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Supervisors approve ADU text changes to align county code with new Iowa law
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved first consideration of Ordinance 3-34 to update Story County's accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules to match Iowa Senate File 2369, clarifying size calculations, garage definitions and where ADUs are allowed; the board waived further consideration to speed implementation.
The Estrella County Board of Supervisors on July 14 approved first consideration of Ordinance 3-34, a text amendment to Chapters 85 and 86 of the county code that updates accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules to conform with Iowa Senate File 2369.
Leanne, a planning department staff member, told the board the ordinance clarifies how ADU square footage is calculated — measuring gross living area of the primary dwelling and excluding garages, decks and unfinished basements for the initial calculation — and adds a statement that finishing an unfinished basement later could create a nonconforming ADU if it pushes the unit over statutory size limits. “We are processing these changes in accordance with section 92.07,” Leanne said, referring to the state statute that prompted the edits.
The proposed text also adds the word “dedicated” when referring to a garage for an ADU to reduce confusion, clarifies conversion rules for existing accessory structures, and removes an allowance for ADUs in the county’s commercial light-industrial district where state law does not permit them.
Planning and Zoning recommended approval on July 1 by a 6–0 vote. The board opened a public hearing and received no public comments before moving, seconding and approving first consideration and waiving second and third considerations so the ordinance can take effect on the schedule tied to the state law.
Board members asked questions about the practical effects on homeowners, particularly whether finishing a basement after permitting would be allowed. Leanne said the statute’s size caps control that outcome and the new language is intended to make that risk clear to property owners.
The board’s action means the county’s ADU rules will match recent state requirements; staff said the ordinance would be published in the official newspapers and the effective date would be set in the notice.
