Your Town's
ADU Playbook.
Free educational materials that reduce staff workload, improve permit application quality, and help residents understand ADUs before they reach your counter.
One Tool. Two Perspectives.
Built for Everyone.
The ADU Exchange Community Hub connects homeowners with accurate local ADU information — published directly by your building department. No phone calls. No guesswork.
Find Your Town's
ADU Playbook — Instantly
Stop guessing. Search your municipality and get the real numbers — max size, setbacks, permit fees, timelines, and who to call. Published by your local building department, not third parties.
- Search 390+ New England municipalities
- See exactly what you can build & what it costs
- Download a co-branded PDF reference guide
- Direct contact info for your building department
Publish Your ADU Rules.
Reduce Counter Calls.
Register free, complete a 10-step profile in 20 minutes, and publish a searchable public page. Homeowners arrive at your counter informed — not asking the same questions your staff answers 1,000 times a year.
- Free to register — no cost to your department
- 10-step guided profile — live in 20 minutes
- Your own branded landing page for residents
- Residents can download a co-branded PDF guide
Your Town's ADU Playbook
Search Swansea, Fall River, Providence, and 390+ municipalities across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Each page shows allowed types, dimensional rules, permitting fees, timelines, and building department contact info — all in one place.
Your Staff Answers the
Same Questions Every Week.
Building departments constantly hear:
Staff must answer these questions over and over, every week. But building departments are not educators, designers, or consultants. They enforce code.
This is the gap The ADU Exchange fills.
We built TheADUExchange.com to give homeowners and professionals a place to learn everything about ADUs before they come to your counter.
on basic ADU questions
in MA Year 1 alone
Five Ways This Helps
Your Department.
Six Materials. Zero Cost.
Immediate Impact.
Every piece is designed so building departments feel comfortable using it. Educational tone. No contractor endorsements. Neutral language. Print-ready and digital.
Six Interactive Tools.
Built for Your Department.
The printed materials get you in the door. But The ADU Exchange also built a full suite of free interactive digital tools designed specifically for building departments, zoning boards, and municipal leaders. Embed them on your website, use them at the counter, or bring them to your next Select Board meeting.
Explore All 6 Tools + the Complete Field Guide
Every tool is free, every resource is ready to deploy, and your residents are already searching for answers. Give them — and your staff — the tools they deserve.
Massachusetts State Programs
for Your Department.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through the Housing Livability Code (HLC) and partner agencies, provides grants, webinars, and regulatory guidance to help your municipality navigate ADU adoption. Below are the programs your department should know about.
Grants to Assist Creating Local ADU Rules
Municipalities needing assistance drafting, planning, and enacting local ADU rules may apply for funding through the Community One Stop for Growth.
HLC Educational Webinars
The Housing Livability Code (HLC) hosts webinars to assist cities and towns with questions related to the ADU Law, its regulations, amending existing zoning or by-laws, and adopting local ADU rules.
| Webinar | Recording | Slides |
|---|---|---|
| ADU Law and Regulation Pre-Recorded Webinar | YouTube Recording | ADU Law & Regulations Slide Deck |
| ADU Model Zoning Webinar — HLC + MAPC + MHP | YouTube Recording by MAPC | ADU Model Zoning Slide Deck |
| CPTC Session — HLC Staff, 2025 Annual Conference | N/A | ADU CPTC Presentation |
Cross-Agency Regulatory Guidance
Other Commonwealth agencies issue guidance on how state laws, rules, and regulations relate to or impact ADUs. These documents are cross-posted as they become available.
| Agency | Guidance | Published | Related Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| MA Dept. of Environmental Protection | Guidance on Title 5 (310 CMR 15.000) Compliance for ADUs | Updated Sept 11, 2025 | FAQs on Title 5 and ADUs |
| MassGIS (Bureau of Geographic Information) | MassGIS Addressing Guidance for ADUs | March 10, 2025 | Address Standard for MA Municipalities |
| Division of Insurance (EOHED / OCABR) | Dwelling on Details: Insurance & Protected Use ADUs | Oct 20, 2025 | Understanding Home Insurance — Mass.gov |
Visit the Full Mass.gov ADU Resource Page
All programs, webinars, and guidance documents listed above are maintained by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Nothing Big.
Just This.
"If someone asks about ADUs, you can point them to TheADUExchange.com as a starting point."
That's it. Low pressure. No endorsement. No partnership. Just awareness.