ADU Pass
Atlanta
Fulton County portion
Also in: Cobb County · DeKalb County · Douglas County · No County
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 24 ZIP codes.
Map
ADU details
ADU legality: unclear
Georgia leaves ADU regulation to local municipalities under home-rule or Dillon-rule authority. Atlanta permits ADUs subject to local conditions per its zoning ordinance.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 150 | $1,500 | $36,750 | $38,250 |
| 600 | 600 | $1,500 | $147,000 | $148,500 |
| midpoint | 525 | $1,500 | $128,625 | $130,125 |
| maximum | 900 | $1,500 | $220,500 | $222,000 |
Fee breakdown
Viability (permitted uses)
- Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of ADU generally permitted; landlord-tenant law and any city rental-registration ordinance apply.
- Short-term rental: with-restrictions STR rules vary by city. Atlanta regulates STRs separately from ADU permitting; check local STR ordinance and HOA covenants.
- Office rental: with-restrictions Detached office rental requires home occupation permit or rezoning.
- Home office: yes Home occupation permitted with restrictions on signage and customer traffic.
- Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist studio is a permitted accessory use.
- Agriculture: with-restrictions Limited urban agriculture permitted in residential zones; livestock varies by district.
- Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly permitted in single-family zones.
Utilities
- Water: Atlanta Water Utility · 30d connect · $4,500
- Sewer: Atlanta Sewer / Wastewater · 30d connect · $5,500
- Electric: Atlanta Electric Utility · 21d connect · $1,800
- Gas: Atlanta Gas Utility · 30d connect · $1,500
Property values & taxes
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 10mo · worst 16mo
Financing
State ADU loans:
Insurance impact
HOA prevalence & preemption
Georgia has no HOA-ADU preemption; HOA covenants restricting ADUs are enforceable.
Regulatory overlays (2)
- historic-district
Atlanta historic districts trigger Architectural Review Board / Historic Preservation Commission review for ADUs in historic boundaries. - airport-noise-zone
Airport noise contours affect some parcels and may require sound-attenuation construction.
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- Amendment
- Amendment
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: City of Atlanta Municipal Code — Accessory Dwelling Units, adopted 2020-01-01, last amended 2024-04-01
- 2024-01-01 — City of Atlanta ADU code refresh (city-ordinance)
Conforming local-code amendments aligning with current Georgia accessory-dwelling framework.
Effect: Codified permissive ADU standards consistent with state law and local zoning.
Fulton County — county ADU rules and overlays
County ADU ordinance
Fulton County (state-capital county; ~1,066,000 residents — Georgia's most populous — encompassing Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Union City, College Park, East Point, Fairburn, Hapeville, Palmetto, Chattahoochee Hills, and unincorporated south Fulton tracts) regulates land use in unincorporated areas through the Fulton County Zoning Resolution, administered by the Fulton County Department of Community Development. Georgia's HB 514 (2025 session, vetoed; reintroduced 2026 as HB 374) is the closest the state has come to ADU preemption; it has not been enacted, so Georgia's stateAduLaw remains netEffect 'no-statewide-law'. Unincorporated Fulton County permits 'accessory residential structures' / 'accessory apartments' in agricultural and large-lot residential districts (AG-1, R-1, R-2, R-3) by right subject to lot-area minimums, size caps (commonly 1,000 sq ft or 50% of principal dwelling), and owner-occupancy. Smaller residential districts treat ADUs as conditional uses requiring Board of Zoning Appeals approval. The Fulton County Board of Commissioners updated the Zoning Resolution most recently in 2023.
County regulatory overlays
Georgia state — ADU law and programs
State financing programs
Georgia does not operate an ADU-specific statewide loan, grant, or forgivable-loan program. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) administers the Georgia Dream homeownership program, which includes the Georgia Dream Standard, Georgia Dream Hardest Hit Fund DPA, and (effective 2025-07-01) the Georgia Dream Peach Advantage Loan Program for expanded down-payment assistance. None target ADU construction directly; an ADU-bearing primary residence can qualify for the underlying Georgia Dream first mortgage when other eligibility criteria are met.
Federal (United States) — ADU-relevant rules and programs
Federal ADU law
The United States has no federal statute that directly regulates accessory dwelling unit entitlement or design. Land-use authority over ADUs resides with states and local governments under the traditional police power. Federal engagement is limited to financing (Fannie/Freddie/FHA/VA/USDA), flood insurance (FEMA/NFIP), and discretionary housing programs (HUD), which are recorded in sibling sections of this file.
Federal financing programs
Federal housing-finance agencies and GSEs set nationwide underwriting rules that govern whether an ADU can be financed, appraised, and counted toward mortgage qualifying income. The relevant actors are Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA (HUD), VA, and USDA Rural Development.
Federal tax credits
There is no ADU-specific federal tax credit. ADUs may incidentally qualify for existing federal energy-efficiency and clean-energy tax credits when the ADU construction includes qualifying measures.
Federal housing programs
HUD administers several discretionary programs that can fund ADU-related activity at the grantee's election, but none is an ADU-specific program.
ZIP Codes
- 30303
- 30305
- 30306
- 30308
- 30309
- 30310
- 30311
- 30312
- 30313
- 30314
- 30315
- 30318
- 30324
- 30326
- 30327
- 30328
- 30331
- 30336
- 30337
- 30344
- 30349
- 30350
- 30354
- 30363
Post Office
- 1185 Hightower Trl, 30350
- 1590 Jonesboro Rd SE, 30315
- 1800 James Jackson Pkwy NW, 30369
- 2385 Godby Rd, 30349
- 2414 Herring Rd SW, 30311
- 3799 Main St, 30337
- 3900 Crown Rd SW, 30304
- 400 Pryor St SW, 30303
- 415 Plasters Ave NE Ste 100, 30324
- 50 Sunset Ave NW, 30314
- 5686 Fulton Industrial Blvd SW, 30336
- 570 Piedmont Ave NE, 30308
- 650 S Central Ave, 30354
- 780 Morosgo Dr NE, 30324
- 822 Ralph Mcgill Blvd NE, 30306
- 848 Oglethorpe Ave SW, 30310