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Where we build ADUs around Houston
The City of Houston has no zoning. Bellaire, Pearland and Sugar Land do. That single difference changes what you can build more than any other.
What rules apply to an ADU inside the City of Houston?
Houston regulates development without a zoning code. As of October 2026, four sets of rules do most of the work for a second unit:
- Chapter 42. The subdivision and development rules. A lot stays single-family residential with a second dwelling unit of up to 1,500 sq ft, under changes effective November 27, 2023.
- Deed restrictions. Private covenants recorded on many subdivisions. The city says its 2023 changes do not override them, and its Legal Department can sue to enforce them for violations that began after August 1965.
- Chapter 19. Floodplain rules. Since September 1, 2018, new construction in the 500-year floodplain must sit two feet above the 500-year flood elevation.
- Historic districts. In a city historic district, new construction needs a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Read more in our guide to building without zoning.
Which neighborhoods and nearby cities do we serve?
The Heights
A neighborhood inside Houston, founded in the 1890s and annexed in 1918. Several city historic districts cover parts of it, and garage apartments are a familiar sight.
ADUs in the HeightsBellaire
A separate city surrounded by Houston, with its own zoning code. It allows one accessory residential structure with a kitchen on a single-family lot, and bars renting it.
ADUs in BellairePearland
A fast-growing suburb south of Houston. ADUs need a conditional use permit, and council denied two requests in early 2026.
ADUs in PearlandSugar Land
A Fort Bend County city of master-planned neighborhoods, with its own development code and active HOAs.
ADUs in Sugar LandCheck what your lot allows
Send an address in any of these places. We look up the rules for that exact lot.