ADU Pass
Columbus
Franklin County portion
Also in: No County
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 31 ZIP codes.
Map
ADU details
ADU legality: unclear
Ohio leaves ADU regulation to local municipalities under home-rule or Dillon-rule authority. Columbus permits ADUs subject to local conditions per its zoning ordinance.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 150 | $1,800 | $34,500 | $36,300 |
| 600 | 600 | $1,800 | $138,000 | $139,800 |
| midpoint | 525 | $1,800 | $120,750 | $122,550 |
| maximum | 900 | $1,800 | $207,000 | $208,800 |
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. Columbus 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: Columbus Water Utility · 30d connect · $4,500
- Sewer: Columbus Sewer / Wastewater · 30d connect · $5,500
- Electric: Columbus Electric Utility · 21d connect · $1,800
- Gas: Columbus Gas Utility · 30d connect · $1,500
Property values & taxes
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 10mo · worst 16mo
Financing
Insurance impact
HOA prevalence & preemption
Ohio has no statewide statute that voids HOA bans on ADUs. Common-interest communities in Ohio are governed primarily by the Ohio Planned Community Law (O.R.C. Chapter 5312) for HOAs and by the Ohio Condominium Property Act (O.R.C. Chapter 5311) for condominiums. Restrictive covenants in declarations and bylaws — including those prohibiting accessory structures, secondary kitchens, or rental of any portion of a residence — remain enforceable per their terms.
Regulatory overlays (1)
- historic-district
Columbus 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 Columbus Municipal Code — Accessory Dwelling Units, adopted 2020-01-01, last amended 2024-04-01
- 2024-01-01 — City of Columbus ADU code refresh (city-ordinance)
Conforming local-code amendments aligning with current Ohio accessory-dwelling framework.
Effect: Codified permissive ADU standards consistent with state law and local zoning.
Franklin County — county ADU rules and overlays
County ADU ordinance
Franklin County (state-capital county; ~1,326,000 residents — Ohio's most populous county; encompassing Columbus, Westerville, Dublin partial, Worthington, Bexley, Whitehall, Reynoldsburg, Gahanna, Hilliard, Upper Arlington, Grove City, Grandview Heights, New Albany, Pickerington partial, Canal Winchester partial, and a substantial fraction of unincorporated Franklin in townships including Sharon, Norwich, Washington, Madison, Truro, Hamilton, Mifflin, Plain, Blendon, Clinton, Perry, Pleasant, Brown, Jefferson, Franklin, Prairie, Jackson, and Marion) regulates land use in unincorporated areas through township-tier zoning under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 519 (Township Rural Zoning). Ohio is a Dillon's Rule state with home-rule for charter municipalities under Ohio Const. Art. XVIII. Counties may not directly zone unincorporated areas in Ohio (with exceptions for Lake County and a few others); zoning in unincorporated Ohio is performed by the township under ORC 519, with county Planning Commissions providing advisory review. Franklin County's Economic Development and Planning Department coordinates planning across the county and provides advisory review of township zoning under ORC 519.04. ADU regulation in Franklin County is therefore primarily township-tier and city-tier; the County's role is limited to advisory planning, the Franklin County Auditor (assessment), the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Franklin County Public Health for septic permitting.
County regulatory overlays
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
- 43085
- 43119
- 43201
- 43202
- 43203
- 43204
- 43205
- 43206
- 43207
- 43209
- 43210
- 43211
- 43212
- 43213
- 43214
- 43215
- 43217
- 43218
- 43219
- 43220
- 43221
- 43222
- 43223
- 43224
- 43227
- 43228
- 43229
- 43230
- 43231
- 43232
- 43235
Post Office
- 1391 Grandview Ave, 43212
- 1499 W Broad St, 43222
- 1612 Lockbourne Rd, 43207
- 1822 Henderson Rd, 43220
- 1981 Cleveland Ave, 43211
- 2200 Innis Rd, 43224
- 2323 Citygate Dr Ofc 2, 43218
- 2323 Citygate Dr, 43218
- 234 W 18th Ave, 43210
- 246 Lincoln Cir Ste H, 43230
- 2469 E Dublin Granville Rd, 43229
- 2601 Courtright Rd, 43232
- 2804 N High St, 43202
- 2873 W Broad St, 43204
- 2935 E Main St, 43209
- 327 N 20th St, 43203
- 33 E 4th Ave, 43201
- 3637 S High St, 43207
- 3750 E Broad St, 43213
- 3850 E Livingston Ave, 43227
- 4255 Macsway Ave, 43232
- 4364 N High St, 43214
- 445 E Innis Ave, 43207
- 4905 Gettysburg Rd, 43220
- 5700 Maple Canyon Ave, 43229
- 6316 Nicholas Dr, 43235
- 770 Georgesville Rd, 43228
- 83 Robinwood Ave, 43213
- 850 Twin Rivers Dr, 43216
- 99 N High St, 43215
Locale Names
- Beechwold
- Bexley
- Central Point Finance Unit
- Christopher Columbus
- Citygate Caller Unit
- Clintonville Finance
- Columbus Oh Westland Sdc
- East City Annex
- Eastland
- Eastland Finance Unit
- Gahanna
- Gahanna Annex
- German Village
- Hilltop Retail Store
- Kroger Dpobu
- Linden Finance
- Livingston
- Mount Vernon Finance
- Northland
- Northland Retail Store
- Northwest
- Northwest Finance Unit
- Oakland Park Oh S&dc
- Short North Retail Unit
- South Columbus
- Tri Village Finance
- University
- Upper Arlington Annex
- West City
- West Worthington
- Whitehall
- Whitehall Annex