ADU Resources & Finance Tools
Incentives
Building an ADU is a major expense, so the City will offer incentives to help. These incentives, or benefits, assist homeowners in financing and building ADUs. Homeowners can apply by contacting Neighborhood & Housing Services staff, and the City will provide incentives based on their eligibility. More information on these incentives will be available in Fall 2024.
Glossary of Common ADU Terms
- Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
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A smaller residence on the same property as a larger, main house.
- Affidavit
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A written statement from a person that they sign and swear is correct.
- Area Median In (AMI)
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The middle or “median” income for an area, such as a city. Your household income is how much money you and everyone in your household makes in a year.
- Attached ADU
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An ADU that connects to the main house, such as a garage apartment.
- Certificate of Occupancy
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A document that says your building meets all City code requirements. You get this when all required inspections for your project are complete.
- Covenant
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An agreement between two parties (such as between you and Bexar County).
- Detached ADU
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An ADU that is a stand-alone unit separate from the main house. Sometimes called an Accessory Detached Dwelling Unit or ADDU.
- Incentive
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A way to encourage something like ADU development. One City incentive is fee waivers, which lessen the amount of fees you have to pay for a permit.
- Owner Occupancy
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The requirement that the property owner lives on the property (either in the main house or in the ADU).
- Permit Application
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A request for a permit. You usually need a permit if you want to build, remodel, repair, or demolish a structure on your property.
- Permitting Fees
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Fees that are required as part of your permit application. Some fees can be waived if you qualify for incentives.
- Prefabricated ADU
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An ADU that is produced and assembled before it is put on a property. For more information on whether you can use a prefabricated ADU, please contact the Development Services Department at 210-207-1111.
- Redline Comments
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Notes from a reviewer saying what edits should be made to a document.
- Residential Building
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A structure built for one or more people to live in, like a house or a duplex.
- Setbacks
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The minimum distance a building can be from the front, side, and rear property line. A five-foot (5’) rear setback means that a building cannot be built within five (5) feet of the rear property line.
- Unified Development Code (UDC)
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The City of San Antonio's standards and procedures for new development within the city.
- Zoning
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The legal use of the land. Zoning says what you can build on a property and what development standards (such as height and size) you must follow. For example, a property zoned "single-family residential use" can have one house and one ADU if it meets all code requirements.