An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is a legal and regulatory term for a secondary house or apartment that shares the building lot of a larger primary house. Where before a second unit was not zoned approved, now may very much be doable.

Garage and ADU Conversions differ from house to house. Please call us for a free estimate!

Attached – An extension of the existing home structure, which is attached to the primary dwelling that may include full amenities.

Attached Junior (JADU) – A conversion of an existing garage or space, under 500 sq ft, within the main residential unit that may include full amenities.

Garage Conversion – The conversion of a garage space into a living unit that may include full amenities.

Detached – An independent structure entirely separate from the primary dwelling that may include full amenities.

Multi-Family Homes – You may also add ADU’s to multi-family homes!

1. Permitted additional space to existing houses
2. Opportunity to generate extra income
3. Significantly increase the intrinsic value of your home

Southern California consists of many cities with home prices and rental prices that are deemed unaffordable for the general public.  There is a real housing crisis in the state.  ADU is designed to be part of the solution because it will put more rental supply on the market to counter the rising demand of housing in California.  The homeowners not only doing a great thing for the community, but they are also benefitted with recurring passive income and a sizeable capital gain on their properties.

ADU is mostly popular with single-family zoned properties.  However, homeowners with R-2 lots may also benefit from the ADU law.

No. In fact, the State Legislation prohibits local agencies from including in development standards for ADUs requirements on minimum lot size (CA Gov. Code, § 65852.2, subd. (a)(1)(B)(i))

Maximum unit size requirements, established by any local municipality, must be at least 850 square feet and 1,000 square feet for ADUs with more than one bedroom. For local municipalities without an established ordinance, maximum unit sizes are 1,200 square feet for a new detached ADU and up to 50 percent of the floor area of the existing primary dwelling unit for an attached ADU. 

The conversion of an existing accessory structure or a portion of the existing primary residence to an ADU is not subject to size requirements. For example, an existing house with a 1,500 square feet basement converted to an ADU would not be subject to the size requirements, regardless if a local government has an adopted ordinance.

ADU can be built from ground up in the backyard, either attached or detached from the main house, and it also can be built by converting space within the existing house structure (i.e. garage conversion, den conversion, etc.)

Yes.  ADU law allows the construction of a detached new construction statewide exemption ADU to be combined with a JADU within any zone allowing residential or mixed uses regardless of zoning and development standards imposed in an ordinance.

If the ADU is approved between January 1, 2020 and January 1, 2025, then owner is not required to live in the property ((CAGov. Code, § 65852.2, subd. (a)(6)).

Homeowners can potentially build an ADU and a JADU depending on the available space within the property.  An ADU can be accomplished by building an extension of the primary dwelling unit or by constructing a new stand-alone unit.  The JADU can be accomplished from converting an existing space within the primary dwelling unit (i.e. garage conversion, living room conversion, etc.).

If an ADU is created through the conversion of a garage, carport or covered parking structure, then replacement of off-street parking spaces cannot be required by the local agency (CA Gov. Code, §65852.2, subd. (a)(1)(D)(xi)).

No.  The ADU and the main house share one Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN).  Hence it is considered as ONE property.  Consider it as a typical Duplex.

No. ADU laws are considered state laws therefore superseding any local municipality laws including HOA by-laws.  AB 670 provides that covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) that either effectively prohibit or unreasonably restrict the construction or use of an ADU or JADU on a lot zoned for single-family residential use are void and unenforceable (CA Civil Code Section 4751).

Yes, it is possible to do so. Check with your local planning department.  A local agency may allow the expansion area of a detached structure being converted into an ADU to have no setbacks, or setbacks of less than four feet, if the existing structure has no setbacks, or has setbacks of less than four feet. A local agency shall not require setbacks of more than four feet for the expanded area of a detached structure being converted into an ADU.

Adding an ADU creates the essence that the single-family residence is turned into a duplex or triplex.  But a duplex (by traditional definition) contains 2 primary dwelling units, whereas ADU is considered an ACCESSORY dwelling unit.

ADU can be a source of passive income for first-time homebuyers.  Please consult with a CPA and/or Financial Advisor.

The fees charged by local municipalities will vary.  Contact the local planning / building department to get the most accurate information.  However, based on the ADU legislation, there is impact fee exemptions for ADU up to 750 square feet (Government Code Section 65852.2, Subdivision (f)(3)).  For ADU larger than 750 square feet, there will be impact fees charged in proportion to the size of the primary dwelling unit (Gov. Code, § 65852.2, subd. (f)(3)).

The approximate time to BUILD an ADU is as follow:

• Conversion: 3 to 6 months 

• Attached: 6 to 9 months 

• Detached: 9 to 12 months 

The above time frame excludes the time to design and to apply for the permits. 

The time frame is also largely affected by size of the ADU.

ADU’s utilities will usually come from the same source as the main house.  They are all interconnected.  Please contact the local utility companies for exact details.

The latest CA Energy Code (Title 24) requires newly constructed detached ADUs to have solar panels installed.  The panels can be installed on the ADU or on the primary dwelling unit (i.e. main house).  However, conversions of existing space into an ADU are not subject to this requirement. Please visit CEC’s website www.energy.ca.gov to obtain a more thorough and accurate answer regarding the solar panel requirements.

It is possible to have a separate mailing address for the ADU.  Please check with the local planning / building department.  Usually, the ADU address would have “½” added to the address. 

Rent control is applicable based on the local municipality where the property is located.  ADU does not affect rent control one way or another.

Property Tax is assessed by an assessor.  Please contact a CPA and/or Attorney for a more accurate information on this matter.  Although, do not miss the bigger picture of building an ADU.  The capital gain obtained by having an ADU should be more than enough to offset any increased in property tax.  ADU is also good for the local community to ease housing constraints. 

At LegalADU, we strongly believe that ADU is a good investment, both financially and socially.  The difference between the cost per square foot to build versus the market price of living space per square foot should give a good indication of the investment value of an ADU.  Not to mention that a homeowner is contributing in assisting the local communities to ease the housing crisis.