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Question: Lawrence's new building code (in effect April 1, 2025) allows more kinds of homes: ADUs, duplexes, three- and four-plexes and small lots. Are they being built?
What the city's permits show (April 2025-September 2026, compared with the two years before): - Duplexes: up, from about 19 permits a year to 46. - ADUs (backyard or garage apartments): up from about 1 a year to about 5. Still rare. - Three- and four-plexes: none issued since the change. - Detached single-family homes: down, from about 57 a year to 34. - Small-lot homes: cannot be measured from the public data.
Caution: the numbers are small, and the timing alone does not show the code caused the changes.
Also important: Lawrence has not reported to the Census Bureau's permit survey since January 2024. National figures for Lawrence since then are Census estimates, and they show far more single-family homes than the city's own records.
Options discussed, with rough costs: keep watching; resume Census reporting; waive ADU permit fees (about $6,000-$19,000 a year); offer pre-approved plans; pilot fee waivers for three- and four-plexes.