ADU Pass
Carson City
Douglas County portion
Also in: Carson City · No County · Washoe County
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Carson City, Douglas County, Nevada navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 1 ZIP code.
Map
Douglas County — county ADU rules and overlays
County ADU ordinance
Douglas County permits accessory dwelling units in most Single Family Residential, Estate Residential, Agricultural, and Forest & Range zoning districts subject to a maximum gross floor area of 1,200 sq ft and minimum parcel size set by underlying district. ADUs in the Tahoe Township are subject to TRPA review. Owner occupancy of either the primary or accessory unit is required and short-term rental of the ADU is generally prohibited outside the county's STR overlay districts.
County regulatory overlays
- wui-fire-zone — Fire-district defensible-space inspections gate Certificate of Occupancy. Tahoe Basin parcels also have Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Code amendments (Bi-State Compact) on top of the IWUIC base.
- other — TRPA permit reviews can add 90-180 days to ADU project timelines. Land-coverage transfers may be required for parcels at base coverage. Bonus units under the TRPA Achievable Workforce Housing program may apply.
- flood-zone — Douglas County requires 1 ft of freeboard above BFE for new residential construction in Zone A; ADUs are subject to this enhanced standard.
- historic-district — Genoa HPC meets monthly; non-conforming exterior materials (vinyl siding, asphalt shingle) are routinely denied. Staff-level approval available for fully conforming designs.
Nevada state — ADU law and programs
State financing programs
Nevada Housing Division (NHD), under the Department of Business and Industry, does not operate an ADU-specific loan or grant product as of 2026-04-26. NHD's primary homeowner-facing program is Home Is Possible, providing first-time and qualifying homebuyers in Clark and Washoe counties up to 4% of the loan amount as a non-repayable grant for down payment and closing costs, paired with a 30-year fixed-rate first mortgage. The Home Is Possible For Heroes overlay serves teachers, military, first responders, and healthcare workers. NHD also issued $283.3 million of 2024 tax-exempt bonding authority for affordable-housing development (multi-family); separately, the Nevada Affordable Housing Assistance Corporation (NAHAC) administers federal Hardest Hit Fund and Homeowner Assistance Fund programs for delinquency relief. None of these is ADU-specific; ADU construction can be financed only as part of a qualifying primary-residence purchase or refinance.
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 Code
- 89705
Post Office
- 1111 S Roop St, 89701