City of Roanoke ADU rules — what you can build and when.
Southwest Virginia's most ADU-ready city — with pre-approved plans to prove it.
Verify locally — rules are changing ahead of July 1, 2027. This page reflects our working understanding at publication. Always confirm with the City of Roanoke zoning department before you design or file. We handle that verification as part of every Readiness Assessment.
Roanoke in one screen.
- By-right accessory use to a one-family dwelling; one ADU per lot
- Detached: lesser of 800 sf or 80% of the main home's gross floor area
- Attached: 40% of the building's gross floor area; no stairways facing the primary façade
- Pre-approved ADU plans available from the city's design competition
Reading between the lines.
Roanoke is the standout in Southwest Virginia. Two rounds of zoning text amendments in 2024 — March and September — established accessory dwelling units as a by-right accessory use to a one-family dwelling, with published size standards you can actually design against.
Those standards are among the clearest in the state. A detached unit is capped at the lesser of 800 sq ft or 80% of the principal dwelling's gross floor area; an attached unit at 40% of the building's gross floor area. The city also cares about street presence: exterior stairways and added entrances on attached units may not face the primary façade.
Roanoke went a step further and ran a design competition with AIA and AARP that produced pre-approved ADU plans. What slows projects down instead are overlay checks — the Rental Inspection Program area, flood zones, historic districts and the Neighborhood Design District all add requirements, and all are verifiable through the city's GIS before you commit.
Roanoke answers.
Can I build an ADU in Roanoke, VA?
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Yes. Roanoke permits accessory dwelling units by-right as an accessory use to a one-family dwelling under Chapter 36.2, following zoning text amendments adopted in March and September 2024.
How big can a detached ADU be in Roanoke?
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No more than 800 sq ft or 80% of the principal dwelling's gross floor area, whichever is less. Attached units are capped at 40% of the building's gross floor area.
Does Roanoke offer pre-approved ADU plans?
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Yes. Roanoke ran a design competition with AIA and AARP that produced a set of pre-approved accessory dwelling unit plans for homeowners to use.
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