Berthoud allows a detached accessory dwelling unit by right on most single-family lots. Here is exactly what the code permits — size, setbacks, parking, and owner-occupancy — each point cited to the adopted regulations.
Every figure below is drawn from Berthoud's adopted ADU regulations. The exact setbacks for your parcel depend on its zoning — the planner reads them off your lot.
Permitted by right
Yes
Approved through the normal building-permit process — no discretionary hearing.
Maximum size
Up to 850 sq ft
One ADU per lot; total floor area ≤ 850 sf. The ADU must be located not forward of the principal dwelling and match its design. Berthoud Development Code §30-5-109(E)(2).
Owner-occupancy
Not required
You don't have to live on-site — Colorado's HB24-1152 bars owner-occupancy mandates for subject jurisdictions.
Off-street parking
None required
No ADU parking requirement — 'Accessory dwelling units are exempt from meeting parking requirements' (Berthoud Development Code §30-5-109(E)(2)(f)); HB24-1152 (C.R.S. §29-35-403) likewise bars ADU parking minimums for subject jurisdictions.
Setbacks
Your zone's accessory setbacks
A detached ADU follows this city's accessory-structure setbacks, which vary by zoning district. Trace your lot in the planner and we'll show the exact side, rear, and front lines on your parcel.
Source
Berthoud Development Code §30-5-109(E) (Accessory Uses and Structures — Additional Standards for Accessory Dwelling Units): an ADU 'in a detached building or in a portion of a single-family dwelling unit is allowed in those zoning districts where the use is listed as a use by right.' DOLA Multilaw Applicability = 'Required' (HB24-1152 Subject Jurisdiction); DOLA-certified ADU Supportive Jurisdiction; Colorado HB24-1152 (eff. June 30, 2025).
This is a plain-language summary for planning, not a legal determination. Codes are amended; confirm the current requirements with Berthoud and a design professional before you rely on them.
A subject jurisdiction must allow at least one ADU by right (administrative — no discretionary review or public hearing) on any lot where a single-unit detached dwelling is an allowed use, and may not impose owner-occupancy mandates, ADU-specific minimum lot size, parking minimums (narrow exceptions only), or design standards stricter than the primary dwelling. It took effect June 30, 2025. That is why cities like Berthoud now approve a backyard home administratively — and why owner-occupancy and parking mandates are largely gone.
We keep cited ADU rules for every city below. Switch to yours.
Draw your lot and house on the satellite map, drop an ADU, and see the setbacks and a budget range on your own property — in about a minute.
Keep exploring
ADU rules by city
Cited, city-by-city ADU rules across the Front Range.
Rental income potential
Real numbers on what ADUs earn.
ADUs for family
Aging parents, multigenerational living, childcare.
How to finance an ADU
HELOC, construction loans, and CHFA options.
Process & timeline
What to expect from contract to move-in.
Floor plans & pricing
Three sizes, three tiers, two styles.
About Addwell
Who we are and how we build.