ADUs Are Exploding: The 2026 Numbers Every Builder Should Know

ADUs went from a niche California thing to a national trend in about 10 years. Here are the numbers, short and sourced. There's a 1 minute video above if you'd rather watch.

The 3 numbers that matter

• 61,655 ADU permits in 2025, up from 4,962 in 2016. That's more than 12 times as many. (Pew, via Governing, Oct 2026)
• 22 states have laws that make towns allow ADUs, as of August 2026. (Same Pew report)
• About 7% of all US residential permits are now ADUs. (Cotality, July 2026)

What the numbers don't tell you

A permit isn't a finished home. And a national number isn't your town. Some states are wide open. Some leave it to each city. Texas has no statewide law, so Austin and Houston are open while Dallas mostly isn't.

So check your own market before you jump in. We built free pages with the law, the search demand and the ad costs for 10 states:

• Massachusetts, Maine and New York
• Florida and Texas
• Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona and Utah

Why it matters for builders

When a state opens up, homeowners start searching. Most builders are slow to show up. The ones who get in front of homeowners early are the ones who get called. That window doesn't stay open forever.

Want to know if your market is open?

We run Meta ads for one ADU builder per market. Our call rep screens every lead, and the homeowners with a budget and a plan land on your calendar. Book a 15 minute call and we'll tell you if there's room in your area. Book a call.