House Plans and Custom Drafting in Dallas, TX
In most Texas cities, the drafting is the hard part of building an ADU. In Dallas, the drafting is the easy part. Getting the city to say yes is what trips people up, and that is exactly where a drafting partner who already knows the rules earns their fee.
Dallas does not allow accessory dwelling units by right in most single-family zones. To build one, your property generally has to sit inside a designated Accessory Dwelling Unit Overlay, known as an ADUO, or you need a Board of Adjustment exception. An ADUO only exists where 50 or more contiguous single-family structures petition the city for the designation, which means plenty of otherwise buildable lots in Dallas simply do not qualify yet. We check overlay status and zoning before we draft a single line, so you find out whether your lot qualifies before you commit to a full plan set.
Building in Dallas right now
Dallas is not a quiet corner of the Texas market. The city itself counted 1,326,087 residents in 2024, inside a DFW metro of 8,344,032 that added 177,922 people that year alone, the third-highest numeric gain of any metro in the country. That growth shows up directly in permitting: DFW authorized 71,788 new residential units in 2024 across all housing types, more than any other metro in the country, working out to 22.2 permits per 1,000 existing homes. Whatever segment of the market you're building in, from a single infill lot to a small builder's next phase, you're operating in the busiest new-construction pipeline in the US right now.
Home values in the city itself tell a different story than the permit numbers. Zillow puts the average Dallas home value at $315,056, down 4.6% year over year. That combination, a metro adding units faster than anywhere else while city home values soften, is pushing more homeowners toward additions, ADUs, and remodels instead of a move, and it's pushing builders toward tighter, faster-turning projects rather than speculative luxury builds. Established local firms like AU Design US, Premium Home Design, DallasPro, and ResDraft all compete in this same volume, which tells you the demand for drafting capacity here is real and ongoing, not a blip.
ADU rules in Dallas and across Texas
Texas has no statewide law forcing cities to allow ADUs. SB 673, a 2025 bill that would have preempted restrictive local ADU rules across the state, cleared the Texas Senate but died in the House on June 2, 2025. That means every city sets its own rules, and Dallas's version is more layered than most. Outside of an approved ADUO or a Board of Adjustment exception, you cannot add a second dwelling unit to a single-family lot here. Where an ADU is permitted, Dallas caps the unit at 800 square feet, requires the owner to occupy one of the two units on the property, and requires annual rental registration if the unit is leased.
None of that makes an ADU impossible in Dallas. It makes the sequence matter. We verify overlay eligibility and zoning constraints as the first step on any Dallas ADU project, then draft the unit to fit the 800 square foot cap and the occupancy and registration requirements from the start, so you're not redesigning after a rejected submittal. See our ADU Plans & Design service for how we handle overlay verification as part of the drafting process.
What Dallas homeowners and builders are asking for
Two forces are shaping which services see the most Dallas activity. The first is the ADUO complexity above, which pushes ADU work toward a small group of drafters who actually track overlay boundaries. The second is the sheer scale of the DFW building pipeline, which keeps demand high for the plans that support fast-moving construction schedules.
ADU Plans & Design
With ADU approval in Dallas gated behind overlay districts and Board of Adjustment exceptions, homeowners need drafting that's built around the 800 square foot cap and occupancy rules from day one, not adjusted after a denial. This is the service where local rule knowledge matters most.
Custom House Plans
With DFW leading the nation in new residential permits and Dallas home values softening, custom infill builds and one-off spec homes need plan sets that move through the city's permitting process without delay. Volume this high rewards drafters who can turn plans around reliably.
Nearby service areas
We also serve builders and homeowners across North and Central Texas remotely, including Fort Worth and Houston. Every Texas market has its own permitting quirks, and Dallas's ADU overlay system is one of the more involved ones we work with. See the full list on our service areas page.
Dallas drafting FAQ
Can I add an ADU to my property in Dallas by right?
In most Dallas single-family zones, no. Your property needs to sit within a designated Accessory Dwelling Unit Overlay (ADUO), which requires 50 or more contiguous single-family structures to petition for the designation, or you need a Board of Adjustment exception. We check overlay status before we draft anything so you know your real path before you spend on plans.
Does Texas have a statewide law requiring cities to allow ADUs?
No. Texas has no statewide ADU mandate. SB 673, which would have preempted local restrictions on ADUs across the state, passed the Texas Senate in 2025 but died in the House on June 2, 2025. ADU rules in Texas are set entirely city by city, and Dallas's rules are among the more complex in the state.
How big can an ADU be in Dallas, and are there other requirements?
Dallas caps ADUs at 800 square feet. The owner must occupy either the main house or the ADU, and the property must complete annual rental registration. These requirements sit on top of the ADUO or Board of Adjustment approval itself, so the design has to account for the cap from the first sketch.
Does Apex Drafting have an office in Dallas?
No. Apex Drafting is a remote drafting company. We serve Dallas homeowners, builders, and contractors from our production team without a local storefront, and we coordinate with your local permitting office and any architect or engineer of record you need for stamped drawings.
Start your Dallas project
Whether you're navigating an ADU overlay petition or drafting a straightforward custom home, we'll tell you what your Dallas property qualifies for before you pay for a full plan set. Explore Permit-Ready Drawings & As-Builts or Stock House Plans starting at $799, or reach out directly.