Accessory dwelling units · Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County
Salt Lake City has some of the most active ADU permitting in Utah. Deep Avenues and Sugar House lots, alley access, and detached garages make a backyard cottage genuinely buildable here.
Why an ADU in Salt Lake City, and why now
Buying a second home near Salt Lake City is slow and expensive, and often impossible for the people you love. An accessory dwelling unit keeps family close, creates legal rental income, and raises the value of the property you already own — without leaving The Avenues, Sugar House, East Bench or anywhere else in Salt Lake City.
Older east-side lots are long and narrow with rear access — the classic profile for a detached ADU behind the house or above a garage. West-side lots are wider and often take a cottage without touching the main home.
Envision Utah estimates the state will need roughly 840,000 new homes by 2055, with current production falling about 235,000 short. ADUs are one of the few ways a Salt Lake City homeowner can add housing without waiting on a new subdivision.
Concept: primary home + matching detached ADU in Salt Lake CityWhat an ADU does for a Salt Lake City property
Three reasons Salt Lake City homeowners build
An ADU is not a one-use structure. Many families start with a parent or adult child, then rent the unit later — or the reverse. We design for both life stages.
Keep mom or dad on the property instead of searching for a room somewhere across the valley. A lockable suite with a kitchen, bath, and separate entrance preserves independence and puts help 30 seconds away — right here in Salt Lake City.
Starter homes near Salt Lake City are brutally competitive. A well-built ADU gives a newly married couple, a student, or a returning adult child a real home while they save — without living on top of each other.
University of Utah staff, hospital workers on the 500 South corridor, and downtown professionals keep long-term ADU demand steady year round. Long-term rent can offset the mortgage and raise resale value. Short-term rental is restricted in most cities, so we design for legal 30-day-plus tenancy.
Floor plans & sketches
These are concept plans — not your lot’s final drawings. On the site assessment we match setbacks, parking, height, and whether an internal unit or a detached cottage is the smarter first move.
Outlook Builders custom work — the same standard on your ADUInternal vs. detached in Salt Lake City
Internal ADU. Built inside the existing house — most often a basement apartment. Fastest path in many cities because Utah’s HB 82 already treats qualifying internal units as a permitted use. Needs egress, a kitchen, a bath, parking, and in many places owner occupancy of one of the two dwellings. If your Salt Lake City basement is framed and unfinished, start with our Salt Lake City basement finishing page.
Detached ADU. A backyard cottage, garage conversion, or new accessory structure. Highest rent and the cleanest privacy. Salt Lake City Planning reviews ADU applications city-wide, with parking, height, and owner-occupancy standards that vary by base zone. Short-term rental of an ADU is restricted, so we design for 30-day-plus tenancy.
This is the part homeowners underestimate. Setbacks, lot coverage, parking replacement, water-provider letters, owner occupancy, and short-term rental bans are where DIY plans die. We run that gauntlet before you spend on a foundation in Salt Lake City.
Where we build in Salt Lake City
We know the routes, the review desk, and the housing stock around the University of Utah and the downtown medical corridor.
How we work
Todd McBride has built in Utah for more than 20 years. Outlook Builders has been a custom builder since 2011. ADUs fail when design ignores parking, water, fire, and owner occupancy. We start there.
Lot size, zone, setbacks, parking, utilities, and whether internal or detached is even legal on your Salt Lake City parcel.
Floor plan, elevations, and finishes that look like Outlook work — not a backyard afterthought.
Building permit, water-provider letter, address marker, parking proof, and the back-and-forth with Salt Lake City planning staff.
Weekly communication, trade coordination, and a unit you can house family in or rent legally. Financing is lined up before construction — not after the first invoice.
Dedicated financingMoney should not stall the ADU
Outlook Builders has dedicated financing for this exact work. You do not need to shop five lenders or pause the design while you figure out cash. We time the money to the project — after we know what your Salt Lake City lot can take, before we break ground.
Plan it
Site assessment and a real scope — so you are not financing a guess.
Finance it
Dedicated Outlook financing, lined up when the numbers are real.
Build it
Construction starts with the money path already in place.
ADU questions Salt Lake City homeowners ask
In most residential zones, yes. Utah’s HB 82 made qualifying internal ADUs — usually a basement apartment — a permitted use in much of the state, and SB 284 expands detached ADUs as a permitted use on qualifying lots (generally 11,000 sq ft and up) in specified municipalities beginning October 1, 2026. Salt Lake City Planning reviews ADU applications city-wide, with parking, height, and owner-occupancy standards that vary by base zone. Short-term rental of an ADU is restricted, so we design for 30-day-plus tenancy. We confirm what your Salt Lake City parcel allows before any design work starts.
Older east-side lots are long and narrow with rear access — the classic profile for a detached ADU behind the house or above a garage. West-side lots are wider and often take a cottage without touching the main home. An internal ADU is faster and cheaper because the shell already exists. A detached cottage costs more but rents higher and gives both households real privacy. On the free site assessment we walk your lot in Salt Lake City and tell you which one is actually approvable.
Along the Wasatch Front, internal ADUs commonly rent from about $1,100 to $1,500 a month, and well-finished detached cottages often reach $1,500 to $2,200 or more. University of Utah staff, hospital workers on the 500 South corridor, and downtown professionals keep long-term ADU demand steady year round. Exact rent depends on size, finishes, parking, and local rules — these are market illustrations, not a guarantee.
Usually yes. Most Utah cities require the ADU’s parking stall in addition to whatever the main home already needs, and losing a garage to a conversion can trigger a replacement stall. Salt Lake City reviews this at permit, so we design parking into the site plan rather than discovering it during review.
Generally no. State law frames internal ADUs around 30-day-plus tenancy, and many cities — including resort communities — restrict nightly rental of accessory units outright. We design Salt Lake City ADUs for family use or long-term tenancy so the unit stays legal.
Design, city review, and construction each have their own clock, and Salt Lake County inspection timelines vary with the season. You get a schedule at the scope stage and weekly updates once we start.
No. Outlook Builders has dedicated financing, so you are not shopping lenders alone. We introduce it at the right point — after the plan is real, before construction — and walk it with you. Ask for it on the free site assessment.
Service area
Every city has its own ordinance. These pages are written city by city for that reason.
Finishing a framed basement instead? Basement finishing in Salt Lake City.
Free Salt Lake City site assessment
Call (385) 553-0032 or send the form. We build ADUs in Salt Lake City and across Salt Lake County.