California City Guides
City-level starting points for ADUs, tiny homes, zoning lookup, setbacks, utilities, permit departments, red flags, and questions to ask.
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles
Los Angeles has an active ADU review path, but owners still need to confirm zoning overlays, building corrections, utility upgrades, hillside rules, and any unpermitted work before relying on a design.
Open city guideSan Diego County
San Diego
San Diego ADU feasibility can be strong on many residential parcels, but coastal, parking, utility, fire, stormwater, and existing site constraints still need confirmation.
Open city guideSanta Clara County
San Jose
San Jose ADUs need careful review of lot coverage, setbacks, tree, utility, fire, public works, and plan-check requirements even when the basic ADU path appears available.
Open city guideSacramento County
Sacramento
Sacramento ADUs often start with a clearer path, but floodplain, utility, tree, parking, and building-code details still need review.
Open city guideFresno County
Fresno
Fresno ADU review should include zoning, utility service, fire access, driveway conditions, and any existing unpermitted structures before plans are ordered.
Open city guideRiverside County
Riverside
Riverside ADU feasibility can depend on setbacks, lot coverage, utilities, fire access, sewer or septic conditions, and any special district requirements.
Open city guideSan Bernardino County
San Bernardino
San Bernardino ADU review should include utility capacity, fire access, lot standards, existing structures, and plan-check requirements.
Open city guideLos Angeles County
Long Beach
Long Beach ADUs need review of local standards, utilities, coastal or parking issues where applicable, and building plan-check requirements.
Open city guideOrange County
Anaheim
Anaheim ADU feasibility should be checked against local objective standards, utilities, fire access, lot coverage, and plan-check requirements.
Open city guideOrange County
Irvine
Irvine ADU review should account for objective standards, HOA context, utility capacity, fire access, and master-plan or neighborhood conditions.
Open city guideOrange County
Santa Ana
Santa Ana ADUs often involve infill-lot details such as setbacks, access, utilities, fire separation, parking assumptions, and prior unpermitted work.
Open city guideKern County
Bakersfield
Bakersfield ADU review should include lot standards, utilities, drainage, fire access, and building-code requirements.
Open city guideStanislaus County
Modesto
Modesto ADU feasibility should include sewer and water capacity, lot standards, parking, fire access, and plan-check details.
Open city guideSan Joaquin County
Stockton
Stockton ADUs should be checked for lot standards, utilities, floodplain, drainage, fire access, and building review.
Open city guideSonoma County
Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa ADUs should be reviewed for lot standards, utilities, fire access, tree or drainage issues, and any rebuild-area considerations.
Open city guideRiverside County
Palm Springs
Palm Springs ADUs should be checked for local design standards, utilities, setbacks, drainage, fire access, and any neighborhood or tourism-related restrictions.
Open city guideRiverside County
Temecula
Temecula ADU review should include lot standards, fire access, utilities, hillside or drainage conditions, and any HOA restrictions.
Open city guideSan Bernardino County
Victorville
Victorville ADUs should be checked for utilities, lot standards, fire access, drainage, and building plan requirements.
Open city guideLos Angeles County
Lancaster
Lancaster ADU review should include lot standards, utilities, desert drainage, fire access, and energy-code requirements.
Open city guideLos Angeles County
Palmdale
Palmdale ADUs should be reviewed for utilities, setbacks, fire access, drainage, energy requirements, and any hillside or rural-edge constraints.
Open city guide