Know What’s Possible. See What Fits. Build With Confidence.
Type an address to see the lot, its setbacks and the ADU rules for it. Place real floor plans, then get a preliminary site plan. Built for homeowners, the builders who serve them and the cities that make ADUs possible.
- Lot lines & setbacks
- Plans that fit
- Live checks
- Site plan
- Cost estimate
Not a yes or no. The whole picture of your lot.
Every lot check produces these, from the county’s own parcel data and the adopted code. Free, no account.
The fastest honest answer to “can I build one here?”
A designer or surveyor still confirms the details before permits. The lot check makes sure you walk in knowing what’s possible.
| Feature | City zoning map | Builder plan gallery | Paid feasibility study | ADU Insights lot check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your exact lot lines | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Your zone’s ADU rules applied | You read the code | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Designs placed to scale on your lot | — | Not on your lot | ✓ | ✓ |
| Setbacks and distances checked | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Site plan with utilities and drainage | — | — | Often | Preliminary |
| Cost and financing estimate | — | Base price only | Sometimes | ✓ |
| Surveyed or engineer-verified | — | — | ✓ | — |
| Time to an answer | Hours | Minutes | Days to weeks | Under a minute |
| Cost | Free | Free | Paid | Free |
From an address to a clear next step.
Enter your property
Start with a street address, where supported.
Explore your options
View the planning information for the lot and visualize potential designs on it.
Plan your next step
Use practical guidance and planning guides, or connect with the right professional.
One property platform, three ways to use it.
Discover what your property could support.
Lot lines, rules, designs that fit and a plan for what to confirm next.
For homeowners
Help buyers picture the project before the first call.
Your plans on their lot, on your website, with the inquiry attached.
For builders
Make your ADU program easier to use.
A builder-neutral front door to your rules, stock plans and next steps.
For municipalitiesADUs are allowed in more places than ever. Planning one is still hard.
Dense codes
Setbacks, coverage and size limits live in zoning text most owners never read.
Plans are hard to picture
A floor plan on paper says little about how it sits on a real backyard.
Confusing economics
Site work, utilities, permits and financing rarely show up in a price per square foot.
Unqualified inquiries
Builders spend first calls on lots that were never going to work.
Repeat questions at the counter
Planning staff answer the same “can I build one?” questions every week.
Before you start
What is ADU Insights?
A set of connected tools for planning an accessory dwelling unit: a property lot check that applies local ADU rules to a real address, interactive site visualization, cost and return calculators, and builder-written planning guides. Builders embed it on their websites; cities can offer it to residents as a builder-neutral portal.
Is it free for homeowners?
The lot check, the site plan preview, the calculators and the full report by email are free. Downloading the site plan (PDF or CAD) with tools to draw utilities, drainage and notes is $49 per property. The planning guides are a one-time purchase.
Is a result a permit approval?
No. Results are preliminary and illustrative, built from public map data and the published code. Your city or county decides how the rules apply to your lot.
Where does the lot check work?
Detailed lot checks are live in Mesa County, Colorado (including Grand Junction) and Olympia, Washington. In Los Angeles County, California, the lot check shows your real lot lines and California ADU law, plus the local ADU code where we’ve added it. More areas are being added, and the guides and calculators apply anywhere.
Who is behind ADU Insights?
ADU Insights is owned by Origin ADU, a design-build ADU company, and its guides draw on the team’s real projects. Municipal portals are builder-neutral and never pass resident information to a builder.
See what your property can hold.
Free in Mesa County, Colorado, Olympia, Washington and Los Angeles County, California. No account, no sales call.
Elsewhere? The planning guides apply anywhere. See coverage.