Building an ADU in Salinas (Accessory Dwelling Unit)
Pre-Approved ADU Plans are now live! See drop down menu below for more information.
General ADU Information
What is an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit)?
An ADU is an attached or a detached residential dwelling unit which provides complete independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation, which is located on the same lot as a single-family detached dwelling unit.
Why are ADU's important?
California's lack of housing production and large population growth have caused a housing shortage. In fact, only half the homes needed to keep up with population growth were constructed in California in the past ten years. That means that cities statewide need to build more housing. It also means that housing is unaffordable, particularly for renters in California. This is especially true in Salinas, where we face a lack of affordable housing for seniors, students, farmworkers and families.
ADU's are also important for homeowners and families. ADU's are the perfect way to expand upon a housing investment, and create passive rental income for you and your family. ADU's are also an affordable way to house seniors or children on the same property as their relatives so families can better assist each other without living in the same unit.
New State ADU Laws make it easier to build an ADU:
- An ADU must be approved by the jurisdiction in 60 days.
- Cities do not charge development or traffic impact fees for ADU's (but school districts and water districts may apply impact fees).
- Home Owners Association's (HOA's) must allow ADU's if space permits, per state law.
- No extra parking required if within 1/2 mile of transit.
- One detached ADU and one Junior ADU (required to be in existing footprint of home) allowed on a single-family lot.
- Two detached ADU's allowed on one multi-family (more than 3 units) lot.
- Four foot setbacks required for rear and side yards.
How to build an ADU in Salinas:
Step 1:
Review the California HCD's ADU Handbook to familiarize yourself with the State's ADU regulations.
Talk to a Planner (see contact information below) if you have any questions about ADU's, or want information on the new State of California ADU regulations.
Step 2:
Hire an building designer or architect with experience to help your vision come into a reality! Building designers, engineers or architects can draft the plans for your ADU, and work with the City's Building and Planning Departments to ensure the plans are ready to be approved and constructed.
Step 3:
Time to submit your new ADU to the Planning and Building Departments for review! Your building designer or architect can do this for you. Remember, once you submit complete plans, they must be approved in under 60 days in accordance with state laws.
Once your plans are approved and a Building Permit is issued, construction can begin! Periodically during the construction process, your ADU will require a building inspection. Once the ADU is complete and the final inspection takes place, your ADU is ready for a loved one or a tenant to live in.
City of Salinas ADU Hotline:
Phone: 831-758-7208
Email: [email protected]
Pre-Approved Plans for New Detached ADU
The City of Salinas in collaboration with Design Path Studio, is offering property owners a selection of four (4) Pre-approved ADU Plans to promote construction of new detached ADUs within City limits. A detached ADU is a separate stand-alone structure from the existing primary dwelling structure. The collection of plans that were produced include four (4) architectural styles: Craftsman, Mid-Century, Ranch, Spanish and four (4) different unit types:1A - One Bed/One Bath (495 sf), 1B - One Bed/One Bath (553 sf), 2A - Two Bed/Two Bath (749 sf), 2B - Two Bed/One Bath (746 sf).
The plans feature configurable choices regarding external style and materials used but will ultimately abide by the design standard of the main dwelling unit. Pre-approved plans reduce preconstruction fees and expedite the permitting process but also require additional documents and schematics from the property owner at time of submittal. These plans are only to be used for NEW Detached ADUs on properties within City of Salinas limits. Existing or attached dwelling units may NOT use these pre-approved plans.
Pre- Approved Detached ADU Building Permit Submittal Items:
Before submitting your Building Permit, you will need to complete a Consultation with the Current Planning Division, which will give you the green light to move forward with a plans submittal. Please refer to the Guidebook below on how to gather documents and your site plan for Building Permit Submittal.
*All building permit applications are paperless. To apply for a building permit, please email them in PDF format to a permit technician at [email protected], or call 831-758-7251 Ext. 1 for questions. Also, Attach all necessary documentation in PDF format at the time of permit application submittal. A complete building permit application shall contain all of the below documents:
- Prefilled set of Pre-Approved ADU Plans
- Site Plan
- Additional documentation (if applicable)
- Hold Harmless Statement (signed by property owner)
- Building Permit Application
- Grant Deed (include all pages)
Pre-approved ADU Building Permit Documents
The following documents have been created to assist you in the preparation of your building permit submittal for your new detached ADU. The Guidebook provides instructions to assist you in preparing your building permit submittal as well as provides an overview of steps the applicant needs to take leading up to the project being finalized. The complete pre-approved detached ADU plan sets for download are listed below.
ADU Documents
Building an ADU in Salinas (Accessory Dwelling Unit) News
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Workshops for Pre-Approved Detached ADUs Plans
The City of Salinas is holding two workshops on new pre-approved plans for the construction of new detached accessory dwelling units (ADU) and the permitting process. A detached ADU is a separate stand-alone structure from the primary structure. Both workshops will be bilingual and are open to everyone.
Workshop Schedule:
October 6th, 2022, 5:30PM- 7:00PM
Salinas City Hall Rotunda 200 Lincoln Ave, Salinas, CA, 93901
October 13th, 2022,...
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October 2021 Salinas ADU Workshop Series Recordings Available Online
The City of Salinas hosted an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Workshop series in October 2021. There were 122 people in attendance between the the two general overview community workshops that discussed how to build an ADU in Salinas and one technical workshop for professionals. These workshop were part of an ADU educational campaign funded by the AARP Community Challenge Grant . The City was announced as a winner by AARP...
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City Awarded AARP Community Challenge Grant
The City of Salinas was selected to receive the 2021 AARP Community Challenge grant. The City was 1 of only 244 grantees selected from across all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. With this “quick-action” grant, the City will create an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) educational campaign to include brochures, bilingual workshops for the public, and a technical workshop for contractors and other professionals...
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