BI approves ordinance to expedite ADU process, loosen requirements
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Building an Accessory Dwelling Unit on Bainbridge Island? It’s now almost as easy as “add water and stir.”
A new city ordinance would help fast-track construction of ADUs on Bainbridge by offering a set of pre-approved designs for homeowners to choose from.
On Oct. 14, the Bainbridge Island City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that loosens the requirements for ADU construction, allowing homeowners on BI to participate in a countywide program that aims to make the process more affordable and quicker.
Six “permit-ready” layouts, designed by a team of architects hired by the Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council, are now available for homeowners to select as a base layout for an ADU — but they can style it themselves, explained city permit supervisor Darron Buchanan.
Currently available designs range from 480 to 1,000 square feet and feature a modern, Pacific Northwest-inspired look.
“The plan sets come with a variety of options to choose from, including roof pitch, siding color, lighting fixtures, door style, and many more,” said Buchanan.
Some limits in the previous municipal code for ADUs prevented islanders from participating in the program.
With the changes approved by council, a 900 square footage cap was lifted to 1,000 square feet; ADUs are no longer required to share a driveway with the main home; one-story ADUs can now be placed closer to the road and main home, with permission from the planning department; and they can be placed in view of the public right-of-way, no longer “maintaining the appearance of the primary dwelling as a single-family dwelling.”
While homeowners who opt for a pre-approved ADU will be able to expedite permitting, avoid a design fee and forgo some building review requirements — including an architectural review, a structural review and an energy code review — they still have to comply with site plan reviews, such as zoning requirements, critical area restrictions and utility infrastructure capacity.
Deputy mayor Jon Quitslund clarified that changing the standards for ADU construction is not a reflection of higher-density zoning in an area.
“The [code] is being fixed in tiny ways. I think there will be a time when we have a chapter devoted to all of the building types, and all of the forms in which lower-cost housing can be created and belong on the island in various circumstances,” said Quitslund. “We have been permitting affordable housing, ADUs for decades in most zones on the island. People who say this is going to be an upzone — it’s nothing of the sort. The zoning has permitted ADUs, they just have not been developed very much, or developed as rental properties.”
KRCC, a multi-government forum that helps jurisdictions around the county determine how to distribute transportation funds, population forecasting, city and legislative planning and more, established the ADU designs in its 2024 session.
With the adoption of the ordinance on BI, residents in all four incorporated cities in Kitsap — Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Bremerton and Port Orchard — are now able to participate in the program.
