Building an ADU in the City of Fresno

What you can build here

Fresno rewrote its ADU rules in 2025. The current section of the city code, Fresno Municipal Code 15-2754, took effect July 27, 2025. It says that if it ever conflicts with state ADU law (Gov. Code 66310 and following), "the Government Code shall prevail."

ADUs are allowed in any zone that allows single-unit, multi-unit or mixed-use housing, or on any lot where a house, duplex or apartment building exists or is proposed. An ADU must have its own entrance, a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom. It can be attached, detached, or inside the main home.

• Single-family lots: up to two ADUs and one junior ADU per lot. State law requires every city to allow at least one ADU made from existing space, one junior ADU and one new detached ADU on a single-family lot; see our California page.
• Multifamily lots: up to eight detached ADUs, but not more than the number of existing units. You can also convert non-living space (such as garages, leasing offices or common rooms) into ADUs: one, or up to 25% of the existing units, whichever is greater.

ADUs don't count toward lot coverage or density limits.

Tiny homes on wheels. Fresno says a tiny house on wheels "may be considered an ADU" if it meets all the ADU rules. It must also be ANSI certified, sit on an engineered foundation system, and have skirting that encloses the space between the home and the ground.

State law also lets many single-family lots be split under SB 9. See our SB 9 lot split guide. [1][4]

Size, height and setbacks

• ADU size: up to 50% of the average floor area of the main home(s), or 1,400 sq ft, whichever is greater.
• Conversions: an ADU made from existing or proposed space in a single-family home, or from an existing accessory structure, may grow by up to 150 sq ft beyond the existing structure to make room for getting in and out.
• Junior ADU: up to 500 sq ft.
• Height: the zone's height limit or 30 ft, whichever is greater. ADUs can have more than one story or sit above the ground floor, for example over a garage.
• Side and rear setbacks: the zone's setback or 4 ft, whichever is less. On a lot next to an alley the setback is 0 ft, or at least 2 ft if the ADU's main entrance is on the alley.
• Utility easements: if a recorded utility easement runs along the lot line, your setback must include the whole easement, even if that makes it more than the minimum.
• Front setback: the zone's front setback applies, but it can't stop you from building an ADU of at least 800 sq ft.
• Placement: a detached ADU must sit behind the front of the main home, unless that would prevent an ADU of at least 800 sq ft.

Setbacks depend on your lot, easements and zone, so confirm with the city's ADU Hotline at (559) 621-8077 before you design. [1][2]

Parking

Fresno's ADU code is short on this point: "No parking is required."

State law also says a city may not make you replace parking that you lose when you convert or tear down a garage, carport or parking space to build an ADU.

Driveway work in the street is a separate matter. The city's plot plan form says the building permit does not approve curbs, gutters, sidewalks or driveway approaches in the public right of way, which need separate permits. [1][4][5]

Fees

The city's Pre-Approved ADU Cost Estimator (a spreadsheet dated October 27, 2025) shows these "Total Permit & Impact Fees" for its pre-approved plans:

• Plan 1 (340 sq ft): $7,958.33
• Plan 2 (499 sq ft): $8,236.55
• Plan 3 (625 sq ft): $8,443.86
• Plan 4 (625 sq ft over a garage): $8,411.61
• Plan 5 (1,015 sq ft): $15,609.99

For the smaller plans, the total is mostly the building permit (about $2,344 to $2,427), a new 1-inch water service and meter ($2,241), a water capacity fee ($2,893.16) and a wastewater facilities charge. The spreadsheet marks impact fees and the regional transportation fee "Less than 750 Sq. Ft. No Fees." Plan 5 adds $5,258.66 in fire, park, police and TSMI impact fees and a regional transportation fee of $1,184.72. The spreadsheet figures these from the ADU's size as a share of the existing home's size.

State law says ADUs of 750 sq ft of interior livable space or less pay no impact fees, and larger ADUs pay in proportion to the size of the main home.

School fees are extra. You pay them to your school district. The estimator uses $4.79 per sq ft (Fresno, Central, Washington Union and Sanger Unified), $5.17 (Fowler Unified) and $5.86 (Clovis Unified). State guidance says ADUs under 500 sq ft of interior livable space are not subject to school impact fees. Check with your district.

Other costs. The estimator says to check gas and electric fees with PG&E. Its construction cost figures (about $57,000 to $180,000 for the five plans) are national averages, and the city says they "are not guaranteed." For more on budgeting, see our ADU cost and ADU financing guides. [3][4][6]

How long it takes

Fresno no longer requires a separate zoning approval. The city says "Pre-approved ADU plans and custom ADU plans no longer require a Zone Clearance!" You apply directly for a building permit.

For a pre-approved plan, the city's permit application packet says the first plan check "will take approximately 7 business days after the application has moved forward into review." The older quick start guide says complete applications take "approx. 14 days to review." Incomplete or unreadable applications are put on hold until they are complete.

State law says the city must tell you within 15 business days whether your application is complete. It must approve or deny a complete application within 60 days when there is already a home on the lot, or the application is deemed approved. See our ADU permit process guide. [2][4][5][6]

Free pre-approved ADU plans

Fresno's ADU Program offers five free pre-approved plans. Each comes in three exterior styles: Craftsman, Contemporary and Gable.

• Plan 1: studio, 1 bath, 340 sq ft
• Plan 2: 1 bed, 1 bath, 499 sq ft
• Plan 3: 1 or 2 bed, 1 bath, 625 sq ft
• Plan 4: Plan 3 built over a garage
• Plan 5: 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,015 sq ft

The plans include solar panel plans. You still draw a plot plan of your lot to scale. It must show property lines, all buildings and their distances from each other and the lot lines, utility lines, and a new electrical service. The packet says a "New main electrical service panel is required" for the city's standard plans. Only Plans 1 and 3 need a gas line.

Before the permit is issued you also sign a Property Owner Release and Waiver and a city affidavit, and bring a school fee form from your school district. Plan 5 also needs a Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee form, which city staff provide.

Fire sprinklers. The option tables say a sprinkler system is required for the ADU when the main home has one. The city's ADU page adds that sprinklers may be required when the ADU is too close to a property line or another home, or may be used in place of other fire protection when fire access or water supply is lacking. State guidance says sprinklers can't be required in an ADU if they are not required for the main home. Ask the city how this applies to your lot.

The plan record numbers date from 2023 (23-TADU-001 to 005). The 2025 California Building Standards Code took effect January 1, 2026, so ask the ADU Hotline whether the plans have been updated to it. [2][4][5][6][7]

Garage conversions and junior ADUs

You can turn part of your house (including an attached garage), a detached garage, or another existing accessory building into an ADU. A conversion may add up to 150 sq ft for getting in and out. You won't have to replace the parking you lose, and Fresno requires no parking for ADUs at all. See our garage conversion guide.

A junior ADU (JADU) can be up to 500 sq ft and must be entirely inside a single-family home; an attached garage counts as part of the home. JADUs are allowed only in single-unit zones or where a single-family home exists or is proposed. A JADU needs its own entrance, a kitchen (an efficiency kitchen is enough) and a bedroom. It may share a bathroom with the house; if it does, it must also have an inside door to the main living area.

Owner occupancy. Fresno's code says the owner "must reside in either the primary residence or in the JADU," except when the owner is a government agency, land trust or housing organization. Since January 1, 2026, state law requires owner occupancy only when the JADU shares a bathroom with the house. The city's code may not yet reflect that change, so confirm with the city. A JADU that shares facilities also needs a recorded deed restriction that bars selling it separately from the house. See our junior ADU guide. [1][4]

Renting or selling your ADU

Fresno's code says ADUs and JADUs "that are rented must be for terms of 30 consecutive days or longer." That rules out short-term vacation rentals.

The city does not require you to live on the property because you have an ADU.

Fresno lets you sell an ADU separately from the main home. The code allows it through a common interest development (a condominium, under Fresno's Article 39 and state Gov. Code 66342) or by filing a parcel map. A JADU that relies on shared facilities can't be sold separately.

An ADU may raise your property taxes. See our ADU property tax guide. [1]

State review of Fresno's ADU rules

Cities must send their ADU ordinances to the state housing agency (HCD), which can review them and send findings letters. On October 9, 2026 we did not find an HCD findings letter for Fresno's July 2025 ordinance. HCD's letters are listed in its Technical Assistance and Enforcement Letters Dashboard. [4][8]

Permit steps in Fresno

1. Check your lot

   Make sure your lot is inside Fresno city limits, in a zone that allows homes (or already has one), with room for setbacks and access to utilities. Ask the ADU Hotline at (559) 621-8077 if you're unsure. [1][6]

2. Choose a pre-approved plan or hire a designer

   Pick one of the five free plans and an exterior style on the city's ADU Program page, or have a custom ADU designed. The city posts a list of designers, architects and contractors but does not endorse them. [2][5]

3. Draw a plot plan

   Draw your lot to scale with a north arrow, property lines, all buildings and their distances, the electrical panel and gas meter, and the new water, sewer and electrical lines. For a pre-approved plan, also fill in the plan's option table. The permit application packet has an example. [5]

4. Apply online for a building permit

   Create a free account on Fresno Citizen Access, choose a Residential permit, answer yes to "Is this an ADU" (and "Is this a Standard Plan ADU" if you use a city plan), enter the plan number (23-TADU-###) and upload your plot plan. No separate zone clearance is needed. [2][5]

5. Plan check

   The city says the first plan check for a pre-approved plan takes about 7 business days once the application moves into review. Incomplete applications are put on hold. [5]

6. Sign forms, pay fees and get the permit

   Before the permit is issued, submit the Property Owner Release and Waiver, the city affidavit and your school district's fee form (plus a regional transportation fee form for Plan 5). Pay school fees to your district. [3][5]

7. Build and pass inspections

   Build to the approved plans. The site must drain away from the ADU. Work in the street, such as a new driveway approach, needs a separate permit, and the certificate of occupancy depends on finishing that work. [5]

Pre-approved and sample plans

• City of Fresno Pre-Approved ADU Plans

  Five free plans (340, 499, 625 and 1,015 sq ft, plus a 625 sq ft unit over a garage), each in Craftsman, Contemporary or Gable style; you add a plot plan. [2][5][6]

Who to call

• City of Fresno ADU Hotline

  Questions about ADU rules and the pre-approved plan program; email adu@fresno.gov

  (559) 621-8077

  [2][6]

• Planning and Development Department, Building Services

  Building permits and plan check

  (559) 621-8003

  2600 Fresno Street, Room 3043, Fresno, CA 93721-3604

  [5]

Questions people ask