ADU permit rules in California
California cities set their own permit exemptions, but most follow the same pattern. Every ADU needs a building permit and a final inspection before anyone lives in it.
City rules below were each checked against the city’s own pages.
Cities we cover in California
- ADU permits in Los Angeles partial
- ADU permits in Sacramento partial
- ADU permits in San Diego partial
- ADU permits in San Francisco partial
- ADU permits in San Jose partial
Not on the list?
Enter your address. If we haven’t verified your city yet, you’ll get the common California answer marked low confidence, plus your zoning and flood data where public maps have it.