ZoningTrace
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Property-specific ADU feasibility

Know the ADU path.Trace every answer.

Start with an address. See the state rights, local rules, parcel limits, and open questions that shape an ADU.

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A home and backyard viewed from above
A useful first answer starts with the lot, then shows every rule behind it.

All 50 states coveredCompare every dated guide in the national directory

Sources attachedSee where each answer came from

Honest availabilityPaid briefs open only where local sources are verified

Start with your address.

Confirm the location and get a useful starting point free. Pay only when you want the property-specific rule stack.

NBY-RIGHT ADU ENVELOPESETBACK LINEOVERLAYSEPTIC?PARCEL 12 / 0.34 AC / SAMPLE

Find your property.

Choose a matching US address to see the municipality, state, legal posture, and the property questions still open.

Start with the street number and name.
Included free

A real answer starts with a real match.

We will show the municipality, state, legal posture, and free guide before offering any paid work.

Address matching by Photon using OpenStreetMap data.

Sample cited brief

See the research before you buy.

We traced a nationally known Brookline address so you can inspect the evidence, open questions, and final deliverable.

Demonstration address83 Beals Street, Brookline, MA 02446John F. Kennedy birthplace

Demonstration only. No project is proposed at this property, and the sample is not a zoning determination.

Cover of the five-page ZoningTrace cited brief for 83 Beals StreetDownload the 5-page samplePDF, 4.4 MB

  1. Confirm the property

    The live town map returns the parcel, base zoning, assessor fields, and historic-site layer for the exact address.

    Parcel
    050-19-00
    Zoning
    T-5(NH)
    Map description
    Two-Family and Attached Single-Family
    Open the Brookline Zoning Viewer
    Brookline Zoning Viewer showing parcel 050-19-00 at 83 Beals Street in T-5(NH) zoning
    Town of Brookline live GIS, captured August 7, 2026.

  2. Trace the controlling text

    The town document defines the protected-use ADU, including the half-of-dwelling or 900-square-foot ceiling.

    What ZoningTrace catches

    A ceiling is not an allowance. T-5(NH) eligibility and the accepted gross-floor-area record still need town confirmation.

    Read Brookline Article 14
    Page 14-3 of Brookline's May 26, 2026 Article 14 defining a protected-use accessory dwelling unit
    Actual Town Meeting source document, page 14-3.

  3. Surface the exception

    The official NPS record confirms this is a National Historic Site, National Historic Landmark, and National Register property.

    Why that changes the answer

    This federal site needs owner authority and preservation review. A normal homeowner conclusion would be misleading.

    Verify the NPS record
    National Park Service page for the JFK Birthplace showing its address, significance, and historic designations
    National Park Service place record.
    Page 14-9 of Brookline Article 14 describing historic-district review
    Brookline historic-review provision, page 14-9.

What lands in your inbox

The cited brief packages the answer, its limits, and the exact next calls. Every source remains attached.

  • Executive screening result
  • Parcel and zoning evidence
  • Cited municipal rule stack
  • Known constraints and open questions
  • Authority call sheet
  • Linked source register
Download the sample

A clearer answer without hiding the uncertainty.

ZoningTrace keeps statewide rights, municipal rules, parcel facts, and unresolved questions visible as separate parts of the decision.

Answer first, map second

The first screen shows a plain-language feasibility signal instead of a waitlist or a statewide directory dump.

Rule layers stay visible

State rights, local dimensional rules, overlays, transit proximity, and wastewater questions never collapse into one false yes/no.

Freshness is part of the answer

Every claim shows its source, retrieval date, and whether the town has newer material requiring review.

From address to a confident next call.

Each result ends with the facts you have, the questions you still need answered, and the source for both.

  1. Confirm the parcel

    Match an address to a parcel and let the homeowner correct a bad match.

  2. Build the rule stack

    Apply statewide ADU protections, then surface local restrictions and unresolved overlays.

  3. Leave with a call sheet

    Export the likely path, cited facts, unknowns, and exact questions for the building department.

Simple one-time pricing

Start free. Pay when the property-specific work begins.

Every state guide is free. Property-specific paid briefs are currently available only for Massachusetts addresses, starting at $9 without a subscription.

State baseline

$0per address

Statewide baseline, parcel confirmation, and visible uncertainty.

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Cited brief

Best place to start
$9per property

Massachusetts municipal sources, dimensional checklist, transit and wastewater questions.

Project pack

$24one time

For Massachusetts: three scenarios, a professional handoff PDF, and 30 days of source-change alerts.

Accounts are optional. You do not need an account to buy a report. Create one to save properties and access past and future reports in one place. Create account or log in.

Market contextPermitPilot: summer beta waitlist; final pricing unpublished

A useful first screen, with an honest boundary.

ZoningTrace is an early feasibility aid, not an official zoning determination, site plan, building permit, septic approval, or professional opinion.

Sources reviewed

Nationwide source review last updated August 6, 2026.

Know what to ask before you call the town.

Start with the sample and see how a source-linked parcel brief works.

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