Accessory Dwelling Units &
Junior Accessory Dwelling Units
1 City Council
Item 7.2
March 28, 2023
State Law Compliance
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
and Junior Accessory Dwelling
Units (JADUs)
Effective, January 1, 2023
• SB 897
• AB 2221
Maximum Height & Setbacks
Detached:
• 18’, if within a
half-mile of transit
• 20’ if necessary
to match main house
Attached:
• 25’ or as high as underlying zoning allows,
whichever is less.
Front yard setback alone cannot prohibit ADU
construction
Areas within a half mile of transit
Revised JADU Regulations
When JADU shares a bathroom with primary, an
entry is now required into the primary’s main living
area.
Photo credit: Levi Design Build
Non-habitable rooms (garages, storage rooms, etc.)
now eligible to be used as JADU.
New Review/Processing Procedures
Clear comments to applicant if ADU application is
denied.
If being replaced, garage demolition permit must be
reviewed and issued at the same time as ADU
permit.
Cannot deny building permit based on
nonconforming zoning conditions and/or building
code violations.
Definition Addition
Definition of “Objective
Standards”
“Objective standards” are those that involve “no
personal or subjective judgment by a public official”
and are “uniformly verifiable by reference to an
external and uniform benchmark or criterion
available…”
City-Initiated Amendments
Proposed Local Clarifications to
ADU Regulations
• Number of ADUs allowed on multifamily parcels.
• Add “multifamily” definition – any structure with
two or more attached units on a single lot.
Previous Action/Review
Development Oversight
Committee
Convened on January 11, 2023.
Overall positive feedback regarding changes;
concern with front yard setback modification.
Planning
Commission
Approved unanimously
on February 22, 2023
RECOMMENDATION
Place an ordinance on first reading
approving the Chula Vista Municipal Code
amendments regarding ADUs and JADUs.