Virginia · County Rules

Henrico County ADU rules — what you can build and when.

Permitted by-right in Henrico — with a tight 800 sq ft ceiling.

Verify locally — rules are changing ahead of July 1, 2027. This page reflects our working understanding at publication. Always confirm with the Henrico County zoning department before you design or file. We handle that verification as part of every Readiness Assessment.

At A Glance

Henrico in one screen.

By-right, but only accessory to a single-family detached dwelling
Size: lesser of 800 sf or 35% of the principal dwelling's finished floor area
One ADU per lot; 30-day minimum lease (no short-term rentals)
Manufactured homes, RVs and campers do not qualify as an ADU

Detached ADUs today

Henrico County Code §24-4406 permits an accessory dwelling unit by-right, but only as an accessory to a single-family detached dwelling. It may be interior, attached, or a detached structure such as an apartment above a garage.

Size cap

The lesser of 800 sq ft or 35% of the finished floor area of the principal dwelling. On a 2,000 sq ft house that math yields 700 sq ft — the percentage, not the cap, is usually the binding number.

Occupancy rule

No family-relation requirement appears in the ordinance. Confirm current owner-occupancy language directly against the full text of §24-4406 before you rely on it.

Utility notes

Much of Henrico is on public utilities, but western and rural portions are septic-served. Health-department capacity review is the item to confirm early on those parcels.

What SB 531 changes

SB 531 will constrain Henrico's fee and setback authority and forbid family-relation requirements, but Henrico's by-right posture already anticipates most of the law.

The Detail

Reading between the lines.

Henrico permits accessory dwellings by-right, which puts it ahead of most Richmond-area jurisdictions. The catch is scale: the lesser of 800 sq ft or 35% of the main home's finished floor area is a genuinely tight envelope, and the percentage test usually binds before the 800 sq ft cap does.

Detached accessory structures also have to respect the county's general siting rules — roughly 10 ft from the principal dwelling, 6 ft from other structures, 10 ft from street and alley lines, and 3 ft from other lot lines. On a standard suburban lot those numbers, plus the driveway, tend to determine where the unit lands.

Two operational limits matter for anyone modeling income: only one ADU is permitted per lot, and leases must run at least 30 days, which rules out short-term rental use. Manufactured homes, RVs and campers cannot serve as an ADU.

Common Questions

Henrico answers.

Are ADUs allowed in Henrico County?

Yes. Henrico County Code §24-4406 permits an accessory dwelling unit by-right as an accessory to a single-family detached dwelling — interior, attached, or detached.

How big can a Henrico County ADU be?

The lesser of 800 sq ft or 35% of the finished floor area of the principal dwelling. On most suburban homes the 35% test is the binding limit.

Can I short-term rent a Henrico ADU?

No. Henrico requires a minimum 30-day lease term for accessory dwelling units, which effectively prohibits short-term rental use.

Other Virginia Counties

Explore the rest of our county pages.

Loudoun County Fairfax County Arlington County Prince William County Fauquier County Albemarle County City of Alexandria City of Richmond Chesterfield County Stafford County City of Virginia Beach City of Norfolk City of Chesapeake City of Newport News City of Hampton City of Charlottesville City of Roanoke

Confirm Your Property

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A Readiness Assessment gives you the Henrico-specific zoning, utility and cost picture in writing — before you spend a dollar on design.

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