Austin HOME Initiative makes ADUs a solid house hack - free tool to check your lot

Austin HOME Initiative makes ADUs a solid house hack - free tool to check your lot

Member since 2026 · 2 posts · 0 votes

I've been looking into adding an ADU in Austin since the HOME Initiative changed the rules. For anyone who hasn't dug into it yet, here's the gist:

- Up to 3 units allowed on any residential lot

- No parking requirements for ADUs

- Can go up to 35ft / 2 stories

- No max ADU size, just 40% lot coverage

The annoying part is figuring out if your specific lot qualifies. You have to dig through TCAD records and city zoning maps, which is a pain.

So I made a free tool that does it for you: https://austinadu.com

Just type in an address and it pulls up the lot size, zoning, permit history, and tells you if you can add units. It covers about 850K properties in the Austin metro.

Has anyone here actually gone through the process of building one? I'm looking at a 7,000 sqft SF-3 lot and trying to figure out if the numbers work. What did you end up spending and how long did permitting take?

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  • David IvyPro Member
    Real Estate Broker · Austin, TX · Member since 2016 · 353 posts · 699 votes
    7mo

    If STR is part of the numbers, note that in Austin, ADUs built after October 1, 2015 are limited to 30 total short-term rental calendar days per year. It also matters whether the additional units are permitted as ADUs or as primary dwellings. That classification is determined during permitting and can materially affect how the property can be operated.

    If you're counting on STR income, confirm the intended unit classification with a land use consultant or Development Services early.

  • Member since 2026 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    7mo

    Good call on the STR limit, that's a detail that can really change the math on a house hack.

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