Hemet, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Impact Fees (2026)

Accessory dwelling units in Hemet are approved ministerially under § 90-321, which the code states must be interpreted consistent with, and subordinate to, state ADU law; where state law is more permissive than the city's own standards, state law governs. Within that framework, subsection (c)(12) sets the fee rule directly: no impact fee is required for an ADU or JADU under 750 square feet of interior livable space, and units of 500 square feet or less are additionally exempt from school fees. For an ADU of 750 square feet or more, any impact fee that does apply must be charged proportionately, calculated by dividing the ADU's floor area by the primary dwelling's floor area and applying that ratio to the fee typically charged for a new dwelling, rather than charging the full new-construction rate.

Subsection (c)(11) adds a related utility protection: an ADU is not treated as a new residential use for calculating water or sewer connection fees or capacity charges unless it is built together with a brand-new single-family dwelling, though the city can still require a separate physical utility connection between the ADU and the service line. The code defines 'impact fee' by cross-reference to the 'fee' definition in Government Code § 66000(b), extended to include the school-facilities fees addressed in Government Code § 66477, but excluding ordinary connection fees or water-corporation capacity charges.

Because the state ADU statute overrides any conflicting or less permissive local restriction, a property owner who is charged a fee inconsistent with these thresholds can point to both the city's own text and the underlying Government Code sections it implements.