Roanoke, VA Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Roanoke's Zoning Ordinance addresses accessory dwelling units under Sec. 1(a), part of the citywide "Dwellings" supplemental standards adopted by Ord. No. 42902 (effective March 18, 2024) and amended by Ord. No. 43049 (September 16, 2024). The city permits exactly one accessory dwelling on a lot containing a new or existing single dwelling building, and that unit does not have to independently satisfy the minimum lot-area-per-dwelling standard, nor does it count toward the district's maximum dwellings-per-lot cap, unlike adding a true second house. Where the ADU sits in a detached accessory building, its floor area is capped at 800 square feet or 80% of the principal dwelling's gross floor area, whichever number is smaller, and the accessory structure itself still has to meet the size and placement standards for accessory buildings set out in Sec.

2-403. Where the ADU is instead carved out of the primary house rather than built as a detached structure, its floor area cannot exceed 40% of that building's gross floor area, and any new exterior stairway or added entrance created to serve the unit has to be placed on a facade other than the primary facade the house presents to the street. Because these are supplemental as-of-right development standards rather than a special-exception use, no additional public hearing is required for a qualifying ADU, but the project still needs a zoning permit and remains subject to the Zoning Administrator's enforcement authority under Sec. 2-571 if it is built oversized or in violation of the placement rules.