Broomfield moves to align ADU rules with new state law; council weighs owner‑occupancy, tiny‑home standards

Senior planner Ted Harburg presented a proposed accessory dwelling unit (ADU) code update and a set of policy questions tied to recently enacted state law referenced in the presentation as HB 24 11 52. The briefing described which Broomfield rules already comply, which rules must change and what policy choices remain for council.

Harburg told council Broomfield currently allows ADUs attached, detached or within principal units, limits ADUs to no more than 50% of the principal dwelling footprint and caps ADUs at no more than 800 square feet; the code requires one off‑street parking space per ADU and requires owner occupancy of either the ADU or the principal dwelling. The state law prohibits local governments from imposing certain “restrictive design or dimension standards” (for example, requiring an ADU to be smaller than 500 square feet in every circumstance), bars local bans on ADUs in jurisdictions that must allow them, and restricts local rules that would effectively prohibit ADU construction. The state law also…