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Home - Blank Rome Government Relations LLC

Washington, D.C.

New York, NY

For a long time, I have been fascinated with the ideas of tiny houses or small backyard homes called&nbsp;by their official title,&nbsp;Accessory Dwelling Units or ADUs. Where can I find one? Can I live in&nbsp;one?&nbsp;In whose backyard?&nbsp;In what locale? And, lastly, would building and zoning more ADUs be a solution for senior living and homelessness? I say&nbsp;they could be helpful.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

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Unfortunately for me personally, my daughter lives in a small apartment in New York City.&nbsp;She does have a guest space where I can comfortably visit three times a year, but&nbsp;there is&nbsp;no room for a&nbsp;formal&nbsp;ADU.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Creating an ADU is strictly a matter of&nbsp;state law and&nbsp;local zoning. For this reason,&nbsp;I have reviewed the zoning rules in three localities—Alexandria, Virginia; Washington, D.C.;&nbsp;and&nbsp;California.&nbsp; &nbsp;

First, how is an ADU defined?&nbsp;According to the American Planning Association (APA), an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a smaller, independent residential dwelling unit&nbsp;located&nbsp;on the same lot as a stand-alone (i.e., detached) single-family home. Further, ADUs can be converted portions of existing homes (i.e., internal ADUs), additions to new or existing homes (i.e., attached ADUs), or new stand-alone accessory structures or converted portions of existing stand-alone accessory structures&nbsp;(i.e., detached ADUs).

To read the full article, please click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/senior_lawyers/resources/voice-of-experience/2026-april/what-is-an-accessory-dwelling-unit/">here</a>.

"What is an Accessory Dwelling Unit?" by Joan M. Bondareff, was published in the April 2026 edition of the American Bar Association’s Senior Lawyers Division <a href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/senior_lawyers/resources/voice-of-experience/2026-april/what-is-an-accessory-dwelling-unit/">Voice of Experience</a> newsletter.

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What is an Accessory Dwelling Unit?

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