Building an ADU in Minneapolis

What you can build here

Minneapolis allows internal, attached and detached ADUs "accessory to a principal residential structure." The main building must be a permitted or conditional single-family or two-family home; ADUs are not allowed with any other use. You can have no more than one ADU on a zoning lot.

The city describes the three types this way:

• Internal: inside the walls of an existing or new home, such as a basement or attic unit.
• Attached: in an addition to the house.
• Detached: a freestanding building on the same lot, including an addition above a detached garage.

The city defines an ADU as a dwelling unit on the same lot as a home "and that is subordinate in area to the principal dwelling." For what Minnesota state law says, see our Minnesota ADU page. [1][2][3][4]

Size, height and setbacks

Internal ADUs are limited to 800 square feet. They can be bigger only if the part of the house they are in existed on January 1, 2015, and never bigger than the house's first floor. The whole unit must be on one level.

Attached ADUs can have up to 800 square feet of gross floor area, and their main exterior materials must match the house.

Detached ADUs can have up to 1,300 square feet or 16% of the lot area, whichever is greater. That total includes garage space on all levels. In no case can it exceed 1,600 square feet or the gross floor area of the house, whichever is less. The detached ADU, all other detached accessory buildings and any attached parking can cover no more than 800 square feet or 10% of the lot, whichever is greater. Decks, stairs, landings and similar attached structures count toward that footprint.

Other detached ADU rules:

• Height: no more than 21 feet, unless a variance is granted.
• Side setback: at least 3 feet, with no reduction where garage doors face the side lot line.
• Rear setback: may be reduced to 3 feet, but not on the side with garage doors facing the rear lot line. A detached ADU can't be within 5 feet of a rear lot line that is a neighbor's side lot line in an urban neighborhood or residential mixed-use district.
• Distance from the house: at least 10 feet from the habitable part of the house.
• Design: durable materials such as masonry, wood or cement-based siding; at least 5% windows on walls facing an alley or street.

For internal and attached ADUs, new entrances can't face the street, and stairs to an upper-floor unit must be enclosed or entirely at the rear. For all ADUs, balconies can't face an interior side yard. Decks, including rooftop decks, must be at least 5 feet from an interior side property line.

A summary table in the city's ADU application (revised July 2024) lists the 1,600-square-foot cap but leaves out the code's limit tied to the size of the house. Go by the code, and confirm with zoning staff. [1][3]

Parking

You don't need to add parking. The zoning code's parking chapter says the regulations "do not mandate a minimum number of automobile parking spaces." The city's ADU application says there is no minimum or maximum parking requirement for the house or the ADU. [2][3]

Owner occupancy

For new ADUs, owner occupancy applies only to some internal ADUs. If the internal ADU is not a separate dwelling unit under the Minnesota State Building Code, an owner must live in one of the units as their primary residence. Before the permit is issued, you record a covenant with the Hennepin County recorder that runs with the land and tells future buyers about the rule.

New attached and detached ADUs have no owner-occupancy rule. Attached and detached ADUs built before March 6, 2021 under an owner-occupancy covenant stay subject to it. You can ask the city to release it after a building official confirms the ADU meets the state building code for a dwelling unit. [1][3][5]

Fees

• ADU zoning application: $325, set in the zoning code's fee table.
• Building permit: based on the job's valuation, labor and materials included. For work valued at $50,001 to $100,000, the fee is $950.50 for the first $50,000 plus $10.60 for each additional $1,000. For $100,001 to $500,000, it is $1,480.50 for the first $100,000 plus $8.40 for each additional $1,000.
• Plan review: 65% of the building permit fee.
• State surcharge: the value of the work times 0.0005.

Fees are paid when the permit is issued. If you start work before getting a permit, the city may double your fees. See the city's building permit fee schedule for current amounts.

Sewer availability charge (SAC): the Metropolitan Council's 2026 SAC Procedure Manual assigns one SAC unit per dwelling unit, at a 2026 base fee of $2,485. Remodeling or additions that change the number of dwelling units trigger a SAC determination. Ask Minneapolis Development Review whether SAC applies to your ADU.

Plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits are separate; Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry handles electrical permits. See our ADU cost guide for whole-project budgeting. [2][3][6][7][8][9]

Timeline

The city estimates 15 business days for the initial plan review, and five business days each time you resubmit plans. Zoning staff send a letter within 15 business days if your ADU application is incomplete, and an application left incomplete for 30 days or more is deemed withdrawn. Anyone affected can appeal the zoning decision to the Board of Adjustment within 10 calendar days. See our ADU permit process guide for the general sequence. [3][10]

Garage conversions and units over garages

Minneapolis's building code handout covers detached ADUs, including an addition above a detached garage. Key points:

• Buildings with dwellings need frost footings, and "existing detached garages are not typically on frost-protected footings."
• The garage must be separated from the ADU, including its exit, by one-hour fire-rated construction and 20-minute doors. The ADU's exit must go directly outside or through a fire-rated stair, not through the garage.
• Walls and eaves within five feet of a lot line (other than on the alley side) must be one-hour rated, and windows and doors are not allowed within three feet of a side property line.
• The ADU needs its own heating and ventilation; it can't share a system with the garage.

Garage space counts toward a detached ADU's floor area and footprint limits. See our garage conversion guide. [1][9]

Water and sewer

A detached ADU is usually served by water and sewer lines extended from the main house; dedicated services may be allowed in special circumstances. A licensed master plumber or registered engineer must confirm the existing service can handle both units. Undersized services must be replaced, and a lead water service must be replaced in full before it is extended to an ADU.

If the ADU is served through the house, the city supplies and reads a single water meter in the house; submetering is up to you. An ADU with its own line gets its own city meter. [9]

Renting it out and selling

If you charge rent for a stay of 30 days or less, you need a short-term rental license. An owner can have only one short-term rental property besides their home, and occupancy is limited to 10. Rentals of more than 30 days need a regular rental license instead.

Creating an ADU "shall not create a separate tax parcel," so you can't split it off and sell it separately from the main house. [1][11]

Permit steps in Minneapolis

1. Check your zoning

   Look up your property on Minneapolis Property Info or call 311 at 612-673-3000. ADUs are allowed only on lots with a single-family or two-family home, and only one per lot. [1][3]

2. Talk to zoning and plan review staff

   The city encourages you to meet with Zoning and Plan Review staff before you apply to go over the zoning rules and building codes for your design. [3]

3. Prepare your plans

   You need a scaled and dimensioned site plan, elevations of each side, floor plans for every floor, and photos of the property. The site plan must be prepared by a Minnesota-licensed architect, landscape architect, engineer or land surveyor, though the zoning administrator may waive this when no new principal building is involved. Plans must meet the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code. [3][9]

4. Apply for a building permit

   Submit a building permit application. A development coordinator starts your permit and emails you an invitation to upload plans in ProjectDox. [10]

5. File the ADU land use application

   ADUs need an administrative zoning application ($325), and zoning staff will contact you about it. Download the ADU application packet. Incomplete applications get a letter within 15 business days, and the zoning administrator's decision can be appealed within 10 calendar days. [3][5][10]

6. Record the owner-occupancy covenant (internal ADUs only)

   For an internal ADU, record the city's covenant for owner occupancy with the Hennepin County recorder and give the city proof before the building permit is issued. [1][3][5]

7. Get plan approval and pay for the permit

   The city estimates 15 business days for the first plan review and five business days for each resubmittal. When all departments approve, you pay the fees, download the permit and approved plans, and post them on site. [10]

8. Pass inspections and get a Certificate of Occupancy

   You schedule inspections as you build, and every project needs a final inspection. A certificate of occupancy inspection is required before a new building can be occupied. [10]

Who to call

• Minneapolis Development Review

  Building permits and plan review; Public Service Building, Room 220. Service Center hours Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  612-673-3000

  505 Fourth Ave. S., Room 220, Minneapolis, MN 55415

  [10]

• Construction Code Services

  Building code questions for ADUs

  612-673-3000

  505 Fourth Ave. S., Room 320, Minneapolis, MN 55415

  [4]

• Minneapolis 311

  Zoning lookups and general questions, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday

  612-673-3000

  [5][10]

• Inspections Services (short-term rental licenses)

  Short-term rental licenses; email fispermit@minneapolismn.gov

  612-673-3000

  505 Fourth Ave. S., Room 510, Minneapolis, MN 55415

  [11]

Questions people ask