Overland Park, KS Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Overland Park's zoning code does not offer a citywide accessory dwelling unit allowance. 020(K). Because PRN is a planned, negotiated zoning classification applied only where a developer sought that rezoning, an ADU is legal in Overland Park solely on a parcel that already carries the PRN designation; the standard R-1 and other single-family districts carry no comparable provision permitting a second dwelling unit on a lot. 050(I) sets the operative development standards: only one accessory dwelling unit is permitted per lot, that unit must measure at least 400 square feet, and it cannot exceed 50 percent of the primary dwelling unit's square footage.

A homeowner outside a PRN-zoned tract who wants a garage apartment or backyard cottage has no zoning path to it under this chapter; converting or adding such a unit without PRN zoning and without going through the Planning Commission and Governing Body rezoning process leaves the structure unpermitted as a dwelling. 050(D)), so an ADU project functions as one piece of a larger negotiated development plan rather than a standalone permit application. Anyone considering an ADU should first confirm current zoning through Overland Park Planning and Development before design work, since a rezoning to PRN is a Governing Body action, not an administrative approval.