Welcome to the DC Accessory Apartments Forum!

The purpose of this group is to share information about how a homeowner or professional can create an accessory apartment in the District of Columbia. Accessory apartments can help homeowners earn income on excess space, help a small family to have a home, and provide more housing for people within existing residential neighborhoods.

If you haven’t yet, please take this introductory survey.

An "accessory apartment," often also called an accessory dwelling unit or ADU, is a secondary unit on a property that is built on the same property, but is clearly secondary to an existing home. The secondary unit can be either part of the same structure as the primary dwelling unit or a detached dwelling unit on the same lot. Examples include garage apartments, backyard cottages, or basement apartments in existing single-family houses. Under the updated 2016 DC zoning code, accessory apartments are now allowed in R zone neighborhoods (single-family detached and attached residential areas).

This forum is sponsored by the DC ADUs Working Group Steering Committee and supported by the DC-based nonprofit organization, the Coalition for Smarter Growth. Members of the steering committee include Harriet Tregoning, Cheryl Cort (CSG), Maura Brophy, Kay Pierson (UPO), Paul W. Ruppert, Phil Kash (HR&A), Nick Burger (ANC 6B06), Adriana Navarro-Sertich (UrbanSEED), and Steve Jones.

Need help related to this group? Email action@smartergrowth.net

Soundproofing Finished Basement ADU

Yolanda Lavery