What does home rule mean for Colorado's ADU law?
✓ Verified against code · August 19, 2026
Home rule is the constitutional authority some Colorado cities have over local affairs, and it remains untested against the ADU statute specifically. Colorado Springs' ADU ordinance explicitly asserts that conflicting state laws 'may be superseded by local law' under home rule, even as the city seeks supportive-jurisdiction status — a stance flagged as a candidate for future preemption disputes over its parking and height rules. Six home-rule cities, including Arvada and Aurora, are suing the state over other housing statutes — occupancy limits, transit-oriented density, parking, and an executive order — not HB24-1152, so no home-rule challenge to the ADU law itself has been filed.
Citation: varies by city — see city pages
How current is this?
Colorado’s ADU rules run under HB24-1152 (2024). HB24-1152 (codified at C.R.S. 29-35-401 through 29-35-405) required every Colorado city or town of 1,000+ residents inside a metropolitan planning organization to allow one ADU wherever a single-family home is allowed, through administrative approval, by June 30, 2025 — banning ongoing owner-occupancy mandates (an at-application residency check is allowed), most new-parking requirements, and design standards that would block an ADU in the 500–750 sq ft range. Note the contrast with Washington: one ADU per lot, not two. We verified this answer against primary sources on August 19, 2026, and every change we catch is logged in the changelog.
More Colorado ADU questions
- What is HB24-1152?
- Which Colorado cities are not complying with the ADU law?
- Does Colorado allow two ADUs per lot?
- What happened to Lakewood's zoning code?
- How big can an ADU be in Colorado?
- What is the 500 to 750 square foot size protection in Colorado's ADU law?
- Do Colorado cities require ADU owners to live on the property?
- Can Colorado cities require parking for an ADU?
- What do Colorado ADU permits cost?
- How long does it take to get an ADU permit approved in Colorado?
- Can I rent out my Colorado ADU short-term on Airbnb?
Not legal advice — local ordinances can go further than the state floor. The citation above points at the governing statute; check your city’s code for the specifics.