Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Accessory Dwelling Units Adu topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning staff briefs commission on Arkansas ADU law, Little Rock ordinance and next steps
Summary
Planning staff updated the commission on Arkansas’s ADU law (Act 313) and Little Rock’s implementing ordinance (No. 22647), explaining how the state mandate and the city’s rules affect setbacks, lot coverage, parking and permitting requirements.
Planning staff presented an informational briefing on Sept. 11 about Act 313 — the state law requiring cities to allow at least one accessory dwelling unit (ADU) by right on lots with a single-family home — and Little Rock’s implementing ordinance, No. 22647.
Hannah, planning staff, told commissioners the statute (Act 313) requires Arkansas cities to allow at least one ADU by right and to adopt enabling zoning language by Jan. 1. The city passed an ordinance to meet the deadline and to provide development standards and guidance for homeowners and developers. “This act aims to address housing attainability and availability,” Hannah said in her presentation, explaining the state law and the city’s response.
Staff emphasized limits the state law places on local rules: municipalities may regulate setbacks, height and lot coverage only to the extent those standards are no more restrictive than what applies to the primary single-family structure, but cities cannot add separate parking requirements for ADUs beyond what the primary house requires. The ordinance establishes definitions and a development standard pathway for attached, internal and detached ADUs that conform to applicable zoning setbacks and building codes. The city also is requiring will-serve letters at permit submittal to inform applicants of water-pressure and infrastructure constraints.
Staff reported results from public outreach: a July–August survey drew 259 respondents and about 83% of respondents expressed general support for ADUs; the most-cited concerns were absentee landlords, parking and illegal conversion or construction. The city has held community focus-group meetings and is working with Pulaski Area Geographic Information System to improve addressing and 911 response for ADUs and to reduce emergency-response delays caused by missing or unclear addresses.
The presentation also noted operational guidance: ADUs must comply with building and fire codes and may not be short-term rentals by right (the ADU law does not change short-term-rental rules). Existing legal ADUs remain legal, and additions that would create a second ADU would need to follow local processes (variances or permitting) beyond the state-mandated by-right allowance. Staff said the city will continue outreach and is exploring process improvements and education for homeowners and small developers.
What’s next: Staff will continue community outreach, monitor state clarifications, and use feedback from public meetings and the survey to inform any future zoning-code adjustments. Planning staff said they will require will-serve letters on permit submittals and are reviewing internal processes for addressing, inspections and rental registration as applicable.
