Detached ADUs & Backyard Cottages in Highland, UT

Why Highland homes are good candidates for detached ADUs

Highland homes are big, and their basements are bigger than most people plan for. Two thousand to three thousand square feet of unfinished space is routine. That scale changes the design conversation — instead of asking what fits, we're asking how to zone it, so a theater, a gym, a guest suite, and a kids' area coexist without the space feeling like a hallway with rooms attached.

The housing stock here is large homes on generous lots, built predominantly from the mid-1990s through the 2010s, with high ceilings and expansive unfinished basement footprints. That shapes what a project actually involves — which is why we scope work in Highland differently than we would two cities over.

Neighborhoods we work in

We take detached ADUs projects throughout Highland, including Beacon Hills, Highland Hills, Dry Creek, Country French, and Alpine Ridge. Landmarks nearby include Lone Peak High School, Highland Glen Park, Dry Creek Trail.

What Highland allows

Highland's existing rules do not permit an accessory dwelling unit in a detached accessory building. That position cannot survive October 1 for qualifying lots, and the city has been working on it — planning commissioners discussed ADUs on March 31, 2026 and agreed they shouldn't be permitted on lots under 11,000 square feet, which lines up exactly with the state floor. We could not verify a final adopted ordinance.

Whether your Highland lot clears 11,000 square feet is the whole question, and it isn't a matter of opinion — it's on the county parcel record. We look it up before anything else, because it determines which conversation we're even having.

Checked against Highland City — Existing Accessory Dwelling Unit Registration and Highland Planning Commission minutes — March 31, 2026 on 2026-08-31. Rules differ city by city and the detached ones are being rewritten ahead of an October 1, 2026 deadline — see where all nine cities stand, or let us confirm your specific parcel.

What's included

• Lot, zoning, and setback feasibility check before any design work
• Site plan and unit design, with our designer
• Foundation, framing, roofing, siding, and windows
• Complete kitchen and bathroom
• Utility connections — water, sewer, power, and gas where applicable
• Separate electrical service or subpanel, with submetering where you want it
• Full permitted construction through certificate of occupancy
• Site restoration, grading, and drainage away from both structures

Permits and inspections in Highland

Highland's larger finished areas frequently trigger additional HVAC and egress planning — a basement over roughly a thousand finished square feet usually needs its return air and supply sizing revisited rather than simply extended off the existing system.

We handle this part; it isn't something you deal with.

For the full walkthrough of how a project runs stage by stage, what drives the price, and what to watch out for, see our detached ADUs page.