It’s getting easier to build housing in California!
Housing in California. It’s expensive, in short supply, and tough to build.
The good news is that, starting next year, it’ll be easier to build homes in California — specifically ADUs.
What’s an ADU?
ADUs are known by many names — including accessory dwelling units, second units, in-law units, granny flats, backyard homes, and casitas.
But, no matter what you call them, these are homes located on the same piece of property as another home. ADUs are a great way for homeowners to add to California’s housing supply, house a caretaker or family member, and earn rental income.
3 Highlights of the new California ADU rules
Starting in January 2020, California law will let single-family homeowners (and property owners planning to build a single-family home) do one of these 3 things:
1. Convert part of the main home into an ADU (for instance, by transforming a garage, basement, or bedroom into a separate home).
2. Build an ADU in the backyard, so long as the ADU is no larger than 800 square feet, no more than 16 feet in height, and set back at least 4 feet from the rear and side property lines.
3. Add 2 new homes on the same lot as a single-family home (one small ADU within the main home, and one ADU in the backyard).
Owners of apartment and condo buildings will also be able to convert certain parts of their building into ADUs and build up to 2 ADUs in the backyard.
How to learn more
Want to learn more about these new California laws and their effect on your property?
Ring in the new year with a visit to Symbium BUILD — the Complaw-enabled web application that automates zoning codes to provide you free and instant information on your property’s ADU potential!
