ADU Pass
Carson City
Washoe County portion
Also in: Carson City · Douglas County · No County
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Carson City, Washoe County, Nevada navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 1 ZIP code.
Map
Washoe County — county ADU rules and overlays
County ADU ordinance
Washoe County permits accessory dwelling units in most residential and general-rural zoning districts subject to a maximum gross floor area of 1,200 sq ft (or 50% of primary dwelling, whichever is less) and a minimum parcel size that scales with the underlying zoning district. ADUs in the Tahoe Area Plan are subject to the more restrictive Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) coverage and density standards in addition to county code.
County regulatory overlays
- wui-fire-zone — Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District performs defensible-space pre-inspections that gate Certificate of Occupancy for new dwellings. Ignoring TMFPD inspection is the most common cause of CO delay on Washoe ADU projects.
- flood-zone — Lemmon Valley flooding events in 2017 and 2023 prompted county adoption of additional freeboard requirements (1 ft above BFE) for new construction in mapped Zone A. ADUs are subject to these enhanced standards.
- other — TRPA permit reviews can add 90-180 days to ADU project timelines. Land coverage transfers may be required if the parcel is at its base coverage allowance.
- airport-noise-zone — Residential expansion (including ADUs) inside the 65 dB DNL contour typically requires noise-attenuating window assemblies and recorded avigation easements.
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
- 89704
Post Office
- 1111 S Roop St, 89701