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Huachuca City Council opens discussion on tiny homes and accessory dwelling units
Summary
At its Jan. 29 work session the Huachuca City Council heard a staff presentation on allowing tiny homes as accessory dwelling units (ADUs), including proposed setback reductions and other standards; council opened the item for further consideration but took no adoption vote.
At a Jan. 29, 2026 Huachuca City work session, councilmembers opened discussion of a proposal to allow tiny homes and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) within town limits. Mayor Johann R. Wallace moved to open the item for discussion and Councilmember Christy Hirshberg seconded; Dr. Jim Johnson presented the staff recap and proposed standards.
Dr. Johnson told the council that tiny homes "can be classified as an Accessory Dwelling Unit." He said the draft concepts include reducing side-yard setbacks from 7 feet to 5 feet or 3 feet to make placement of ADUs more feasible on small lots.
The presentation listed a set of proposed limitations and design requirements: only one ADU would be permitted per single-family lot; an ADU may be attached or detached; ADUs must be accessed from the main street rather than from alleys; ADUs cannot be subdivided or segregated in ownership from the primary dwelling; ADUs must be served by the same water, sewer and electric providers and meters as the primary house (no separate meters); each ADU should have a separate and independent entrance and meet the same design standards as the primary house; and the primary house must meet minimum property/building maintenance standards before an ADU can be approved.
The presentation also included two terse, adjacent statements that the transcript records as "not exceed two. ADU’s cannot contain more than one bedroom." The record contains that phrasing but does not clarify whether "not exceed two" refers to total occupants, structures, bedrooms, or another limit; the council did not adopt final language during the session.
Council did not vote to adopt a zoning ordinance or code amendment at the Jan. 29 meeting. The motions recorded in the minutes opened the item for discussion; staff may return with draft ordinance language or recommendations at a subsequent council meeting.
