Boundless Tiny Homes Releases 2026 State of ADUs in Dane County, Wisconsin

Madison, United States – May 31, 2026 / Boundless Tiny Homes – Madison Tiny Home & ADU Builder /

MADISON, WI — May 2026 — Boundless Tiny Homes, Dane County’s only ADU-focused design-build firm, today released State of ADUs in Dane County 2026, the first comprehensive market report on Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) and Tiny Home development in Madison and across Dane County, Wisconsin. The full report is available at

boundlesstinyhomes.com/state-of-adus-2026.

The report consolidates thirteen years of City of Madison permit data, the timeline of seven Madison zoning reforms passed since 2021, current construction costs across four Wisconsin-specific cost drivers, and ordinance summaries for every major Dane County municipality including Madison, Middleton, Fitchburg, Verona, Sun Prairie, Waunakee, Mt. Horeb, Stoughton, and McFarland.

Key findings:

Madison has issued approximately 50 ADU permits in 13 years, with nearly half of them issued in the 12 months following the removal of owner-occupancy requirements in April 2024.

Madison has passed seven distinct ADU reforms since 2021, including the October 2025 ordinance allowing two-unit detached ADUs and the December 2025 cottage court ordinance enabling up to eight detached homes on a single lot.

Dane County is 13,000 housing units behind demand built up over the last two decades. Rents have risen 47% in five years. Owner-occupancy vacancy sits at 0.6%.

Suburban ordinances are stuck at “permitted on paper.” Fitchburg has issued zero ADU permits since adopting its ordinance in September 2025. Waunakee has issued two in two years.

“Madison’s permit history is a playbook, not a history lesson,” said Devon, founder of Boundless Tiny Homes. “Every reform removed a specific friction point, and the data shows exactly which ones moved the needle. Fitchburg, Waunakee, and Mt. Horeb each adopted a first ordinance and stopped. Madison shows what reforms two through seven look like — and what happens to permit volume when those restrictions actually come off.”

The report also documents AARP Wisconsin’s role in the April 2024 owner-occupancy removal, the senior housing case for ADUs in a county with 86,000+ residents over 65, and the $8,000–$10,000 monthly cost of independent living facilities in Dane County — the financial alternative most multigenerational ADU projects are designed to avoid.

Boundless Tiny Homes publishes the report annually as a public resource for homeowners, municipal staff, lenders, and policymakers.

Read the full report at boundlesstinyhomes.com/state-of-adus-2026.

About Boundless Tiny Homes Boundless Tiny Homes is Madison, Wisconsin’s only ADU-focused design-build firm. The company designs, permits, and builds Accessory Dwelling Units and Tiny Homes across Dane County, from detached and attached ADUs to garage units, in-law suites, senior suites, and backyard cottages. ADU specialization is the entire business.

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