What should the survey and placement sketch show?
Gather the available survey and identify its date. Ask a qualified surveyor whether it provides the information needed for the proposed review. Keep your preferred placement on a separate concept sketch so no one confuses an owner idea with verified site information.
Show the main structure, proposed ADU location, existing access, and the spaces between buildings. Mark known easements or restrictions from your records without inventing dimensions. Note items you cannot identify from the documents.
Include outdoor areas you want to retain. A placement that occupies your only useful yard or blocks maintenance access may conflict with the reason you want the dwelling. These are owner priorities to discuss alongside the professional feasibility questions.
Which rules apply to this property?
Identify the governing jurisdiction before reading a summary of “Houston ADU rules.” A Greater Houston mailing address does not establish that one city’s process applies. Ask the relevant authority which reviews and documents address your proposed use.
For properties within Houston, the city’s Livable Places guidance describes second-dwelling opportunities where deed restrictions do not prohibit them. The same page does not provide a property-specific approval. Bring deed restrictions, HOA records, and available prior correspondence into the review.
Do not assume public regulations resolve private restrictions. If documents conflict or you cannot interpret an obligation, seek appropriate professional or legal advice. This planning checklist does not determine whether a restriction is enforceable or whether your proposal qualifies.
How could drainage change the placement?
Record water collection, prior flooding, drainage changes, and any available reports. Describe the observations with dates and photographs from accessible locations. Avoid declaring that a specific grading change will solve the problem.
Discuss how the proposed building, paths, and other site work relate to existing drainage. Ask the appropriate professionals to review the site rather than assessing feasibility from the building footprint alone.
For county floodplain information, Harris County OCE provides floodplain resources. City requirements and administration may differ. Where elevation documentation is relevant, FEMA explains the Elevation Certificate’s role in documenting elevation compliance. Ask a qualified provider and the authority what information the specific proposal needs.
Which access questions deserve an early answer?
Consider future occupants, maintenance, and construction as separate access uses. Identify how a person would reach the dwelling, how utility providers might reach equipment, and how the project team could evaluate delivery access.
Mark narrow passages, gates, shared driveways, and structures you intend to retain. A route that works for a pedestrian does not establish construction access. Ask the project team to assess the conditions without promising a particular equipment route.
Discuss required parking, emergency access, and separation questions with the designer and applicable authority. Do not copy a neighboring arrangement as evidence that your proposed path satisfies local requirements.
What utility information helps screen the concept?
Share records of existing water, sewer, electrical, and other relevant services. Identify provider information and known connection locations. Mark unknown capacity and routes as questions for qualified review.
A line near the proposed ADU is useful context, but proximity does not confirm capacity, connection rights, or the final design. Ask who will obtain provider input and how that information reaches the designer. This article addresses the initial lot screen; detailed use and layout decisions should follow the specific findings.
ADU Site-Information Checklist
Build a property-specific checklist:
Address and jurisdiction information to verify.
Available survey and a separate proposed-placement sketch.
Intended secondary-dwelling use and approximate space needs.
Deed, HOA, and prior authority records.
Drainage observations, floodplain information, and available reports.
Occupant, maintenance, and construction-access questions.
Utility records and unresolved provider or capacity questions.
Under each item, name the record you have and the decision you still need. That makes an incomplete packet useful. It also prevents an unverified assumption from disappearing into a polished concept drawing.
What should you avoid committing to yet?
Keep the footprint and placement provisional while questions that could change them remain open. Discuss your preferred arrangement, but do not treat a purchased plan or product selection as proof of site fit.
Ask reviewers to identify which findings would require a revised concept. You can then evaluate alternatives against your goals without restarting the discussion from a blank page.
Planning this work? Explore ADU Construction Planning in Houston or tell us about your project.
ADU Feasibility Questions
No single rule covers the whole area. Jurisdiction, property restrictions, lot conditions, utilities, and the proposed design require review.
No. It offers context, not a determination about your boundaries, restrictions, site conditions, or proposed use.
Yes. Label it as a concept and pair it with available property records. Further design and scope decisions may need professional information.
