Kenosha County, WI Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

010). 030). 040 sets the substantive limits: only one Accessory Living Unit is permitted per single-family dwelling, it cannot exceed 600 square feet, and no more than two people may reside in it. The structure must continue to look like a single-family dwelling from the outside, with no separate garage or driveway, no separate street address, and no separate utility connections or meters. A physical connection between the main living area and the accessory unit must exist inside the dwelling, and that connection cannot run through an attic, basement, garage or porch; an external stairway serving the unit is prohibited outright, though one separate patio-door access is allowed in addition to the required internal connection.

The unit may include a bathroom, laundry, efficiency kitchen, one bedroom and recreation space. Because the county treats it as part of, or a permitted addition to, the single-family dwelling, an Accessory Living Unit does not require conditional use approval or special site plan review (subsection (l)); the building plan must be marked 'Not a separate dwelling unit nor apartment,' and a standardized affidavit must be recorded with the Register of Deeds (subsections (m)-(n)).