed 600 square feet of floor area. Where the secondary unit's garage door faces the front lot line, that door must be set back a minimum of 20 feet behind the front façade of the principal structure, keeping garage bays from dominating the streetscape that TND design is meant to protect.

Because TND parcels are platted under a subdivision-specific set of covenants, Sec. 1) also requires the conditions, covenants and restrictions for the property to be filed with the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court before a final plat is approved, a lot sold, or a building permit issued, so a secondary dwelling unit built without that filing in place cannot legally proceed. The TND parking table at Sec. 13)(6) backs the size rule with a use requirement: a minimum of one off-street parking space with unrestricted ingress and egress must be provided for each secondary dwelling unit.

The Planning and Zoning Department has authority to make technical adjustments to these standards on a case-by-case basis, covering minor site constraints such as irregular lot depth or existing tree cover. This 600-square-foot cap and setback rule apply only to lots platted within an approved TND; conventional single-family zoning districts elsewhere in the city are governed by separate sections of the Zoning Ordinance and are not covered by Sec. 24-5-309.