Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Parking Requirements in Fort Worth

In the City of Fort Worth, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are not required to have dedicated off-street parking spaces. Because the City of Fort Worth defines an ADU as a facility for guests or family members that lacks cooking equipment, it does not constitute an independent "Dwelling Unit" and therefore does not trigger additional parking requirements beyond those of the primary residence.

Definitions and Classification

The City of Fort Worth Zoning Ordinance maintains a specific distinction between a standard "Dwelling Unit" and a "Dwelling Unit, Accessory" which impacts how parking is calculated.

Dwelling Unit: A building or portion thereof providing complete independent living facilities, which must include permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, sanitation, and cooking within a kitchen [Section 9.101].
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU): Defined as non-rented or leased living facilities located within a detached building on the same lot as a primary residence. Crucially, the City of Fort Worth stipulates that an ADU "does not contain cooking equipment" [Section 9.101].

Because an ADU in the City of Fort Worth is legally prohibited from having a kitchen, it is treated as an extension of the primary home's habitable space rather than a separate unit that would require its own parking allotment.

Residential Parking Standards

Off-street parking in the City of Fort Worth is generally calculated based on the number of "dwelling units" on a lot. Since the ADU is an accessory structure and not an independent unit, the parking requirement is determined by the specific standards of the residential district for the primary house.

In most One-Family Districts (such as A-5, A-7.5, and A-10), the City of Fort Worth requires parking based on the bedroom count of the dwelling, as shown in the table below:

Residential District Type	Primary Dwelling Requirement (3 or fewer bedrooms)	Requirement for Bedrooms 4+	Additional ADU Requirement
One-Family (A-2.5A to A-5)	2 spaces behind the front building wall	+1 space per additional bedroom	None
One-Family Restricted (AR)	2 spaces per dwelling unit	N/A	None
Two-Family (B)	2 spaces per dwelling unit	+1 space per bedroom over 3	None
Urban Residential (UR)	2 spaces per dwelling unit	N/A	None

[Section 4.700, 4.705, 4.706, 4.713, 6.201]

District-Specific Regulations

One-Family Districts

In standard One-Family Districts (A-2.5A through A-5), the City of Fort Worth requires two spaces for the primary house. While these spaces must be "hard-surfaced and dust-free," there is no mandate to add a third or fourth space specifically because an ADU is present on the property [Section 4.705, 6.202].

Urban Residential (UR) District

In the Urban Residential District, the City of Fort Worth limits single-family detached dwellings to a requirement of two spaces per unit [Section 4.713]. The code does not list a secondary parking requirement for accessory guest houses or ADUs within this district [Section 4.713(e)(1)].

Mixed-Use (MU-1 and MU-2) Districts

In mixed-use areas, the City of Fort Worth permits a "One-family detached dwelling with secondary dwelling unit" [Section 4.1203]. However, the specific parking tables for these districts only provide requirements for the primary residential types (Townhouses, Duplexes, or Apartments), implying that the secondary unit does not carry an independent parking burden [Section 4.1300, 4.1302].

Sections Cited

Section 4.700 One-family (“A-2.5A”) District
Section 4.705 One-family (“A-5”) District
Section 4.706 One-family Restricted (“AR”) District
Section 4.713 Urban Residential (“UR”) District
Section 5.301 Accessory Uses on Residential Lots
Section 6.201 Off-street Parking Requirements
Section 6.202 Parking Lot Design Standards
Section 9.101 Defined Terms
Section 4.1203 Form-Based Code District Use Table
Section 4.1300 Low Intensity Mixed-Use (“MU-1”) District
Section 4.1302 High Intensity Mixed-Use (“MU-2”) District