Do I have to live on the property?
✓ Verified against code · August 19, 2026
Not on an ongoing basis. In single-unit districts, you must own both units and — when adding an ADU to an existing house — occupy the primary home at the time you apply, which is exactly the carve-out Colorado's ADU statute permits. After that, both units can be rentals (long-term; STR rules differ).
Citation: DZC §11.8.2.2; C.R.S. 29-35-403(2)(b)
How current is this?
Denver’s ADU rules run under Denver Zoning Code §11.8.2 and Article 3/5 form standards (CB24-1302 (amended by CB25-0684, CB25-2163)). Denver's citywide ADU ordinance (CB24-1302) ended parcel-by-parcel rezonings in December 2024, a follow-up repealed all vehicle-parking minimums citywide in August 2025, and a February 2026 amendment forced PUDs to allow ADUs. The city's own 2023 'Constructing an ADU' handout, still linked from its permits page, describes the pre-2024 regime — ignore it. We verified this answer against primary sources on August 19, 2026, and every change we catch is logged in the changelog.
More Denver ADU questions
- Do I need a rezoning to build an ADU in Denver?
- Do I need parking for a Denver ADU?
- How big can a Denver ADU be?
- Does a Denver ADU need a sewer permit?
All Denver ADU rules → · Compare Colorado cities →
Not legal advice — lot-specific overlays can change the answer for your parcel. The citation above points at the governing code section; check it, or ask the city to confirm.