Portland City Council Approves ReCode To Land Use Code and Zoning Map

Portland, Maine new land use code will go into effect on December 4, 2024 after unanimous approval from Portland’s City Council.

The new land use code reduces the minimum side and rear setback for ADUs which will give homeowners great flexibility to place ADUs in their back and side yards. For many residential zones, the rear setbacks will be reduced from 25’ to 5’, and side setbacks will be reduced down to 3-5’. 

Portland City Council and Planning Board did a good job throughout the ReCode process in gathering information and feedback from community members. The final items adopted, in regards to ADUs, are some of the best practices found in municipalities across Maine. The recent Short -Term Rental regulations which exempt new ADUs from short-term rental registration caps for the first 5 years after construction, and the fact that Portland doesn't require common ownership of the principle residence and any ADUs, means that Portland has a good chance at seeing ADUs play a siginificant role in solving Portland's housing crisis. 

I hope they serve as a benchmark for other towns in Maine to help their residents build ADUs of their own.

The final version of the ReCode can be found here; the Accessory Dwelling Unit guidelines are in section 6.6.2.