ADU and JADU Zoning
Ordinance Amendments
Bennett Smithhart, Planning Division
Project Site
ADU and JADU State History
• Over the past decade, the
State of California has
amended ADU and JADU law
to promote housing
production and streamline
approvals.
• Starting in 2017, state
reforms established uniform,
objective development
standard and limiting local
discretionary review.
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ADU and JADU Ordinance Update
• Prior to major State legislative amendments beginning in 2016/2017 to promote Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), the City of Rocklin regulated secondary units under its Secondary Residential Unit Ordinance, which permitted the development of a secondary dwelling unit on residential parcels.
• The City subsequently updated its ADU and JADU ordinance in 2017 and again in 2020, to maintain consistency with State law. • Since 2020, additional State amendments have been adopted to streamline ADU production statewide.
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California ADU Legislation: 2020–2025
2020 – AB 68, AB 881, SB 13: Eliminated minimum lot size and parking constraints; limited local discretionary review; reinforced mandatory ministerial approval procedures for qualifying ADUs and JADUs.
2021 – SB 9: Authorized duplex development and urban lot splits on single-family parcels, thereby increasing allowable residential unit capacity in conjunction with ADUs.
2022 – SB 897 & AB 2221: Strengthened and clarified objective development standards, including height allowances; expanded provisions for detached ADUs and conversions of accessory structures, including garages. 2023 – AB 976 & AB 1033: Permanently removed the owner-occupancy requirement; authorized the separate conveyance of ADUs as condominium units, subject to local implementation.
2024 – AB 2533 & SB 1211: Established pathways to legalize certain pre-2020 unpermitted ADUs; expanded the number of detached ADUs permitted on multifamily properties.
2025 – SB 9 Amendments and Related Legislation: Further streamlined ministerial approval processes, increased allowable unit counts, and refined statutory provisions applicable to JADUs.
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Summary of Proposed Amendments
Processing & Administrative Procedures
Example 1:
Changes include clarifying the 30-day review period, requiring staff to provide a written explanation of incompleteness within 15 business days, and establishing a 30-day review timeline for pre-approved plans.
A. Applications for junior
accessory dwelling units or
accessory dwelling units shall be ministerially
processed within sixty days of receipt of a
complete application and approved if they meet
the requirements of this chapter. Incomplete
applications will be returned with an explanation
of what additional information is required.
Before:
After:
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Summary of Proposed Amendments
Development Standards
Example 2:
Before:
“1. Limits on lot coverage and size must permit or
shall be waived to allow an eight-hundred-square-
foot detached or attached accessory dwelling unit
sixteen feet in height with minimum four-foot side
and rear yard setbacks, if the proposed accessory
dwelling unit is in compliance with all other
development standards, including but not limited
to front yard setbacks.
After:
“2. Maximum Height:
i. Detached accessory dwelling units: The maximum height shall be sixteen feet (16’-0”) measured from natural grade. ii. Detached accessory dwelling units located within one-half (1/2) mile of a major transit stop or high-quality transit corridor: The maximum height shall be eighteen feet (18’- 0”) measured from natural grade, and shall be permitted an additional two feet (2’-0”) of height when necessary to accommodate a roof pitch that matches the primary
dwelling, consistent with Government Code Section
66321(b)(4)(B).
iii. Detached accessory dwelling units on a lot that has an existing or proposed multistory multifamily dwelling: The maximum height shall be eighteen feet (18’-0”) measured from natural grade.
iv. Attached accessory dwelling units: The maximum height shall be twenty-five feet (25’-0”) or the height of the primary dwelling, whichever is lower, measured from natural grade. “
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Summary of Proposed Amendments
Objective Design & Privacy Requirements
Example 3:
Before:
“An accessory dwelling unit, whether
attached or detached, shall be use the
same architecturally consistent with the
style, exterior materials, and colors as the
existing or proposed primary dwelling.”
After:
“An accessory dwelling unit, shall be architecturally consistent with the primary dwelling unit by meeting the following objective standards:
i. The roof pitch of the accessory dwelling unit shall be within plus or minus two degrees (2º) of the same roof pitch of the primary dwelling unit; and
ii. The roof material shall be the same material type as the primary dwelling unit (e.g., composition shingle, concrete tile, standing seam metal);
iii. The primary exterior cladding material shall be the same type as the primary dwelling (e.g., stucco, wood lap, brick veneer), or of a greater material quality as verified by the building official.
iv. iv. v. The window trim, sill height, and proportions shall be consistent with the primary dwelling; and
v. The building eave depth shall be within plus or minus twelve inches (12”) of the primary dwelling. “
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Summary of Proposed Amendments
Ownership, Parking & Fee Regulations
Example 4:
Before:
“For applications received prior to January 1, 2025,
there is no requirement for a legal owner of the parcel to reside in any of the residences on the parcel.”
After:
“No owner-occupied requirement
shall be imposed for any
accessory dwelling unit.“
New Language:
“Either the junior accessory dwelling unit or the primary dwelling unit must be owner occupied, except if a junior accessory unit contains independent sanitation facilities, pursuant to Government Code Section 66333.” ADU-
JADU-
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Summary of Proposed Amendments
Other Minor Updates
• Fire Sprinkler Exemptions: Clarifying that fire sprinklers are not required for an ADU or JADU if they are not required for the primary residence
• Amnesty for Unpermitted Units: Establishing pathways for the legalization of previously unpermitted ADUs built before January 1, 2020, provided they meet essential health and safety standards. • Multifamily Density: Standardizing the number of detached ADUs allowed on multifamily properties (typically allowing a maximum of eight (8) detached ADUs - depending on the existing unit count) HCD ADU Handbook
HCD Handbook updated for
2026 to include guidance for
local agencies on new state
laws.
ADU and JADU’s in Rocklin
Total Units Approved (2025): 27
• Detached Units: 5
• Attached Units: 22
• Average Size: ~400 – 800 sq. ft.
Example Detached Unit Constructed in 2025
Example Attached Unit Constructed in 2025
Permit Ready ADU Plans
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Environmental Review
The proposal is exempt pursuant
to 15061(c)(2) and 15061(b)(3) of the
CEQA Guidelines.
The activity will not result in a
direct or reasonably foreseeable
indirect physical change in the
environment. [15060(c)(2)]
The proposal does not have the
potential to cause a significant
effect on the environment,
therefore the activity is not
subject to CEQA. [15061(b)(3)]
Questions?