About DwellYard

Our Mission

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) represent one of the most promising solutions to America's housing crisis. They add gentle density to existing neighborhoods, create rental income for homeowners, and provide affordable housing options for renters.

But figuring out if you can actually build one? That's unreasonably complicated. Between state laws, municipal zoning codes, overlay districts, and design standards, understanding your ADU eligibility typically requires hiring a consultant or spending hours researching obscure municipal documents.

DwellYard changes that. We've built an engine that translates complex zoning regulations into clear, actionable reports. Enter your address, and in seconds you'll know what types of ADUs you can build, how big they can be, what setbacks apply, and whether you need a permit or can build by right.

How We Work

We research and encode ADU regulations from state laws and municipal zoning ordinances into a structured database. Our eligibility engine then evaluates these rules against your property's location to generate a comprehensive report.

Our two-tier rules system starts with state baseline rules (like Massachusetts' Affordable Homes Act, which grants by-right ADU permission to every single-family lot) and overlays municipality-specific regulations on top. This ensures you always see the most accurate rules for your specific location.

Our Coverage

We launched with Massachusetts, which passed groundbreaking ADU legislation with the Affordable Homes Act in 2024. We currently cover 10 municipalities including Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, and more.

We're actively expanding to cover more Massachusetts municipalities and additional states. Our architecture is designed from day one to support any US state — adding a new state is a matter of encoding its regulations, not building new features.

Important Disclaimer

DwellYard provides informational reports based on publicly available zoning regulations. Our reports are not legal advice and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed architect, attorney, or your local planning department. Always verify specific requirements with your municipality before beginning any ADU project.