Can you build an ADU in Nashville, TN?
Nashville clearly allows DADUs in qualifying situations, but only where the land use table marks them permitted with conditions and where service-area, ownership, lot, and design requirements are met. Parcel-level overlay and district checks are essential.
Confidence: high · Last researched May 2026
Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (DADU) rules
A DADU is a small, detached single-unit residence on the same lot as an existing single-family residence. It is allowed only when the parcel’s zoning district shows DADU permitted with conditions and the parcel satisfies lot, service-area, and other eligibility rules.
- The land use table must show the parcel’s zoning district permits DADUs with conditions (PC).
- The lot area must comply with the minimum lot area for the parcel’s zoning.
- The parcel must be in the Urban Services District, within a DADU overlay in the General Services District, within a UDO with DADU standards, or within an SP with DADU standards.
- Only one DADU is permitted on a parcel and only when one single-family principal structure is present.
- The DADU must be owned by the same person as the principal structure and one of the two dwellings must be owner-occupied.
- On covered single-family, Residential Neighborhood, or Residential Limited lots, STRP-owner occupied is not a permitted use in the accessory dwelling unit when a new DADU is built or established via conversion.
- The DADU must be subordinate in size, height, and purpose to the principal structure.
- Living space may not exceed seven hundred (700) square feet for lots less than ten thousand square feet or eight hundred and fifty (850) square feet for lots ten thousand square feet or greater, and may not exceed the size of the principal structure.
- Height may not exceed the principal structure’s eave height; maximum eave height is ten feet for one-story DADUs and seventeen feet for two-story DADUs; maximum roof ridge height is twenty-seven feet.
- Reduced side and rear setbacks are available for smaller rear-lot accessory buildings under Section 17.12.040E.1.a.
Dimensional standards in Nashville, TN
| RS5 — minimum lot area | 5,000 square feet per lot |
| RS5 example parcel — minimum rear setback | 20 foot |
| RS5 example parcel — minimum side setback | 5 foot |
| single-family and two-family structures generally — street setback on minor-local and local streets | 20 foot setback |
| single-family and two-family structures generally — street setback on all other streets | 40 foot setback |
| R6 (sample property) — minimum lot area | 6,000 Square Feet |
| RS10 (sample property) — minimum lot area | 10,000 Square Feet |
| accessory buildings / DADUs with a footprint of eight hundred fifty square feet or less and located to the rear of a principal structure — minimum side setback | one-half of that required for the zoning district, but not less than three feet |
| accessory buildings / DADUs with a footprint of eight hundred fifty square feet or less and located to the rear of a principal structure — minimum rear setback | at least three feet |
| accessory buildings / DADUs with a footprint of more than eight hundred fifty square feet — setbacks | full setbacks of the zoning district |
Related questions
Are ADUs allowed in Nashville, TN?
A DADU is a small, detached single-unit residence on the same lot as an existing single-family residence. It is allowed only when the parcel’s zoning district shows DADU permitted with conditions and the parcel satisfies lot, service-area, and other eligibility rules.
Full investor analysis
You've seen the general rule. The full Nashville, TN report shows which districts allow ADUs by-right vs. by special permit, the approval path and timeline, and the overlay/flood constraints that quietly kill ADU projects here. First town report is free.
Get the full Nashville, TN report free →More about Nashville, TN zoning
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This summary is AI-generated from public municipal sources and is not legal, engineering, or land-use advice. Always verify zoning with Nashville, TN officials before making decisions.
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