ADU breaking news – leadership bill
February 1, 2021
ADUs are really the hot topic in planning-related legislation on the Hill right now.
You may recall that we had indicated in a couple of our previous updates that in addition to the bill on ADUs being worked on by Rep. Ray Ward, there were rumors that there was a more “draconian” bill being promoted by House leadership that would just make ADUs permitted in all zones outright.
Well, it’s a rumor no longer. The bill just came out, sponsored by Rep. Val Peterson, a member of House majority leadership. The bill, HB273 – Single-Family Housing Amendments, would just make “internal” ADUs (those within the footprint of an existing home), a permitted use in any home outright. No other restrictions could be imposed by local government. It also prohibits local governments from assessing any additional impact fees for an internal ADU. The bill specifies that these provisions do not apply to “external” ADUs.
We’ll see how this changes the dynamics of the discussion that took place at last Friday’s committee hearing on Rep. Ward’s ADU bill. We essentially now have three versions of bills dealing with ADUs.
Told you this was going to get interesting!
Wilf Sommerkorn
Co-Chair, APA Utah Legislative Committee
