Connecticut HB 5507: AN ACT PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS.

Bill Text

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General Assembly  
Substitute Bill No. 5507  
February Session, 2026 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACCESSORY 
DWELLING UNITS.  
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (b) of section 8-1a of 1 
the  2026  supplement  to  the  general  statutes  are  repealed  and  the 2 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 3 
(1) ["Accessory  apartment"] "Accessory dwelling  unit" means  a 4 
separate dwelling unit that (A) is located on the same lot as a principal 5 
dwelling  unit  of  greater  square  footage,  (B)  has  cooking  facilities,  and 6 
(C) complies with or is otherwise exempt from any applicable building 7 
code, fire code and health and safety regulations; 8 
(2) ["Affordable    accessory    apartment"] "Affordable    accessory 9 
dwelling  unit" means  an  accessory [apartment] dwelling  unit that  is 10 
subject   to   binding   recorded   deeds   which   contain   covenants   or 11 
restrictions  that  require  such  accessory [apartment] dwelling  unit be 12 
sold or rented at, or below, prices that will preserve the unit as housing 13 
for which, for a period of not less than ten years, persons and families 14 
pay thirty per cent or less of income, where such income is less than or 15 
equal to eighty per cent of the median income; 16 
Sec. 2. Section 8-2o of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes is 17 

Substitute Bill No. 5507 
 
 
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repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 18 
1, 2026): 19 
(a) (1) Any zoning regulations adopted pursuant to section 8-2 or any 20 
special act shall: 21 
[(1)] (A) Designate   locations   or   zoning   districts   within   the 22 
municipality   in   which   accessory [apartments] dwelling   units are 23 
allowed, provided at least one accessory [apartment] dwelling unit shall 24 
be allowed as of right on each lot that contains a single-family dwelling 25 
and no such accessory [apartment] dwelling unit shall be required to be 26 
an affordable accessory [apartment] dwelling unit; 27 
[(2)] (B) Allow accessory [apartments] dwelling units to be attached 28 
to  or  located  within  the  proposed  or  existing  principal  dwelling,  or 29 
detached from the proposed or existing principal dwelling and located 30 
on the same lot as such dwelling; 31 
[(3) Set a maximum net floor area for an accessory apartment of not 32 
less than thirty per cent of the net floor area of the principal dwelling, or 33 
one thousand square feet, whichever is less, except that such regulations 34 
may allow a larger net floor area for such apartments;] 35 
[(4)] (C) Require setbacks, lot size and building frontage less than or 36 
equal to that which is required for the principal dwelling, and require 37 
lot  coverage  greater  than  or  equal  to  that  which  is  required  for  the 38 
principal dwelling; 39 
[(5) Provide  for] (D) Not  require height,  landscaping [and] or 40 
architectural design standards that [do not] exceed any such standards 41 
[as  they  are  applied] applicable to  single-family  dwellings  in  the 42 
municipality; 43 
[(6) Be   prohibited   from   requiring   (A)] (E)   Not   require (i) a 44 
passageway between any such accessory [apartment] dwelling unit and 45 
any  such  principal  dwelling, [(B)] (ii) an  exterior  door  for  any  such 46 
accessory [apartment] dwelling   unit,   except   as   required   by   the 47 

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applicable  building  or  fire  code, [(C)] (iii) any  more  than  one  parking 48 
space for any such accessory [apartment] dwelling unit, or fees in lieu 49 
of parking otherwise allowed by section 8-2c, [(D)] (iv) that the owner 50 
of the principal dwelling occupy either such principal dwelling or the 51 
accessory   dwelling   unit, (v) a   familial,   marital   or   employment 52 
relationship  between  occupants  of  the  principal  dwelling  and the 53 
occupants,  including  any  tenant,  as  defined  in  section  47a-1,  of  an 54 
accessory [apartment,  (E)] dwelling  unit, (vi) a  minimum  age  for 55 
occupants of the accessory [apartment, (F)] dwelling unit, (vii) separate 56 
billing  of  utilities  otherwise  connected  to,  or  used  by,  the  principal 57 
dwelling  unit, (viii)  that  an  accessory  dwelling  unit  be  subject  to  any 58 
form of deed restriction, or [(G)] (ix) periodic renewals for permits for 59 
such accessory [apartments; and] dwelling units; 60 
(F) Not prohibit an owner of an accessory dwelling unit from renting 61 
such  unit, except  that a  municipality  may  require  the  licensure  of  any 62 
accessory dwelling unit used as a short-term rental pursuant to section 63 
7-148qq; and 64 
[(7)] (G) Be interpreted and enforced such that nothing in this section 65 
shall be in derogation of [(A)] (i) applicable