Greeley ADU rules
✓ Verified against code · August 19, 2026
Current rules under Greeley Municipal Code Title 24 (Development Code), §24-403, adopted by Ord 35-2021 (ADU section last amended by Ord 7-2023), in effect since February 21, 2023. Greeley's ADU rules predate Colorado's ADU statute and haven't been amended since February 2023. The code text appears to conflict with C.R.S. 29-35-403 on zones, parking, and size — though notably, the state's October 2025 enforcement review did not list Greeley among non-complying jurisdictions, and the reason is undetermined. Where code and statute conflict, state law controls.
Common questions, answered from the code
Can I build an ADU in Greeley's R-L or R-E zones?
The city's code says no — ADUs aren't a permitted use there even though houses are. Colorado's ADU statute (C.R.S. 29-35-403(1)) says cities must allow them wherever single-family homes are allowed, and state law controls over conflicting local code. Notably, the state's October 2025 enforcement review didn't list Greeley as non-compliant, so how this resolves at the counter is genuinely uncertain — raise the statute, get answers in writing, and expect friction.
Table 24-4-2; C.R.S. 29-35-403(1) · Permalink
How much parking does a Greeley ADU need?
The code's table says one space per bedroom — a requirement the state statute almost certainly preempts, since it permits new-space mandates only in a narrow three-condition case. As with the zone question: the code says one thing, the statute another, and no corrective ordinance has been adopted.
Table 24-7-3; C.R.S. 29-35-403(3) · Permalink
How long does a Greeley permit take?
The city publishes targets: 20 working days of plan review for new construction, 10 for additions and remodels.
City building-permits page · Permalink
How big can a Greeley ADU be?
The lesser of 60% of your home's living area or 1,200 sq ft — and a detached unit is further capped at half the house's footprint. On a small home, that 60% formula can compute below the 500–750 sq ft range state law protects, which is one of the code's apparent statute conflicts.
GMC §24-403.b.3 · Permalink
The rules at a glance
| ADUs allowed per lot | One ADU per lot, with a detached house or duplex/multi-unit building — detached or within the principal building (attic/basement). As codified, permitted only in the R-M, R-H, C-L, C-H, MU-L, and MU-H districts — not in R-E, R-L, or H-A, where single-family homes are permitted, an apparent conflict with the state statute.GMC §24-403.b; Table 24-4-2; contrast C.R.S. 29-35-403(1) |
| Maximum size | The lesser of 60% of the home's living area or 1,200 sq ft; a detached ADU is additionally capped as a secondary building at 50% of the home's footprint (up to 1,200 sq ft). On small homes the 60% formula can block ADUs in the 500–750 sq ft range the statute protects.GMC §24-403.b.3; Table 24-5-2; contrast C.R.S. 29-35-402(18) |
| Detached ADU height | 25 ft, but no taller than the principal structure — and larger secondary buildings also face a 9-ft wall / 22-ft roof-peak limit.Table 24-5-2; §24-502.c.2 |
| Detached ADU setbacks | Side and rear 5 ft; street side 20 ft; at least 12 ft behind the house's front building line and 6 ft from the house. No alley exception.Table 24-5-2; §24-502.c.1 |
| Off-street parking | As codified: one space per bedroom for a 'secondary dwelling' (the term is undefined; applying it to ADUs is the plain reading), confined to the garage, driveway, or street directly in front — well beyond what the statute permits a city to require.Table 24-7-3; §24-403.b.4; contrast C.R.S. 29-35-403(2)(a), (3) |
| Owner-occupancy | None — the ADU section contains no owner-occupancy condition.GMC §24-403.b |
| Lot coverage / floor area | Greeley uses minimum lot open space per building type rather than a maximum coverage; the detached ADU also lives under the 50%-of-footprint secondary-building cap.Table 24-5-1; §24-503 |
| Permit path & timeline | Permitted accessory use — staff review and/or site plan approval, then a building permit via eTRAKiT. Published plan-review times: 20 working days for new construction, 10 for additions and remodels.§24-402.a.1(a); city building-permits page |
Worth knowing
- The 'clearly subordinate' standard: the ADU must be visibly secondary and compatible with the main building in design, entrance, and parking placement.
- No ADU-specific short-term-rental ban — unusual on the Front Range.
- Since January 30, 2026, no permits issue in a subdivision until the subdivision or phase is complete.
- The apparent statute conflicts (zones, parking, size formula) have drawn no adopted or visibly pending corrective ordinance — and also no state enforcement listing. A homeowner in R-E, R-L, or H-A is in genuinely uncertain territory: the statute says yes, the code says no.
On our watchlist
No HB24-1152 corrective amendment found through August 2026 — and, a genuine puzzle, no state non-compliance listing either. We watch both the council record and the state's quarterly compliance reviews.
Check your parcel
The rules above are citywide — what you can build depends on your lot’s zone, size, and setbacks. Look yours up on the official viewers:
- Weld County Assessor Property Search (Property Portal)
- Greeley property/zoning map (Property Facts Map)
Primary sources
Other Colorado cities
Arvada · Aurora · Boulder · Colorado Springs · Denver · Fort Collins · Lakewood · Longmont · Pueblo · Thornton · Westminster
Not legal advice. Every fact above cites the code section it comes from — check the cite, or ask your city’s planning department to confirm your specific lot. Spotted an error or a new ordinance? See about to reach us; corrections are logged in the changelog.