ADU Pass
Franklin
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Franklin, Robertson County, Texas navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 1 ZIP code.
Map
ADU details
ADU legality: with-restrictions
Permitted as a residential building permit; ADUs are not separately codified. Compliance turns on Texas IRC adoption, on-site sewage facility (OSSF) rules where applicable, and basic city setback / lot requirements rather than a dedicated ADU ordinance.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 200 | $800 | $36,000 | $36,800 |
| 600 | 600 | $1,100 | $108,000 | $109,100 |
| midpoint | 600 | $1,100 | $108,000 | $109,100 |
| maximum | 1,200 | $1,700 | $216,000 | $217,700 |
Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)
Permitting process
- Confirm parcel status (city limits vs Robertson County ETJ) (~3d)
Visit Franklin City Hall (101 N Pecan Street area, Franklin TX 77856) or call to confirm whether parcel is inside city limits (Franklin permit) or in the Robertson County ETJ (county subdivision/OSSF rules + Franklin ETJ subdivision platting where applicable). Confirm water/sewer service vs OSSF. - Building permit application at City Hall (~1d)
Submit residential building permit application in person at City Hall. Application requires site plan, foundation/floor plan, framing plan, MEP plans, and IECC 2021 (TX amendments) compliance documentation. If using a manufactured home for the secondary unit, separate $50 manufactured-home permit and city pre-approval (HUD-code unit) required. - Robertson County OSSF permit (if no city sewer) (~21d)
If parcel is on septic, file Robertson County OSSF application (per Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366 / TCEQ Chapter 285) for an upgraded or supplemental on-site sewage facility sized for the additional bedrooms. Run in parallel with city building-permit review where possible. - Plan review (city building official + outside contract reviewer if used) (~21d)
Franklin's small-city plan review is typically 2-4 weeks for a residential project. Contracted reviewers used for technical disciplines if not staffed in-house. Comments returned in person or via email. - Pay fees and permit issuance (~2d)
Pay valuation-based building permit fee at City Hall (cash, check, or card). Manufactured-home permit: $50. Permit issues 1-2 business days after payment. - Construction inspections by city building official
Required: foundation, plumbing rough, framing, electrical rough, mechanical rough, insulation, energy, and final. Inspections scheduled by phone with City Hall. OSSF inspections by Robertson County / TCEQ-designated representative if applicable. - Certificate of Occupancy (~5d)
Final inspection passes trigger CO. Required before separate water/sewer billing or rental tenancy.
Viability (permitted uses)
- Long-term rental: yes 30+day rental of secondary unit permitted; Texas landlord-tenant law applies.
- Short-term rental: unclear (No dedicated Franklin STR ordinance located) Franklin has no codified STR registration program identified. State-level Hotel Occupancy Tax (Tax Code Chapter 156) applies to rentals of less than 30 days; check current city policy at City Hall.
- Office rental: no Residential structure; commercial rental tenancy not permitted in residentially-permitted ADU.
- Home office: yes Home occupation generally permitted in small-town Texas with limits on signage / customer traffic.
- Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist/workshop use is a permitted accessory residential use.
- Agriculture: yes Rural / agricultural uses widely accepted in Franklin and Robertson County subject to local nuisance / setback rules.
- Relative support: yes Family-occupancy secondary unit explicitly permitted; common pattern in rural Texas counties.
Incentives
- Texas Homestead Exemption + Rural Land / Ag Use — Owner-occupied primary residence exemption applies to primary structure. Many Franklin parcels are rural and may carry agricultural-use valuation on land outside the residential footprint.
Contacts
Utilities
- Water: City of Franklin Water Department (city water service) · 14d connect · $1,500
- Sewer: City of Franklin Sewer (where served) or on-site sewage facility (OSSF / septic) elsewhere · 14d connect · $2,500
- Electric: Mid-South Synergy / Navasota Valley Electric Cooperative (rural electric coop service area) · 21d connect · $1,500
- Gas: Atmos Energy or propane (no widespread natural-gas distribution in Franklin) · 30d connect · $1,200
Property values & taxes
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 5mo · typical 7mo · worst 11mo
Financing
Insurance impact
HOA prevalence & preemption
HOA penetration is low in Franklin and Robertson County; most parcels are rural / fee simple without HOA covenants. Newer subdivisions may carry restrictive covenants.
Regulatory overlays (2)
- flood-zone — FEMA SFHA Zone A along Camp Creek and tributaries within Franklin city limits and Robertson County ETJ · +14d · +6% cost
Camp Creek floodplain crosses portions of Franklin; finished-floor elevation, vented enclosures, and NFIP flood insurance required for federally-backed financing in mapped SFHA. (map) - other — Robertson County OSSF (Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 366; TCEQ Chapter 285) for parcels not on city sewer · +21d · +5% cost
OSSF capacity must accommodate added bedrooms; site evaluation by registered professional sanitarian or TCEQ-licensed installer required. (map)
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- Amendment
- Amendment
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: City of Franklin Building / Permit provisions (no dedicated ADU ordinance), adopted 2022-01-01, last amended 2024-01-01
- 1879-01-01 — Franklin designated county seat of Robertson County (other)
The town of Morgan was renamed Franklin and made the county seat in 1879.
Effect: Established Franklin's role as the seat of county government, anchoring the courthouse and ETJ-management functions Robertson County provides. - 2022-01-01 — Franklin adoption of IRC 2021 (alongside Texas state amendments) (city-ordinance)
City adopted the 2021 International Residential Code with Texas amendments for residential construction.
Effect: Provides the building-code basis under which any ADU-equivalent residential project (detached secondary unit, garage conversion) is plan-reviewed. - 2023-09-01 — Texas HB 24 (88th Legislature) - protest-petition reform (state-law)
Raised neighbor-protest threshold and limited tied-vote outcomes in zoning cases for cities over 5,000 population.
Effect: Did NOT apply to Franklin (population ~1,882 falls below the 5,000 threshold); existing protest-petition rules continue to apply.
Known issues (2)
- documentation-gap (since ongoing) — Franklin has no dedicated ADU ordinance; ADUs are processed under generic residential building-permit rules. Any policy change is not signaled by ordinance number; verify directly with City Hall before designing. (source)
- infrastructure (since ongoing) — Many Franklin-area parcels are on septic; adding bedrooms via an ADU may require an OSSF upgrade with Robertson County review. (source)
Texas state — ADU law and programs
State ADU law
Texas has NOT enacted a statewide ADU preemption or ADU-by-right statute. Local governments (municipalities and counties) retain full authority over ADU zoning, setbacks, parking, size limits, owner-occupancy, and permitting. Two recent housing-reform bills in the 89th Legislature (2025) touch density and zoning procedure but do NOT preempt ADU-specific local rules: SB 15 (Bettencourt, signed 2025-06-20, effective 2025-09-01) caps minimum single-family lot sizes in cities over 150,000 in counties over 300,000, and HB 24 (signed 2025-06-20, effective 2025-09-01) raises the protest petition threshold for zoning changes. A dedicated ADU-preemption bill — SB 673 (Hughes, 2025) — passed the Texas Senate on 2025-04-10 and was reported favorably by the House Land & Resource Management Committee on 2025-05-08, but died on the General State Calendar when the 89th Regular Session adjourned on 2025-06-02. In the absence of a state ADU statute, homeowners must consult the ordinance of the municipality (or the county's subdivision rules for unincorporated areas) where the lot sits.
- Texas SB 15 (89R, 2025) — Relating to size and density requirements for residential lots in certain municipalities; authorizing a fee — Prohibits municipalities of population greater than 150,000 located in counties of population greater than 300,000 from imposing minimum lot sizes greater than a specified threshold (3,000 sqft for certain residentially zoned subdivisions; lower for new subdivisions) and limits their authority over setbacks, parking, permeable-surface, and height on those lots. Not ADU-specific, but functionally expands the footprint of small-lot single-family housing in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and other qualifying cities. Signed 2025-06-20; effective 2025-09-01.
- Texas HB 24 (89R, 2025) — Relating to procedures for changes to a zoning regulation or district boundary — Raises the protest-petition threshold for neighboring property owners who wish to trigger a supermajority city-council vote on a rezoning from 20% to 60%, and constrains the ability of a small minority to block citywide zoning updates. Not ADU-specific; affects the procedural posture of any city-wide ADU-enabling rezoning. Signed 2025-06-20; effective 2025-09-01.
State financing programs
Texas does not operate an ADU-specific statewide loan, grant, or forgivable-loan program comparable to California's CalHFA ADU Grant. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) administers the state's general housing finance programs — My First Texas Home, My Choice Texas Home, Mortgage Credit Certificates, multifamily Housing Tax Credits, the Homeowner Assistance Fund, and Housing Trust Fund awards. None target ADU construction directly, but several can apply to an ADU as part of a primary-residence purchase or refinance when program criteria are met. ADU-specific financing in Texas is primarily local: the City of Austin's ADU Loan Program (administered through Neighborhood Housing and Community Development) and a handful of smaller pilot programs are the most visible, but these sit at the city tier, not the state tier.
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
- 77856
Post Office
- 216 E Decherd St, 77856