Building an ADU in Bend, explained.

Can I build an ADU on my lot?

In Bend, almost certainly yes. The City allows up to two ADUs on most residential lots, and since 2019 there's no owner-occupancy requirement and no extra parking required. You don't need a land-use hearing or neighbor approval; an ADU is permitted "by right" with a single building permit.

The exceptions are narrow: lots created through a middle-housing land division, cottage developments, and certain small-dwelling lots are limited or excluded. A second ADU also depends on sewer capacity in your area.

What actually decides whether your ADU is easy or hard is the lot itself: how much room is left after setbacks, where the sewer and water lines run, and how a crew gets equipment into the backyard. The free lot check answers the first part from City records; we work through the rest with you on the call and at the property.

Size, height and setbacks

• First ADU: up to 800 square feet of floor area. Second ADU: up to 500 square feet.
• Floor area is measured inside the exterior walls. An attached garage or storage room doesn't count if it has no interior door to the living space, or if it provides a parking space.
• Go over 800 square feet and the City treats it as a second house, not an ADU, with full system development charges. Every pre-approved plan is sized to stay under the line.
• Height: no ADU-specific cap. Your zone's limit applies, which is 35 feet in Bend's standard residential zones (RS, RL, RM-10).
• Setbacks: in RS, RM and RH zones, 10 feet front (20 feet to a garage door), 5 feet side, 5 feet rear. A detached ADU also has to sit at least 6 feet from any other dwelling, footprint to footprint.

Corner lots, alley lots and lots with easements have their own wrinkles. We check all of it in the lot check, before you fall in love with a plan.

The pre-approved plan program

Bend's Master/Reissue Permit program is the single biggest shortcut available to you. Designers submit a complete plan set to the City once; the City reviews and permits it as a master. After that, every copy built in Bend only needs a site-specific review covering setbacks, lot coverage, utilities and drainage. The structure itself has already been approved.

Five of the nine designs in the Bend Chamber's design library are free for anyone to use inside city limits: the four Sierra James Construction plans and The Joel. Williams West builds all five; see them here. The other four are built through the designers themselves.

The rules that come with it

• The plans can't be revised. You choose from the options already in the set (a mirrored layout, a patio extension, a roof style) before you apply.
• The site has to be reasonably flat: no more than 2 feet of slope across the footing.
• The license covers permitting inside Bend city limits only.
• You sign a short End User Agreement with the City when you apply.

What it saves: the $5,000–$10,000 an architect typically charges for a custom ADU, and a chunk of plan-review time.

The permit, step by step

1. Site plan. A scaled drawing of your lot showing the ADU, setbacks, lot-coverage math, utilities and drainage. We prepare this.
2. City checklists. The pre-approved program submittal checklist, water-meter sizing worksheet, stormwater statement, erosion-control plan and the wildfire-hazard mitigation checklist. Some lots also need a septic authorization or a geotechnical note.
3. Submit online. Everything goes through the City's CityView portal as one building permit, flagged as a pre-approved plan project.
4. Review. Bend's ADU permit review typically runs 4 to 8 weeks. A complete, clean application is the single best way to land at the short end.
5. Inspections. Foundation, framing, rough-ins, insulation, final. We schedule and attend all of them.

City fees and system development charges

Pre-approved plans don't exempt you from fees; they reduce review work. The categories you'll see:

For comparison, a new stand-alone dwelling under 600 square feet pays over $11,000 in City SDCs. Keeping your unit a true ADU, under 800 square feet, is what unlocks the lower rates. The City will give you a fee estimate for your specific project; we request it as part of your estimate.

What an ADU actually costs to build

The Bend Chamber puts the range at $80,000 to $400,000, which is true and not very useful. Here is what each of the five pre-approved plans costs to build with us, turnkey:

Estimated turnkey pricing, including permits, site work and utility connections on a typical Bend lot. Estimates are subject to change. Every lot is different, so we confirm the number after a free online lot check.

What moves the number most: distance to the sewer and water lines, whether a gas line or new electrical service is needed, site access for equipment, and finish level. A call after your lot check, then a property visit and detailed written estimate ($500, credited in full toward your contract), turns the range into your number. Once you're ready to go, we sign a construction contract covering the scope, the estimated price, the payment schedule and the timeline, and a deposit holds your place on our calendar.

Timeline

Start in the fall and you're usually moving in or renting by early summer. Winter builds are normal here; the foundation is the only stage that cares much about the weather.

Renting it out

Long-term rental is simple: no owner-occupancy rule, no extra parking, no special permit. Short-term rental is where Bend gets strict. On lots with an ADU permitted after November 2021, only one unit on the property can be licensed as a short-term rental, it needs a Type II STR permit, there's a 500-foot separation from other STR properties, and the permit doesn't transfer when you sell. If an Airbnb is the plan, talk to us and the City before you build.

Paying for it

There's currently no City of Bend or State of Oregon grant for ADUs. Most owners use one of these:

• Cash-out refinance or HELOC against the main house, the most common route.
• Construction or renovation loan that converts to a mortgage when the ADU is done.
• Cash, often combined with a smaller HELOC for the tail end.

Local lenders know ADUs well; we're glad to point you to a few who have financed our clients' builds.

Inside Bend city limits only

The pre-approved plans are licensed to the City of Bend and can only be permitted on lots inside Bend city limits. If your property is outside the city, the program doesn't apply. Not sure which side of the line you're on? Send us the address and the free lot check will tell you.