Yes, any property developed with a primary residential use is permitted to have ADUs.

A single-family home may construct at least one ADU. Owner-occupied single-family properties may construct one ADU and one Junior ADU (JADU), while multi-family properties with two or more existing or proposed residential units may construct two detached ADUs. ADUs may be either new construction or converted from existing space, and can be detached, attached, or junior.

The maximum amount of time Sacramento County has to review your permit application is within 30 days of submission. In practice, most ADU projects take 3–6 months, including plan check iterations. There are variable factors that affect permit timelines, such as the complexity of the project, the availability of city staff to review and approve the permit application, and whether the ADU meets the requirements of the city's ADU ordinance. In general, it is recommended that you allow at least several months for the permit process.

There is no minimum lot size requirement for an ADU in Sacramento County. California state law also mentions that lot coverage requirements can’t preclude the creation of a statewide exemption ADU. A statewide exemption ADU is 800 square feet, with a height limitation of 16 feet and and 4 feet rear and side yard setbacks.

Yes, in Sacramento County, a building permit is required for an ADU. At Type Five, we take care of your entire permit process saving you time, money, and energy.

Yes, there are minimum and maximum size requirements for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in Sacramento County. According to the city's ADU ordinance, the minimize size for an ADU is 150 square feet and the maximum size depends on the type of ADU you are interested in building. For example, the maximum size of a detached ADU on your property will be different than the maximum size of an attached ADU on your property. In general, the maximum size for a new detached ADU in Sacramento County is up to 1,200 square feet for new attached or detached ADUs.

Type Five's ADUs can adapt to various sizes to fit your needs. Get started with designing yours here.

No. Maximum height for a detached ADU is 18 feet high, which allows for an only one-story design.

There is no limit to the number of bedrooms an ADU can have in the city of Sacramento County according to California state law. The California HCD ADU handbook states that a limit on the number of bedrooms could be construed as a discriminatory practice towards protected classes, such as familial status, and would be considered a constraint on the development of ADUs.

The setbacks for building an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in Sacramento County will depend on the type and location of the ADU. Under state law, newly constructed detached ADUs can be as close as 4 feet from the rear and side property lines.

It is not required for an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) to have its own electrical panel, water meter, or gas meter in Sacramento County. However, it may be necessary depending on the size and design of the ADU and the availability of utilities on the property. If a new connection is required, the fee or capacity charge for utilities should be proportional to the burden of the ADU on the water or sewer system.

In most cases, fire sprinklers are not required in an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in Sacramento County. An ADU is only required to provide fire sprinklers if sprinklers are required for the primary dwelling unit. However, the ADU must still meet other fire safety requirements, such as minimum fire flow and water pressure on the adjoining streets.

Possibly. In California, new residential construction must include solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, but there are exceptions based on floor area and climate zone. In Sacramento County (Climate Zone 12), you can qualify for an exemption if the size of the ADU is no more than 600 square feet.

You should be able to rent an ADU in Sacramento County for $2000 which is the average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment so long as the rental term is longer than 30 days. There is no owner-occupancy requirement for ADUs built before December 31st, 2024.

You cannot use an ADU as an Airbnb in Sacramento County unless you are renting it out for a period longer than 30 days. California law states that ADUs created under subdivision (e) of Gov. Code, § 65852.2 cannot be rented for a period less than 30 days. This means you cannot use your ADU as a short-term rental in Sacramento County.

Your local homeowners association (HOA) cannot prohibit the construction of an ADU or JADU in Sacramento County. Assembly Bill 670 (2019) and AB 3182 (2020) amended Section 4751, 4740, and 4741 of the Civil Code to preclude common interest developments from prohibiting or unreasonably restricting the construction or use, including the renting or leasing of, an ADU on a lot zoned for single-family residential use.

Covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) that either effectively prohibit or unreasonably restrict the construction or use of an ADU or JADU on such lots are void and unenforceable or may be liable for actual damages and payment of a civil penalty.

Sacramento County will assess the value of your newly added ADU by using the cost-bases method of appraisal, and multiply it by the county property tax rate of 1%. So if your ADU in Sacramento County costs $217,053 to build, you can expect your annual property taxes to increase by $2,170.53 per year. Adding an ADU to your property will not trigger a reassessment of the value of your primary residence.

Adding an ADU to your property in Sacramento County typically adds value to your property, however, the exact amount depends on the appraisal method that your appraiser chooses to use. If an appraiser uses the cost-basis method & the cost of your ADU is $217,053, then you can expect your home value to appreciate by $217,053.

Another method that an appraiser can use is the sales comparison approach, where the value of the ADU addition is determined by recently sold properties in Sacramento County that included ADUs. However, this approach depends on the number of recently sold properties and there sometimes isn’t enough information to use this approach with ADUs. A back-of-the-envelope way to estimate the value yourself would be to multiply the existing price per square foot of your property by the square footage added by the ADU and compare it to the cost of your ADU. The appreciation is likely in between those two numbers.

The average cost to build an ADU in Sacramento County is between $250 – $400 per square foot. Keep in mind there are a ton of factors to consider when estimating the cost of a project, many of which are unique to your property and sometimes require special surveys to identify. Examples of these factors include whether or not your property is flat or sloped and whether or not you need to upgrade your utilities.

It’s also important to note that converting an existing structure or converting your garage into an ADU isn’t necessarily cheaper than building a brand new detached ADU. You can get an in-depth overview about what goes into the costs of building an ADU in your city by starting to customize your ADU using Type Five's design tool.