Troup County, GA Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

In unincorporated Troup County, an accessory dwelling is allowed as an accessory use under Sec. 6.1's permitted-use table in districts marked for Accessory Dwelling, Attached or Detached, including AG-R, SU-R, LR, UR-VL and LI. Sec. 7.3(2) sets the operative standards: only one accessory dwelling may be created per principal dwelling unit, and it must sit no closer than 20 feet to the rear of an existing or new principal dwelling, while also meeting the same setbacks and development dimensions that apply to a primary dwelling on the lot.

Because the county tracks 'separate dwelling unit' status closely, Sec. 7.3(2)(c) treats the presence of utility services, utility meters, or kitchen equipment such as a sink, stove, oven, or cabinets in an accessory building as prima facie evidence that the structure is functioning as its own dwelling unit, which then triggers the zoning district's dwelling-unit regulations rather than accessory-use rules. Manufactured housing is flatly prohibited as an accessory dwelling in every zoning district under Sec. 7.3(2)(d), so a mobile home cannot be placed behind a house and called an ADU.

Every accessory dwelling must also comply with the International Residential Code under Sec. 7.3(2)(e), meaning it goes through the same building-permit and inspection process as new residential construction, administered by Community Development's building staff. Because accessory dwellings are an accessory use, they must remain subordinate to and located on the same lot as the principal building under the general accessory-use rules in Sec. 7.3(1), and cannot be created on a vacant lot without an existing or permitted principal home.