Cedar Falls to rewrite ADU rules after state law change; council allows two‑bedroom ADUs and aligns egress rules with building code

Cedar Falls city staff told the Committee of the Whole on May 19 that recent state legislation requires changes to the city’s accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance, and the committee directed staff to rewrite the local code accordingly and to allow two‑bedroom ADUs.

City planner Chris Seve told the committee that “Governor Reynolds signed the new state law into effect on May 1,” and summarized the law’s requirements: cities must allow at least one ADU per single‑family residence, cannot require owner occupancy, cannot limit ADU size to less than 1,000 square feet, must allow mobile homes on a permanent foundation, cannot require exterior design matching the primary dwelling, and may not impose additional parking requirements.

Why it matters: the law removes several local constraints on ADUs and expands opportunities for small rental units or accessory homes on single‑family lots. The committee’s direction will trigger a local ordinance rewrite to align municipal code with state requirements while clarifying fire‑safety and utility metering details.

Key council directions and votes - State-law compliance and code rewrite: Council directed staff to prepare ordinance language to make the city’s ADU rules compliant with the newly enacted state statute and the state building code (Chapter 103A). Council members emphasized that changes are required to remove the owner-occupancy restriction and to change the size limit consistent with the state law. - Bedrooms and egress: The committee approved allowing two‑bedroom ADUs (the local ordinance had limited ADUs to one bedroom) and directed staff to align egress requirements with the state building code rather than the city’s prior two‑egress‑window requirement for basement units; staff noted the building code requires one egress window per bedroom and two points of egress overall.

Discussion highlights City staff walked through the specific conflicts between the city’s November 2024 ADU ordinance provisions and the new state law; staff recommended removing design-match requirements and owner-occupancy language, adjusting square-foot language to reflect the state limit (1,000 square feet), and revising the utilities provision to permit shared service when metering can separate usage.

Public comment and rationale Two local property owners spoke in favor of allowing larger and two‑bedroom ADUs, saying the change would enable renovation of underused structures such as garages and help provide rental housing and income for homeowners. Gabe Groenhouse offered a concrete example of converting a garage with a foundation to create an ADU of roughly 1,000 square feet.

Implementation notes and next steps Staff will draft the ordinance changes needed to comply with the state law and the state building code, and return to council with proposed language for formal adoption. Staff flagged points for the rewrite: remove owner-occupancy requirements, change the maximum-size language to reflect the state standard of up to 1,000 square feet (or 50% of principal dwelling where allowed by the statute), permit mobile homes on permanent foundations, allow shared utilities when metering is feasible, and apply the state building-code egress standards.

Ending Council members said the changes present an opportunity to expand housing options and to support homeowners while remaining mindful of safety and neighborhood character; staff will bring ordinance text back for formal consideration.