County
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What every California city must allow
Statewide floorThese are minimums under state ADU law — your city can allow more, never less. Full context in our California ADU laws guide and size & setback calculator.
Pick your county and city. You'll instantly see the state minimums every California city must allow, plus what we've verified locally — programs, permit contacts, quirks, and the official sources. Cities we haven't fully extracted into the dataset yet link straight to their researched city guide.
These are minimums under state ADU law — your city can allow more, never less. Full context in our California ADU laws guide and size & setback calculator.
California's statewide ADU law sets a floor that every city has to honor — allowing at least one ADU on most single-family lots, capping fees on smaller units, and limiting how far cities can push setbacks or parking. The explorer starts from those statewide baselines, then layers on the local details we've gathered from each city's official planning pages.
What it can't see is your parcel. Two homes on the same street can get different answers once you account for lot size, existing structures, easements, slope, and how the setbacks actually fall. Use the explorer to understand the rules in general terms, then confirm the specifics with your city — or with a free property review — before you spend on design. For the statewide framework in depth, see our California ADU laws guide; to check the minimum size your city must allow, try the size & setback calculator; and for a budget starting point, the cost estimator.
This tool is a general educational summary, not legal advice or a permit determination. Rules change, and the final word always comes from your city's planning department.
A free property review looks at your actual parcel against your city's rules, and we'll tell you honestly if an ADU isn't a good fit yet.
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