• Reduce unknown risks to occupants - By not having a permit and inspections for the living unit that will provide a level of assurance for life safety, your tenants may be at risk.
• Reduce liability - In the event of a property loss or damage due to an event such as a fire or an earthquake, your insurance will not cover damages to unpermitted construction or illegal conversions of space to living units.
• Increase in property value - Without legalizing the unit, it will not count as part of the improvements when you get an appraisal for refinance or sale of the property.
• Ease of mind - without concern for sanctions due to illegal construction activities, legalizing the unit will eliminate worries about liabilities or a code enforcement action against you.
• Added legitimacy when finding tenants - prospective tenants' due diligence when researching your rental unit's status with the City can be documented as legally constructed/approved.

Prior to application submittal, the applicant may obtain a confidential third-party code inspection from a licensed contractor.

• The licensed contractor may determine the unit’s existing condition or potential scope of building improvements before submitting an application for a permit. This will allow you to understand the scope of the improvements before submitting to the City.
• The inspection is optional and informational for the applicant. Results are not required to be submitted with the application.  

Submit for Permit

• Submission: Plans (identified below) are submitted for an ADU Plan Check electronically through TESSA.
• Review: The Planning, Building, Public Works, Fire Departments, and outside agencies review plans for safety compliance pursuant to Section 17920.3 of the Health and Safety Code.
• If requested by the applicant, prior to submitting a permit, an inspector from the City may inspect the unit for compliance with health and safety standards and provide recommendations to comply with health and safety standards necessary to obtain a permit. If the inspector finds noncompliance with health and safety standards, the City will not penalize an applicant for having the unpermitted accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit provided that necessary permits are pulled to correct noncompliant health and safety standards.

Permit Issuance and Construction

• Permit Issuance: Once the plans have been reviewed and determined to comply with Section 17920.3 of the Health and Safety Code and permitting and impact fees have been paid, permits can be issued.
• Construction and Inspection: If construction is required for safety compliance, construction can begin after permit issuance. Required inspections shall be completed as necessary to verify compliance.  

Having the following information submitted with the permit application ensures a smooth review and speeds up the approval process.

1. Property Information

• Property address and Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN)
• North arrow and scale of the drawing
• Lot dimensions and total lot size
• Owner and applicant contact information
• Existing floor plan of main residence and ADU/JADU
• Documentation establishing when the unpermitted ADU/JADU was constructed

2. ADU/JADU Location and Dimensions

• Proposed ADU/JADU location on the property, clearly marked and dimensioned
• Setbacks from property lines, main dwelling, and other structures
• Dimensions of the ADU/JADU (length, width, height)
• Distance from ADU/JADU to adjacent structures, including the main residence

3. Access and Parking

• Location of existing and proposed driveways, parking spaces, and access paths

4. Utilities and Infrastructure

• Location of existing and proposed utility connections (water, sewer, gas, electricity)

5. Landscaping

• Proposed landscaping around the ADU (e.g., plants, privacy hedges, hardscape, or fences)

6. Building and Safety Requirements

• Fire safety measures, including distance from other structures
• Compliance with building and safety codes (e.g., Section 17920.3 of the Health and Safety Code.)
• Location of any hazardous areas on the site (e.g., steep slopes, flood zones)

7. Additional Required Documents/Permits

• Address change (Contact the Planning Division)
• Land Use Restriction (Contact the Planning Division)

Any unpermitted ADU/JADU or portion thereof in which there exists any of the following listed conditions to the extent that life, limb, health, property, safety, or welfare of the public or the occupants thereof is endangered shall be deemed to be a substandard building and will need to be improved through the legalization process.

1. Inadequate sanitation shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
   1. Lack of toilet, bathtub or shower
   2. Lack of, or improper kitchen sink
   3. Lack of hot or cold running water
   4. Lack of adequate heating
   5. Lack of, or improper operation of required ventilating equipment
   6. Lack of minimum amounts of natural light and ventilation
   7. Lack of proper room and space dimensions
   8. Lack of required lighting
   9. Dampness of habitable rooms
   10. Infestation of insects, vermin, or rodents.
   11. Visible mold growth
   12. Lack of connection to required sewer system
2. Structural hazards shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
   1. Deteriorated or inadequate foundations
   2. Defective or deteriorated flooring or floor supports
   3. Flooring or floor supports of insufficient size to carry imposed loads with safety
   4. Members of walls, partitions, or other vertical supports that split, lean, list, or buckle due to defective material or deterioration
   5. Members of walls, partitions, or other vertical supports that are of insufficient size to carry imposed loads with safety
   6. Members of ceilings, roofs, ceiling and roof supports, or other horizontal members which sag, split, or buckle due to defective material or deterioration
   7. Members of ceilings, roofs, ceiling and roof supports, or other horizontal members that are of insufficient size to carry imposed loads with safety
   8. Fireplaces or chimneys which list, bulge, or settle due to defective material or deterioration
   9. Fireplaces or chimneys which are of insufficient size or strength to carry imposed loads with safety
3. Wiring and electrical systems shall be in good and safe condition and working properly
4. Plumbing systems shall be in good and safe condition and working properly, and be free of cross connections and siphonage between fixtures
5. All mechanical equipment, including vents shall be in good and safe condition and working properly
6. Faulty weather protection, which shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
   1. Deteriorated, crumbling, or loose plaster
   2. Deteriorated or ineffective waterproofing of exterior walls, roofs, foundations, or floors, including broken windows or doors
   3. Defective or lack of weather protection for exterior wall coverings, including lack of paint, or weathering due to lack of paint or other approved protective covering
   4. Broken, rotted, split, or buckled exterior wall coverings or roof coverings
7. Any building or portion thereof, device, apparatus, equipment, combustible waste, or vegetation that, in the opinion of the Chief of the Fire Department or his deputy, is in such a condition as to cause a fire or explosion or provide a ready fuel to augment the spread and intensity of fire or explosion arising from any cause
8. All materials of construction, except those that are specifically allowed or approved by this code, and that have been adequately maintained in good and safe condition
9. Those premises on which an accumulation of weeds, vegetation, junk, dead organic matter, debris, garbage, offal, rodent harborages, stagnant water, combustible materials, and similar materials or conditions constitute fire, health, or safety hazards
10. All buildings or portions thereof not provided with adequate exit facilities as required by the CBC, except those buildings or portions thereof whose exit facilities conformed with all applicable laws at the time of their construction and that have been adequately maintained and increased in relation to any increase in occupant load, alteration or addition, or any change in occupancy
11. When an unsafe condition exists through lack of, or improper location of, exits, additional exits may be required to be installed
12. All buildings or portions thereof that are not provided with the fire-resistive construction or fire-extinguishing systems or equipment required by this code, except those buildings or portions thereof that conformed with all applicable laws at the time of their construction and whose fire-resistive integrity and fire-extinguishing systems or equipment have been adequately maintained and improved in relation to any increase in occupant load, alteration or addition, or any change in occupancy
13. All buildings or portions thereof occupied for living, sleeping, cooking, or dining purposes that were not designed or intended to be used for those occupancies.
14. Inadequate structural resistance to horizontal forces