ADU builders in Centennial, CO
Our shop, our crews, and most of our projects are all in town.
ADU rules in Centennial — a new program on newer lots
Centennial is a subject jurisdiction under HB24-1152, which means that since June 30, 2025 the city must allow at least one ADU where detached single-family homes are permitted, approve it through an administrative process without a public hearing, and can’t require owner-occupancy or dedicated ADU parking. The city maintains its own ADU program page and standards, and as with every subject jurisdiction, the specific dimensional rules — size, setbacks, height — are still Centennial’s to set within the limits the state law allows.
There’s a wrinkle unique to this city. Centennial only incorporated in 2001, assembled out of what had been unincorporated Arapahoe County, so its boundary is newer than most of its neighborhoods and adjacent addresses sometimes fall outside it — which changes whose ADU rules apply entirely. We confirm jurisdiction before anything else.
An ADU is a complete home — foundation, utilities, permits, inspections. The rules decide what’s buildable before design starts, which is why we check them first.
Building an ADU on a Centennial lot
Centennial is unusually well-suited to ADUs, and it’s the housing stock that does it. The 1970s-through-2000s split-levels and two-stories in Willow Creek, Foxridge, Walnut Hills, Cherry Knolls, and Piney Creek sit on generous lots with real backyard to build in, and their utilities and electrical service are modern enough to carry a second dwelling without the upgrades an older Denver bungalow would need first. Detached backyard units are the natural build here.
The other route is often already half-built: many of these homes have large unfinished basements — frequently with a bathroom rough-in already in the slab — which makes a basement or attached ADU a genuinely cheap way to add a legal, rentable unit. If your basement has that rough-in, it changes the math, and it’s the first thing we look at.
Permitting your Centennial ADU
Every ADU is permitted and inspected like a new home. In Centennial that runs through the City of Centennial’s Building Division, part of Community Development, via Centennial’s online permitting portal. Under HB24-1152 the approval is administrative — no public hearing — but a detached unit still goes through full plan review, and utility connections, site work, and any required engineering are part of the scope. Any excavation also requires utility locates through Colorado 811. We handle the full path and give you a realistic timeline. Colorado has also been standing up a state ADU financing program through CHFA, and jurisdictions certified by DOLA as ADU Supportive make their residents eligible for additional funding — worth checking current status when you plan your budget. See our Denver ADU regulations guide for the wider legal picture.
We build ADUs throughout Centennial. Planning more than an ADU? We also handle basement finishing in Centennial and kitchen remodeling in Centennial, and everything we do locally is on our Centennial remodeling page.
ADU FAQs — Centennial
As a subject jurisdiction under HB24-1152, Centennial has to allow at least one ADU where detached single-family homes are allowed, approved administratively without a public hearing. The dimensional rules are the city’s — we verify them against your lot.
No. State law bars subject jurisdictions like Centennial from requiring owner-occupancy, so you can rent both your home and the ADU to long-term tenants.
Usually, and in Centennial often much cheaper — many homes here have large unfinished basements with a bathroom rough-in already in the slab. That existing infrastructure is the single biggest cost lever we look for.
Let’s build something right here in Centennial.
Send a note about your project, your timeline, and your budget — we’ll set up a free in-home walkthrough, usually within a few days. You’re a neighbor, not a lead.