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ADUs: A solution to housing in your own backyard

Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, are small, fully-functional secondary homes located on the same property as a main home (usually in the backyard) that serve as carriage houses or "granny flats." But as wildfires have displaced residents in the West, ADUs have filled a vital need where housing has

Published May 17, 2026, 1:15 PM
Updated May 23, 2026, 10:57 PM4.8K
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ADUs: A solution to housing in your own backyard

Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, are small, fully-functional secondary homes located on the same property as a main home (usually in the backyard) that serve as carriage houses or "granny flats." But as wildfires have displaced residents in the West, ADUs have filled a vital need where housing has proved scant or expensive. Correspondent Lee Cowan looks at the practical and legal challenges to making ADUs available.

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