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ADUs Are an American Tradition While today's interest in ADUs may be new, the housing type is centuries old Early settlers often built a small home to live in while constructing their larger, primary house nearby. When farming was a source of survival for most of the nation's households, families routinely constructed additional homes on their land when needed. People with wealth and acreage regularly populated their lands with secondary mansions and ancillary buildings independent of the main estate house. In fact, until the 20th century, people who owned land built as many homes as they wished, often for extended family or workers. There were few or no zoning rules, municipal services or infrastructure needs (utilities, roads, schools, trash collection, first -responders) to consider. A historic precedent for the modern day accessory dwelling unit is the "carriage house," or "coach house." Originally built for horse-drawn carriages, the structures associated with grander homes were frequently large enough to double as living quarters for workers such as stable hands. Decades later, in response to housing shortages and economic needs, many surviving carriage houses were V This carriage house containing a one -bedroom, one -bath ADU above a two -car garage sits behind a six -level, Gilded Age, Hoboken, New Jersey, townhome that was built in 1883. The dual residence property was on the market in 2018 for $5 million. converted into rental homes. By becoming landlords, the owners gained income from their often unused outbuildings. Automobile garages have a similar history. Some were originally built with a housing unit upstairs. Over time, many garages were converted (often illegally or under zoning codes no longer applicable today) into small homes when the spaces became more valuable for housing people than vehicles. With the rise of suburban single-family home developments following World War II, ADUs practically ceased to be built legally in the United States. Then as now, residential zoning codes typically allowed only one home per lot, regardless of the acreage and with no exceptions. Attached and detached garages occupied yard space that might otherwise have been available for ADUs. Some cities, including Chicago, grandfathered in pre-existing "coach house" ADUs — but only if they remained consistently occupied. In Houston's historic and trendy Heights neighborhood, old and new garage apartments are common and desired. Many communities don't allow new ADUs, even if they did in the past. Even in rural areas with ample land, property owners are often prohibited from creating secondary dwellings or continuing to live in preexisting ones. Countless units in single-family homes or yards are technically illegal simply because they date from when such units were not allowed. ADUs began making a comeback in the 1980s as cities explored ways to support smaller and more affordable housing options within single -dwelling neighborhoods. In 2000, in response to a growing demand for ADU- supportive guidelines, AARP and the American Planning Association partnered to release a model state act and local code for ADUs. An updated resource was published by AARP in 2021. (See an image of it on the inside front cover of this guide.) Many state and local governments are legalizing and encouraging the creation of ADUs (see page 8), driven by high housing costs and, in some cases, the belief that homeowners with suitable space shouldn't be so restricted in the use of their property. ■