City guide

Building a backyard home in Plano

Plano calls them Backyard Cottages — and thousands of lots qualify.

What Plano allows

Lot size

Minimum 6,000 sq ft lot.

Cottage size

400–1,100 sq ft, or 50% of the main home's habitable floor area — whichever is MORE restrictive.

Owner occupancy

You must live in one of the two units — recorded as a deed restriction. The cottage cannot be sold separately.

Parking

One additional off-street parking space is required.

Placement

Behind the main dwelling; height may not exceed the main home; architectural compatibility required; max one per lot.

The catch most people miss

The owner-occupancy deed restriction: if you're an investor who won't live on the property, a Plano Backyard Cottage is not a rental play. For families housing a parent or adult child, it's ideal.

What it costs

The factory price is only part of the real number — site work, utilities, permits, and delivery/crane are the rest. Your Owner's ADU Roadmap gives a specific budget band for your address, plus the exact permit path and everything you need to run the project yourself (or have us run it).

Rules verified 2026-07-12 from City of Plano Backyard Cottage Fact Sheet. General guidance, not a determination for a specific property — zoning overlays, planned developments, and HOA/deed restrictions are address-specific.