4. Accessory Dwelling Units

An accessory dwelling unit is a really simple and old idea: having a second small dwelling right on the same grounds, attached to or detached from a regular single-family home, such as: an apartment over a garage, a tiny house in the backyard or a basement apartment. The accessory dwelling unit provides complete independent living facilities for one or more persons. It includes permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation on the same parcel as the single-family dwelling is situated. California laws enacted in January of 2017 legally state and ADU is part of the same property as the main home. It cannot be bought or sold separately. The owner of the ADU is the owner of the main home. The new laws are intended to limit the ability of local government to regulate ADUs and require that local governments adopt an ADU ordinance that is consistent with the new state requirements by January 1, 2017. Here at Toblesky-Green Architects we have been designing Accessory Dwelling units for years.