ADU Pass
Lexington
Fayette County portion
Also in: No County
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 14 ZIP codes.
ADU details
ADU legality: unclear
Kentucky leaves ADU regulation to local municipalities under home-rule or Dillon-rule authority. Lexington permits ADUs subject to local conditions per its zoning ordinance.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 150 | $1,500 | $35,250 | $36,750 |
| 600 | 600 | $1,500 | $141,000 | $142,500 |
| midpoint | 525 | $1,500 | $123,375 | $124,875 |
| maximum | 900 | $1,500 | $211,500 | $213,000 |
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. Lexington 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: Lexington Water Utility · 30d connect · $4,500
- Sewer: Lexington Sewer / Wastewater · 30d connect · $5,500
- Electric: Lexington Electric Utility · 21d connect · $1,800
- Gas: Lexington 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
Kentucky has no HOA-ADU preemption; HOA covenants restricting ADUs are enforceable.
Regulatory overlays (1)
- historic-district
Lexington historic districts trigger Architectural Review Board / Historic Preservation Commission review for ADUs in historic boundaries.
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- Amendment
- Amendment
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: City of Lexington Municipal Code — Accessory Dwelling Units, adopted 2020-01-01, last amended 2024-04-01
- 2024-01-01 — City of Lexington ADU code refresh (city-ordinance)
Conforming local-code amendments aligning with current Kentucky accessory-dwelling framework.
Effect: Codified permissive ADU standards consistent with state law and local zoning.
Kentucky state — ADU law and programs
State financing programs
Kentucky does not operate an ADU-specific statewide loan, grant, or forgivable-loan program. The Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) is the state housing finance agency and administers first-time-homebuyer mortgage products, the Welcome Home Grant (down-payment assistance), the KHC Down Payment Assistance Program (up to $12,500 second mortgage), and Mortgage Credit Certificates. None target ADU construction directly. ADU costs may be financed through standard renovation or construction-loan products under KHC programs when the ADU is part of a qualifying primary-residence transaction.
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
- 40502
- 40503
- 40504
- 40505
- 40507
- 40508
- 40509
- 40510
- 40511
- 40513
- 40514
- 40515
- 40516
- 40517
Post Office
- 1025 Majestic Dr, 40513
- 1045 Brentwood Ct Ste 110, 40511
- 1729 Alexandria Dr, 40504
- 2041 Creative Dr Ste 100, 40505
- 3525 Lansdowne Dr, 40517