Backyard Building Boom: ADU Permits Across Austin

A small category, but a real one

Accessory dwelling units — the "granny flats," garage apartments, and backyard cottages that

Austin's land-development code has made easier to build since 2023 — remain a small slice of

total permitting activity. Over the last 90 days, a genuine handful of permits describe new ADU

construction, additions that convert part of an existing house into a second unit, or the

demolition step that precedes an ADU rebuild.

Where it's happening

• 8620 Chalgrin Pl (78744) — a new 2-story duplex with an attached ADU, filed across both

the main structure and the ADU unit in August.

• 4301 Leslie Ave (78721) — an addition-and-remodel permit specifically adding ADU square

footage, re-filed three times between July and August as the project moved through review.

• 5515 Duval St (78751) — converting an existing 2,460-sqft house into a primary residence

plus a rear ADU, with no changes to the original structure's upstairs.

• 5003 Fairview Dr (78731) and 3710 Cedar St (78705) — demolition permits for existing

ADU structures, typically the first step before a larger rebuild.

Why ADUs are worth watching even at low volume

Each ADU permit represents a property owner adding a second income-producing or family-housing

unit without buying a second lot — exactly the kind of "gentle density" the City's code reforms

were designed to unlock. The volume is modest today, but it's also the category most directly

tied to policy changes, which makes month-over-month movement here more informative than the

raw count suggests.

Browse permit types, including ADUs, remodels, and new construction →

*Source: City of Austin issued construction permits (Socrata `3syk-w9eu`), description matched

to accessory-dwelling-unit language, trailing 90 days, pulled 2026-10-02.*

Get this in your inbox

Free weekly email — the biggest permit, the new openings, and what's changing across the Austin metro.