Loveland ADU rules

✓ Verified against code · August 20, 2026

Current rules under UDC §18.04.07.01 (Accessory Dwelling Units), adopted by Ordinance 6805 (building on Ord 6762 and Ord 6636), in effect since January 20, 2026. Loveland is bound by HB24-1152 through the North Front Range MPO rather than DRCOG. It has gone further than the statute requires on both parking and owner-occupancy, and the state has certified it as an ADU Supportive Jurisdiction — the opposite designation from the non-compliance findings elsewhere on the Front Range. One date matters: the parking exemption below is recent, arriving only with Ordinance 6805 on January 20, 2026. Before that, Ordinance 6762 required a space unless the adjacent street was at least 28 ft wide with on-street parking allowed.

Common questions, answered from the code

Do I need parking for a Loveland ADU?

No — Loveland requires no off-street parking for an ADU at all, which is more generous than state law requires. Worth knowing the timing, though: this only became true on January 20, 2026, when Ordinance 6805 took effect. Under the previous ordinance a space was required unless your adjacent street was at least 28 ft wide with on-street parking allowed, so anything permitted before that date was assessed differently.

UDC §18.04.07.01(B) · Permalink

Do I have to live on the property in Loveland?

No. Loveland has no owner-occupancy requirement of any kind — not an ongoing one, and not even a residency check when you apply. That goes beyond what HB24-1152 requires, since the statute would still permit an application-time check. Loveland has been unusual in this respect for years; a 2021 city staff review noted it as the only community in its region without such a requirement.

UDC §18.04.07.01 (absence verified) · Permalink

How big can a Loveland ADU be?

900 sq ft of floor area, counting all floor planes but excluding attached garages. On a large lot there is a second limit — the ADU cannot exceed 50% of your principal dwelling's floor area, and total site coverage still has to meet the city's Scale Thresholds. A useful quirk: ADU floor area is excluded from the Building Coverage Ratio calculation on standard lots.

UDC §18.04.07.01(D)–(E) · Permalink

What do Loveland ADU fees cost?

Less than most of the Front Range, because capital expansion fees — Loveland's impact fees — are waived for ADUs entirely. You may also act as your own general contractor. Water and wastewater have to run through the principal dwelling's tap, though electricity may have its own meter. No ADU-specific permit review timeline is published, so ask Development Services for a current estimate.

City ADU information page · Permalink

What is an ADU Supportive Jurisdiction?

It is a certification the state grants to Colorado local governments that adopt ADU-friendly policies, and it unlocks access to Colorado's ADU grant program. Loveland holds it — which is a notably different posture from the roughly dozen Front Range jurisdictions the state identified as non-compliant with the ADU law in October 2025.

Colorado DOLA ADU Supportive Jurisdictions · Permalink

The rules at a glance

ADUs allowed per lot	One per lot, accessory to a single-family detached principal dwelling — interior or attached, or detached, but not both. An attached ADU may not have an internal connection to the principal unit.UDC §18.04.07.01(B)
Maximum size	900 sq ft of floor area across all floor planes, excluding attached garages. On large lots the ADU is additionally capped at 50% of the principal dwelling's floor area, and total site coverage must still meet the Scale Threshold limits.UDC §18.04.07.01(D)–(E)
Detached ADU height	The current ADU section contains no height subsection, and we have not been able to confirm from a primary source which standard applies in its place. We publish that gap rather than a number we cannot cite.UDC §18.04.07.01 (no height provision); standard governing in its place unverified
Detached ADU setbacks	Front setback equal to the principal dwelling's; street side the same as the principal building; 5 ft to an interior side line, 5 ft to an interior rear line, and 5 ft to an alley. This flat 5 ft is ADU-specific and simpler than the general accessory-structure rule, which requires the greater of 5 ft or one foot per four feet of height.UDC §18.04.07.01(C)
Off-street parking	None. Loveland requires no off-street parking for an ADU at all, which is more permissive than the statute requires — the three-condition test never comes into play because no parking mandate exists.UDC §18.04.07.01(B)Previously: One space required unless the adjacent street was at least 28 ft wide with on-street parking allowed — changed by Ord 6805, effective Jan 20, 2026
Owner-occupancy	None — not ongoing, and not at application either. This goes beyond the statute, which would still permit a residency check when the application is filed. Loveland was noted as the only community in its region without an owner-occupancy requirement as far back as 2021.UDC §18.04.07.01 (absence verified); §18.02.04.03; §18.02.04.04
Lot coverage / floor area	ADU floor area is excluded from the Building Coverage Ratio calculation — the city's Scale Thresholds — on standard lots. On large lots the ADU is capped at 50% of the principal dwelling's floor area and total coverage must still meet those thresholds.UDC §18.04.07.01(D)–(E); §18.02.04.02
Permit path & timeline	Administrative and by-right: a building permit and site plan to Development Services, with no public hearing or notice step. A free optional pre-application consultation is offered weekly. No published ADU review timeline.City ADU information page; UDC §18.04.07.01

Worth knowing

Capital expansion fees — Loveland's impact fees — are waived for ADUs.
An owner may act as their own general contractor on an ADU.
Water and wastewater must run through the principal dwelling's tap, but electricity may have its own separate meter.
Loveland is certified by the state as an ADU Supportive Jurisdiction, the designation tied to Colorado's grant program for ADU construction — the opposite signal from the non-compliance findings elsewhere on the Front Range.
An attached ADU may not have an internal connection to the principal unit, so a lockable interior door between the two is not permitted.
The city has stated an intention to extend ADU eligibility to duplex and townhome lots during 2026; that change is not yet in the code.

On our watchlist

Loveland's ADU section contains no height provision and we could not confirm which standard governs in its place. A 2021 staff presentation shows the pre-2021 figure was 26 ft and proposed replacing it with a relative standard tied to the principal dwelling, but the adopted text is unconfirmed. We publish the gap rather than a number.

The February 2026 date for the ADU Supportive Jurisdiction certification comes from the city's own page; Loveland's presence on the state roster is confirmed, the month is not independently dated.

A 2026 code-amendment package extending ADU eligibility to duplex and townhome lots is in progress and not yet codified.

Primary sources

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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.