Additional Dwelling Unit-Allowed RS Areas and Limitations.
Municipal Code of Chicago § 17-7-0570
in effect17-7-0570 Additional Dwelling Unit-Allowed RS Areas and Limitations.
17-7-0571 Purpose. To establish designated areas for the legal development of Additional Dwelling Units in single family zones that allow for organic, contextual growth of the existing housing stock to create additional, unsubsidized, affordable housing for moderate- and low-income tenants, allow multi-generational living arrangements, allow owners to retain property ownership while downsizing living space or allow owners to create additional revenue streams to defray property tax costs, home maintenance costs, or other costs. These Additional Dwelling Unit-Allowed RS Areas represent a cross-section of neighborhood types in terms of market conditions, housing stock, and geography, and will allow for the evaluation of conversion units and coach houses in a variety of contexts in order to reassess best practices for the regulation, expansion, contraction, or elimination of Additional Dwelling Unit-Allowed RS Areas.
17-7-0572 Enforcement. This Section is enforced by the Department of Housing at the time of ADU pre-certification, as that latter term is defined in Section 2-44-106(g).
17-7-0573 Limitations. To further assess best practices for permitting the construction of Additional Dwelling Units in single family zones, each Additional Dwelling Unit-Allowed RS Area may limit the development of new conversion units and coach houses in one or more of the following manners, if so specified in Section 17-7-0574:
(1) Annual limits. In the zoning districts specified in the table below, no more than the specified number of conversion units and coach houses, combined, may be pre-certified on the same block face and opposite block face combined, during the same calendar year.
Zoning District | Annual Limit
RS1 | 1
RS2 | 2
RS3 | 3
(2) Where the principal building on the zoning lot adding a conversion unit or coach house is a detached house, the detached house must be owner-occupied at the time of pre-certification.
(3) No conversion unit or coach house may be authorized without approval of an administrative adjustment pursuant to Section 17-13-1003-QQ.
17-7-0574 Areas and Limitations. Additional Dwelling Unit-Allowed RS Areas are defined and identified, with limitations, in the following table:
Zone | Bounds | Limitations
Zone | Bounds | Limitations
1 | Beginning at the intersection of the northern city limits and the eastern city limits, and continuing generally clockwise as follows: northern city limits, Lake Michigan, W North Ave, N Clybourn Ave, N Racine Ave, N Lincoln Ave, W Belmont Ave, N Western Ave, W North Ave, the Kennedy Expressway, W Division St, North Branch Chicago River, South Branch Chicago River, W Randolph St, E Randolph St, E Balbo Dr, Lake Michigan, E 71st St, S South Shore Dr, E 72nd St, S Oglesby Ave, E 73rd St, S Bennett Ave, E 71st St, S Kimbark Ave, E 74th St, Illinois Central Railroad, E 75th St, Chicago Skyway, S Cottage Grove Ave, E 76th St, Illinois Central Railroad, E 61st Pl, E Dorchester Ave, E 60th St, S Cottage Grove Ave, E 55th St, S Ingleside Ave, E Hyde Park Blvd, S Drexel Blvd, E 50th St, E Forestville Ave, E 48th St, S Saint Lawrence Ave, E 46th St, S Champlain Ave, E 45th St, S Evans St, E 44th St, S Forestville Ave, E 43rd St, S Vincennes Ave, E Pershing Rd, S King Dr, E 35th St, S Prairie Dr, E 33rd Blvd, S Gilles Ave, E 32nd St, S Indiana Ave, E 31st St, S Michigan Ave, E 24th Pl , S Indiana Ave, E Cermak Rd, N Southport Ave, 18th Dr, S Lakeshore Dr S, E Roosevelt Rd, W Roosevelt Rd, S Ashland Ave, The Eisenhower Expressway, S Sacramento Blvd, W Washington Blvd, N Kedzie Ave, W Franklin Blvd, N Central Park Ave, W Ferdinand St, N Avers Ave, the alley between W Division St and W Grand Ave, N Springfield Ave, W Potomac Ave, the alley between N Harding Ave and N Pulaski Rd, N Pulaski Rd, W Kamerling Ave, N Kostner Ave, W Grand Ave, N Cicero Ave, N Leclaire Ave, W Dickens Ave, N Latrobe Ave, W Belden St, N Kostner Ave, W Fullerton Ave, N Pulaski Rd, W Diversey Ave, N Hamlin Ave, N Lawndale Ave, N Milwaukee Ave, W Belmont Ave, N Central Park Ave, W Belle Plaine Ave, N Ridgeway Ave, W Berteau Ave, N Hamlin Ave, W Collom Ave, N Avers Ave, W Montrose Ave, N Pulaski Rd, W Lawrence Ave, N Avers Ave, W Ainslie St, N Lawndale Ave, W Argyle St, the North Branch Chicago River, N Kedzie Ave, W Foster Ave, North Shore Channel, W Peterson Ave, N California Ave, W Granville Ave, N Hoyne Ave, W Devon Ave, N Ridge Blvd, W Loyola Ave, N Damen Ave, the alley north of W Arthur Ave and south of Laurence Warren Park, N Western Ave, W Pratt Blvd, N Rockwell St, W Lunt Ave, N Western Ave, the alley immediately south of W Lunt Ave, N Seeley Ave, W Lunt Ave, N Ridge Blvd, W Touhy Ave, N Oakley Ave, W Birchwood Ave, N Western Ave, W Howard St, the eastern city limits, until reaching the point of beginning at the north boundary of the city limits. | -
2 | Beginning at the intersection of W Cermak Rd and the western city limits, and continuing generally clockwise as follows: W Cermak Rd, S California Ave, W 18th St, S Washtenaw, W 21st St, S Western Ave, the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad, S Damen Ave, W 16th St, S Canal St, S Branch of the Chicago River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago Belt Railroad, W 47th St, S Knox Ave, W 49th St, S Cicero Ave, W 50th St, S Laramie Ave, Gulf Mobile and Ohio Railroad, W Pershing Rd, Chicago Belt Railroad, western city limits, until reaching the point of beginning at W Cermak Rd. | (2) (3)
3 | Beginning at the intersection of the Eisenhower Expressway and 4600 West and continuing generally clockwise as follows: the Eisenhower Expressway, S Homan Ave, W Cermak Rd, 4600 West, until reaching the point of beginning at the Eisenhower Expressway. | (1) (2)
4 | Beginning at the intersection of W 47th St and S Wallace St, and continuing generally clockwise as follows: W 47th St, E 47th St, S King Dr, E 60th St, S Dorchester Ave, E 65th St, S Cottage Grove Ave, E 72nd St / Chicago Skyway, E 75th St, S Cottage Grove Ave, E 87th St, S King Dr, W 95th St, S Ashland Ave, W 87th St, S Cicero Ave, W 75th Pl / St, S Kedzie Ave, W 71st St, S Halstead St, W 63rd St, S Wallace St, until reaching the point of beginning at W 47th St. | (1) (2)
5 | Beginning at the intersection of E 83rd St and S Houston St, and continuing generally clockwise as follows: E 83rd St, Lake Michigan, the city limits, S Torrence Ave, E 95th St, S Commercial Ave, E 83rd Pl, S Houston St, until reaching the point of beginning at E 83rd St. | (1) (2)
6 | Beginning at the intersection of W School St and N Oriole St, and continuing generally clockwise as follows: W School St, N Sayre Ave, Chicago Milwaukee & Saint Paul Railroad, W Belden Ave, N Normandy Ave, W Grand Ave, N Natchez Ave, W McLean Ave, N Narragansett Ave, W Dickens Ave, N Melvina Ave, W Dickens Ave, N Major Ave, W Grand Ave, N Central Ave, N Washington Blvd, N Lotus Ave, W Madison St, S Laramie, W Van Buren St, S Leamington Ave, W Gladys Ave, S Lavergne Ave, W Jackson Blvd, S Cicero Ave, The Eisenhower Expressway, S Laramie Ave, W Rosevelt Rd, the city limits, N Oriole St, until reaching the point of beginning at W School St. | -
7 | Beginning at the intersection of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the Atchinson Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, and continuing generally clockwise as follows: Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, South Branch of the Chicago River, S Archer Ave, S Damen Ave, W 35th St, S Paulina St, W 36th St, the alley east of Paulina and west of Marshfield, W 37th St, the first alley west of S Ashland Ave, the alley south of W 38th St and north of 38th Pl, S Paulina St, W 38th St, S Hermitage Ave, W Pershing Rd, S Ashland Ave, W 43rd St, S Campbell Ave, W 45th St, S Rockwell St, W 47th St, S Albany St, W 46th St, S Kedzie Ave, W 47th St, the Atchinson Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, until reaching the point of beginning at the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. | -
8 | Beginning at the intersection of W Belmont Ave and N Western Ave, and continuing generally clockwise as follows: W Belmont Ave, N Lincoln Ave, N Racine Ave, W Fullerton Ave, N Ashland Ave, North Ave, N Western Ave, until reaching the point of beginning at W Belmont Ave. | (1) (2) (3)
9 | Beginning at the intersection of W 59th St and S Central Park Ave, and continuing generally clockwise as follows: W 59th St, S Albany Ave, W 61st, S Troy St, W Marquette Rd, S Saint Louis Ave, W 65th St, and S Central Park Ave, until reaching the point of beginning at W 59th St. | (1) (2) (3)
10 | Beginning at the intersection of W Irving Park Rd and N Central Ave, and continuing generally clockwise as follows: Irving Park Rd, N Lockwood Ave, the alley south of W Dakin St and north of W Byron St, N Laramie Ave, W Byron St, N Lavergne Ave, the alley south of W Grace St and west of W Warwick Ave, N Lamon Ave, W Grace St, the alley east of Cicero and west of N Kilpatrick Ave, the alley south of W Grace St and north of W Warwick Ave, Chicago and Northwestern railroad, Irving Park Rd, N Keeler Ave, W Byron St, N Avondale Ave, N Pulaski Rd, W Dakin St, N Springfield Ave, W Byron St, W Central Park Ave, W Belmont Ave, N Milwaukee Ave, N Lawndale Ave, N Hamlin Ave, W Diversey Ave, N Pulaski Rd, W Fullerton Ave, N Karlov Ave, the alley south of W Fullerton Ave and north of W Belden St, N Keeler Ave, W Belden St, N Lockwood Ave, W Fullerton Ave, N Narragansett Ave, W Wrightwood Ave, N Moody Ave, W Diversey Ave, N Narragansett Ave, W Belmont Ave, N Long Ave, W Henderson St, N Lockwood Ave, W Addison St, N Central Ave, until reaching the point of beginning at W Irving Park Rd. | (1) (2)
17-7-0575 Modifications. Any ordinance adding a new Additional Dwelling Unit-Allowed RS Area, or any ordinance altering or modifying any existing Additional Dwelling Unit-Allowed RS Areas, shall: (1) be codified as an amendment to Section 17-7-0574; and (2) cover an area including no less than the area granted on one block face and opposite block face combined.
Figure 17-7-0570
[image omitted; see the official code]
(Added Coun. J. 12-16-20, p. 26066, § 12; Amend Coun. J. 9-25-25, p. 32815, § 5; Amend Coun. J. 12-10-25, p. 36200, §§ 1, 2; Amend Coun. J. 2-18-26, p. 40540, § 1)
Source: City of Chicago, Municipal Code of Chicago (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/chicago/latest/chicago_il/0-0-0-2682215Fetched: 10/24/2026