Santa Ana ADU Regulations

• ✓Dedicated ADU/JADU development standards web section with downloadable PDF
• ✓Explicit FAQ: no minimum lot size requirement for ADUs that meet standards
• ✓Hosts the California HCD ADU Handbook reference document on the city site
• ✓Pre-Approved ADU Plans pathway alongside standards

City hosts a downloadable "Accessory and junior accessory dwelling unit standards" PDF for numeric development standards.

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.

See the standards PDF and current Planning guidance for site-specific outcomes.

Planning Division materials plus a separate Pre-Approved ADU Plans program page on santa-ana.org.

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.

Fee specifics not on the Development Standards landing. Contact Planning Division for the current schedule.

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 Santa Ana ADU page (link in hero) for current eligibility and downloads.

Standard ADUs in Santa Ana: 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).