Lemon Grove ADU Regulations

• ✓AB 1332 preapproved ADU plan program ready to accept submissions
• ✓AB 2533 unpermitted-ADU legalization pathway with Substandard Housing Checklist
• ✓Public notice of an optional third-party confidential code inspection before permit
• ✓ADU/JADU allowed on single-family, multifamily, or mixed-use lots

JADU capped at 500 sq ft inside an existing single-family home. Standard ADUs may be efficiency units or manufactured homes per state definitions.

State guarantee: California requires every city to allow at least an 800 sq ft ADU exempt from local lot coverage, FAR, and front-setback rules.

Height baseline: 16 ft for detached, rising to 18 ft within ½ mile of major transit. Attached ADUs follow the primary home, capped at 25 ft.

Follows state and local code applied at permit. Trolley-corridor parcels typically qualify for parking exemption and the 18 ft height bonus.

AB 1332 preapproval program is in place — submit non-site-specific plans to the Building Department for 30-day streamlined review when preapproved.

State backstop: A complete ADU permit must receive a decision in 60 business days. If the city stalls past 30 business days, AB 253 lets you hire a certified private plan checker to force a 10-business-day decision.

AB 2533 limits impact and connection fees for legalizing pre-2020 unpermitted ADUs (utility upgrades for substandard conditions are an exception).

SB 543: No impact fees on ADUs ≤750 sq ft. Above 750 sq ft, fees scale to the ratio of ADU size vs the main home.

Visit the official Lemon Grove ADU page (link in hero) for current eligibility and downloads.

Standard ADUs in Lemon Grove: no owner-occupancy required (made permanent in 2023).

JADUs: limited to 500 sq ft of interior livable space within an existing single-family home. Owner occupancy is required only when sanitation facilities are shared with the main house. JADUs cannot be used as short-term rentals (AB 1154 / SB 543).