Frequently Asked Questions

Begin by looking for a design professional who can help design your ADU. A design professional could be an architect, designer, design/build firm, or modular/prefabrication company. Once you have met with the design professional and shown them your design ideas and lot limitations, they can help draw up preliminary designs for your ADU or JADU. The ADU Center is a local nonprofit that provides support to homeowners interested in building an ADU or JADU. Learn more about the resources they provide. 

Most projects take one to two years to complete, but there are different aspects of the project that can change that timeline. Typically, it takes owners up to three months to hire the key players on their team, and the following one to six months to develop plans and submit a complete ADU or JADU application. The number of rounds of review and your team’s timely response to City comments will dictate how quickly the team can start construction. Traditional construction of an ADU or JADU will take between six months and one year. 

A detailed fee estimate will be provided to you after you submit a complete application. For budget purposes, however, you can expect to pay 3 to 5% of your overall construction costs toward fees. While the City does charge building, planning and engineering fees, the City does not collect development impact fees for ADUs and JADUs.   

You can request a delay in code compliance, subject to certain findings. See Section 17.07.020.X.12 of the City’s Municipal Code for further details. 

Yes, legalizing existing, unpermitted ADUs or JADUs is encouraged! Email the Building Division for more information about requirements for getting an unpermitted ADU legalized. 

The Building team are available to answer your questions.