ADU Breaking News Breakthroughs, Regulation Change, Finance Updates and More The ADU Exchange Market News
Two states, one desk. We track Massachusetts and Rhode Island ADU policy, financing and permit data in equal measure, so you know what changed, where it applies, and what it means for your next project.
Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities · September 11, 2026
Massachusetts Opens Public Comment on Revisions to the Statewide ADU Regulations
The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is proposing revisions to 760 CMR 71.00, the Protected Use ADU regulations that have governed by-right ADUs statewide since January 2025. Comments are open to everyone — homeowners, REALTORS®, builders, designers, lenders and municipal officials — from September 11 through 11:59 PM on October 9, 2026, via the state's online form or by email to EOHLCRegulationComments@mass.gov with “Comments on 760 CMR 71” in the subject line. A full redline of the proposed changes is published, and the September 10 informational webinar recording will be posted to the state ADU page. The ADU Exchange has filed formal public comments urging a streamlined path to additional units under 760 CMR 71.03(5) and supporting legislation to allow multiple accessory units per lot, following California's model, to help close the Commonwealth's housing shortage.
Source: Mass.gov, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, September 11, 2026 Read the primary sourceRI Executive Office of Housing · Portal opens August 11, 2026
+1 RI ADU Design Competition Opens August 11: Rhode Island Builds Its Free Plan Library
Funded by a $25,000 AARP Community Challenge grant, the Executive Office of Housing is inviting architects, designers, builders, contractors and students to submit ready-to-use ADU designs for a public library of plans. First place takes $10,000, with separate awards for Best Accessible ADU and Most Innovative ADU. Professionals must be licensed or registered in Rhode Island, or work under someone who is. Submissions close October 23 at 11:59 PM.
Source: Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing, page updated August 6, 2026 Read the primary sourceADU News & Insights
Public Comment Opens on Proposed Revisions to 760 CMR 71.00
EOHLC is revising the regulations behind Massachusetts’ by-right ADU law after roughly 20 months in effect and more than 2,800 applications statewide. Comment through the state’s online form or by email to EOHLCRegulationComments@mass.gov with “Comments on 760 CMR 71” in the subject line. A published redline shows every proposed change, and the September 10 webinar recording will be posted on the state ADU page.
The ADU Exchange Files Public Comments Calling for a Path to Multiple Accessory Units Per Lot
Our formal comments to EOHLC urge a clearer, streamlined special-permit path for additional ADUs under 760 CMR 71.03(5), and back legislation allowing multiple accessory units per lot — the California model that pushed ADU production past 20,000 permits a year. More homes per lot means more family legacies and a smaller housing shortage. Add your voice before October 9.
Phase One of the Massachusetts ADU Incentive Program Opens to Homeowners
MHP now matches homeowners with professional feasibility study providers who assess site conditions, zoning and permitting, utilities, preliminary design and high-level budget. Findings will shape later phases of the program.
+1 RI ADU Design Competition Opens August 11, With $25K in Prizes
Rhode Island is building its own library of ready-to-use ADU plans. Open to architects, designers, builders, contractors and students, individually or in teams of up to five. Prizes run $10,000, $6,000 and $4,000 for the top three, plus $3,000 for Best Accessible ADU and $2,000 for Most Innovative ADU. Optional info session August 12, Q&A September 9, deadline October 23.
Rhode Island Permitted 262 ADUs in 2025, a 61% Increase Over 2024
The Executive Office of Housing fourth annual ADU report counts 262 permits in 2025 against 163 in 2024, and 611 permits since 2021. Only 82 certificates of occupancy were issued in 2025, showing how many permitted units are still in the pipeline.
Statewide Duplex By-Right Left Unfinished When Formal Sessions Closed
The Senate passed its $325M economic development bill on July 23 with duplexes allowed by right on all residential lots. The House version carried Yes In God’s Backyard and site plan review standards. The two bills were still in conference when formal sessions ended July 31, and remain eligible for a fall session.
Providence Permitted 48 ADUs in 2025, the Most of Any Rhode Island Community
Providence moved from 14 ADU permits in 2024 to 48 in 2025 after aligning its ordinance with state law and publishing city ADU guidelines. Certificates of occupancy in the city totaled five, a reminder that permit counts run well ahead of finished units.
MassHousing ADU Loans Are Open: Up to $250K at 5.25% Fixed
Second mortgages of up to $250,000 for detached ADUs and $150,000 for attached units, at 5.25% fixed over a 20-year term, with income limits at 135% of area median income. Applications run through the MassHousing lender network.
RIHousing FHA 203(k) Remains Rhode Island’s Dedicated ADU Financing Path
RIHousing offers the FHA 203(k) for both purchase and refinance, financing attached or interior ADUs such as garage and basement conversions. Borrowers must complete RIHousing’s 203(k) education class, use an FHA-approved Rhode Island 203(k) consultant, and hire a licensed, insured RI contractor.
1,224 ADUs Approved in the First Year of By-Right Zoning
One year after the Affordable Homes Act allowed ADUs by right statewide, 217 Massachusetts communities had permitted or approved 1,224 units. Units up to 900 sq ft, or under 50% of the main home’s living area, are allowed by right in single-family districts.
East Providence Goes Past the State Floor on Detached ADUs
State law guarantees detached ADUs by right on lots of 20,000 sq ft or more. East Providence adopted an ordinance permitting detached units on lots as small as 5,000 sq ft with added parking relief. Its permit count went from 2 in 2024 to 15 in 2025.
Eight ADU Design Challenge Winners, Free to Download Statewide
From more than 100 submissions across nearly 50 municipalities, eight winning ADU designs were named, led by ICON Architecture’s Fabricated Module, Local Dwelling. The plans are published at no cost and can remove thousands of dollars of early design spend.
Four Housing Bills From the 2026 Session Signed Into Law
Rhode Island lawmakers wrapped the 2026 session on June 12. The signed package caps how much parking cities and towns can require for multifamily housing near transit, lets municipalities stand up temporary emergency housing units, makes technical amendments, and creates a commission to review the state Condominium Act.
MassCEC ADU Resource Center Lets Homeowners Test Their Own Lot
Enter an address, see where an ADU could sit on the property, and review early planning considerations before commissioning a feasibility study. The state now points homeowners here as step one in the ADU process.
Massachusetts Zoning Reform Produced 1,639 ADU Applications in Year One
The 2024 law plus 2025 assistance programs pushed a wave of filings across the state, with municipalities reporting 1,639 ADU applications against 1,224 approvals. The gap is where local process friction still lives.
A Second $120M Housing Bond Reaches Rhode Island Voters on November 3
Rhode Island voters will decide five separate bond questions totaling $600 million, including $120 million for housing development. A RIPEC analysis projects the 2024 and 2026 bonds together produce roughly 642 net new rental units, about 28.5% of the Housing 2030 production goal.
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Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Head to Head
Two neighboring states legalized ADUs within two years of each other and then took different routes on money, data and local control. Here is where each one stands right now.
Zoning Plus a Full Support Stack
Massachusetts paired by-right zoning with money and tooling: eight free Design Challenge plans, MassHousing second mortgages up to $250K, MHP feasibility studies under the new ADU Incentive Program, and the MassCEC lot-level resource center. The open question is production. Statewide duplex by-right sits unfinished in conference committee, and EOHLC is now revising 760 CMR 71.00 itself, with public comment open through October 9.
Steep Permit Growth, Thin Financing
Rhode Island permit volume is climbing fast off a small base, and state law requires an annual public ADU count that Massachusetts has no direct equivalent of. The state is now building its own free plan library through the +1 RI ADU Design Competition. Financing is the remaining gap: the RIHousing FHA 203(k) covers attached and interior units but not detached new construction, and there is no state ADU construction loan comparable to the MassHousing product.
Sources: Mass.gov, MassHousing, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, MassCEC, Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing, RIHousing. Last verified September 13, 2026.