Building an ADU in the City of Sacramento

What you can build here

An ADU is a permanent home on the same lot as your house. It can be detached, attached, made from a garage or other existing space, built above a garage, or a modular unit. All ADUs must meet California's building code (Title 24).

Sacramento gives you two sets of zoning rules, and you must pick one for the ADUs on your lot. There is "no pick/choose or mix/match of local and state standards." The city's ADU Resource Center has a side-by-side table.

• Local ADU ordinance (City Code 17.228.105(B)): up to 2 ADUs per lot, in any mix of attached, detached or junior ADU (junior ADUs only on single-family lots). It works with a single-family or multifamily home.
• State ADU standards (City Code 17.228.105(C) and state Gov. Code 66323): on a single-family lot, up to 3 units, but only as 1 conversion of existing space, 1 junior ADU and 1 detached ADU. On a lot with an existing apartment building, up to 8 detached ADUs (never more than the number of existing units) plus conversions of up to 25% of the existing units.

Lots in the EA-2 or EA-3 overlay zone may have only one ADU. To check your zoning, overlays and whether your lot is in a historic district, use the city's Land Information Lookup App.

ADUs are allowed in Sacramento's 31 historic districts and on landmark properties. If you build under the local ordinance there, you must also meet the city's ADU Design Standards for Historic Properties.

Tiny homes on wheels do not count. The city says all homes must be on a permanent foundation and "Homes on wheels are currently not permitted."

State law also lets many single-family lots be split under SB 9. See our SB 9 lot split guide and the California page for the statewide rules. [1][2][6][7]

Size, height and setbacks

Under the local ordinance:

• Detached ADUs: up to 1,200 sq ft "in combined total." Garages and accessory structures do not count toward that floor area.
• Attached ADUs: up to 50% of the existing home, or 850 sq ft (studio or 1 bedroom), or 1,000 sq ft (2 or more bedrooms), whichever is greater.
• Height: the same limit as your zone. In the R-1 zone that is 35 ft.
• Front: you must meet your zone's front setback. One ADU of up to 800 sq ft may go in the front-yard setback if your side and rear yards are too small for an 800 sq ft two-story detached ADU or an 800 sq ft attached ADU.
• Side and rear: 3 ft (or the zone's setback if that is smaller) if any part of the ADU is within 60 ft of the front property line. If the whole ADU is farther back, the first floor needs no side or rear setback, but floors above need 3 ft (or the zone's smaller setback). Street side-yard setbacks still apply.
• A detached ADU must be at least 4 ft from the house and from other ADUs.
• Lot coverage and open-space rules apply, but ADUs under 800 sq ft of total lot coverage are exempt.

Under the state standards (single-family lot):

• Detached new ADU: up to 800 sq ft, 4 ft side and rear setbacks, 18 ft tall, plus 2 ft more to match the house's roof pitch.
• Conversion of existing space: must be inside the house or an accessory structure; an expansion of up to 150 sq ft is allowed for getting in and out.
• Junior ADU: up to 500 sq ft inside the house or attached garage.

Converting an existing structure in its same footprint needs no new setback. Exact setbacks depend on your lot, so confirm with the Planning Division. [2][6][8]

Parking

Sacramento does not require off-street parking for new homes, including ADUs. The city says its 2040 General Plan, adopted in February 2024, "ended off-street minimum vehicle parking mandates for all properties in the city."

State law backs this up for ADUs. A city may not make you replace garage, carport or driveway parking that you remove or convert to build an ADU, and it may not require parking for a junior ADU.

Some objective design standards still apply to how you lay out any parking you choose to build. For example, the local-ordinance checklist bars new curb cuts on lots that don't front an alley. See the ADU application checklist (CDD-0009). [6][7][9]

Fees

The city's ADU fee estimate (CDD-0419), revised July 12, 2026, gives these approximate totals for a new detached ADU:

• 749 sq ft: about $5,272
• 750 sq ft: about $10,624
• 1,200 sq ft: about $14,843

The jump at 750 sq ft is mostly impact fees (park, flood control and transportation). The city says that "Per State law, if the ADU is equal to or less than 749 square feet, the development impact fees are waived." State housing agency guidance says the exemption covers an ADU with "750 square feet of interior livable space or less," so a unit of exactly 750 sq ft may also qualify. Ask the city before you design right at that line.

The totals leave out several fees:

• School fees. You pay these at the school district office and bring the receipt to the city (see form CDD-0226 on the building forms page). State guidance says ADUs under 500 sq ft are not subject to school impact fees.
• Regional sanitation and sewer development fees. The estimate says to check with the county.
• Extra review time. Extra review is billed by the hour ($216/hour Building, $263/hour Planning).

The optional Planning zoning review (form CDD-0009) is free starting July 12, 2026.

Help with costs. The city runs a program that cuts eligible impact fees by up to $10,000 per unit for deed-restricted affordable homes, while yearly funds last. See Reduction of Development Impact Fees for Affordable Housing. Units must stay affordable for at least 30 years. The city's budget page still lists the CalHFA ADU grant, but CalHFA says its latest round "has been fully allocated" (December 28, 2023). For other options see our ADU cost and ADU financing guides. [4][5][6][7][10][11][12]

How long it takes

You need a building permit for every ADU. You don't need a separate planning approval before you apply for it.

The city's posted timeline:

• Optional zoning review: 1-3 weeks
• Building plan review: roughly 1.5-2 months
• First review cycle: 20 business days; second cycle (if needed): 15 business days; third cycle (if needed): 5 business days

These times don't count the time you take to answer corrections. Every ADU also needs a new address, which can take up to four weeks to get.

State law says a city must approve or deny a complete ADU application within 60 days when there is already a home on the lot. If it denies the application, it must send a written list of what is wrong and how to fix it. Our ADU permit process guide explains this in more detail. [7][13]

Free shelf-ready ADU plans

The city offers free Shelf Ready ADU Plans for detached ADUs. Any resident can use them. They are all-electric.

• Studio: 367 habitable sq ft
• One bedroom: 559 habitable sq ft
• Two bedroom: 747 habitable sq ft

You must add a site plan that shows where the ADU goes on your lot. "Modifications to the Shelf Ready Plans are not allowed, although mirroring of the plans is allowed." The city's submittal guide says each model has a left-side wall option that can sit as close as 1 ft to the property line. All other sides must be at least 5 ft from property lines. The two-bedroom model also needs solar (PV) plans.

When you apply for the building permit with a shelf-ready plan, you also file a hold harmless agreement (CDD-0439) and an owner certification (CDD-0438).

Check the code edition. The city says these plans meet the "2022 Residential Building Code." The 2025 California Building Standards Code took effect January 1, 2026. The city's rules for privately designed pre-approved plans say they are valid only within the code cycle they were approved for. Before you rely on a shelf-ready plan, ask the Building Division whether it has been updated for the 2025 code.

The city also runs a pre-approved ADU program for designers' plans, under state law AB 1332. Those plans are for detached ADUs only. They still need site-specific review, including zoning, before a permit is issued. On October 9, 2026 that page listed no designer plans and pointed to the shelf-ready plans. [3][14][15][16][17]

Garage conversions and junior ADUs

You can turn an existing garage into an ADU, or build an ADU above it. Under the local ordinance, a converted existing structure needs no setback if it keeps the same location and size. Under the state standards, a conversion must stay inside the existing structure, plus up to 150 sq ft added for entry and exit. Its side and rear setbacks are set in building review but are "not more than 4 feet." State law bars the city from making you replace the parking you lose. See our garage conversion guide.

A junior ADU (JADU) is up to 500 sq ft and sits entirely inside a single-family home, which can include an attached garage. It needs its own efficiency kitchen and a separate entrance. It may share a bathroom with the house; if it does, it also needs an inside door into the house.

A deed restriction must be recorded before the final building inspection. It must say the JADU can't be sold apart from the house. If the JADU shares bathroom facilities with the house, the owner must live in the house or the JADU. (The local-ordinance section of City Code 17.228.105 still says the owner must live on site for any JADU, but the city's 2026 CDD-0009 checklist and state law, as HCD describes it, require it only when the bathroom is shared. Confirm with the Planning Division.) If you rent out a JADU, the term must be longer than 30 days. See our junior ADU guide. [1][2][6][7][8]

Renting out your ADU

ADUs built under the state standards cannot be rented for less than 30 days. For ADUs built under the local ordinance, City Code 17.228.105 says they may be rented for less than 30 days only as allowed by City Code 17.228.104, titled "Bed and breakfast inn in residential zones." Ask the Planning Division before you plan short stays.

The city cannot require you to live on the property because you have an ADU. The only exception is an ADU sold separately to a qualified buyer under a special state law. Junior ADUs are different (see above).

An ADU may raise your property taxes. The city suggests asking the Sacramento County Assessor. The city's landlord and tenant resources page covers renting to tenants. [2][7][8][18]

Permit steps in Sacramento

1. Check if an ADU is allowed on your lot

   Look up your zoning, overlays (EA-2 and EA-3 allow only one ADU) and historic status in the city's Land Information Lookup App. The ADU Resource Center's Step 1 explains the options. [2]

2. Pick the local ordinance or the state standards

   Choose one set of rules for every ADU on the lot; you can't mix them. The local ordinance allows bigger and taller ADUs. The state standards allow a third unit on single-family lots. [2][6]

3. Design the ADU or choose a free shelf-ready plan

   Draw a to-scale site plan that shows property lines, all structures and the distances between them. Then hire a designer or use a city shelf-ready plan. [3][19]

4. Optional: get a free zoning review

   Submit the ADU Optional Zoning Review Application (CDD-0009) online to check zoning before you pay for full construction drawings. It is free starting July 12, 2026, and the city says it takes 1-3 weeks. [6][13]

5. Apply for the building permit online

   Upload PDF plans and forms (including the CDD-0200 building permit application) through the city's Public Permit Portal. Paper plans are not accepted. The city routes your plans to other departments for review. [13][14][20]

6. Request a new address and check for tree permits

   Every ADU needs a new address, which can take up to four weeks (see City Addressing). City Code requires a tree permit before removing certain trees, so check whether your project affects any. [6][13]

7. Pay fees and pick up the permit

   Pay the remaining permit and impact fees when you pick up the permit. Pay school fees at the school district and bring the receipt to the city. [4][5]

8. Build and pass inspections

   Inspections run from site preparation and foundation through framing, insulation and final inspections. You can move in after all final inspections pass. Schedule inspections through Building Permit Inspections. [21]

Pre-approved and sample plans

• Shelf Ready ADU Plans

  Free, all-electric detached ADU plans from the city: studio (367 sq ft), one-bedroom (559 sq ft) and two-bedroom (747 sq ft). You add a site plan; plans may be mirrored but not changed. [3]

• Preapproved ADU Program (AB 1332)

  A city process that pre-approves designers' detached ADU plans for use in Sacramento; each project still needs site-specific zoning and permit review. [15][16]

Who to call

• Community Development Department, Planning Division

  Zoning questions and the optional ADU zoning review; email planning@cityofsacramento.org

  (916) 264-5011

  300 Richards Blvd., 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95811

  [6][13]

• Community Development Department, Building Division (Permit Services)

  Building permits and electronic plan check; email ezpermit@cityofsacramento.org or epcintake@cityofsacramento.org

  (916) 808-5318

  300 Richards Boulevard, 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95811

  [13][20]

• CDD Public Counter (by appointment)

  In-person help with permits and general questions. Mon and Fri 9 a.m.-12 p.m. by appointment; Tue-Thu 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

  300 Richards Boulevard, 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95811

  [20]

• City of Sacramento ADU Resource Center

  The city's step-by-step ADU guide, tools and free plans

  [22]

Questions people ask