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

5 of Title 9 (Accessory Dwelling Units), governs how the city and its utility providers treat ADUs and junior ADUs for fee purposes. Subsection (f) bars a local agency, special district, or water corporation from treating an ADU or JADU as a new residential use when calculating connection fees or capacity charges for water and sewer service, unless the accessory unit was built together with a brand-new single-family dwelling on the lot. Paragraph (f)(1) sets the operative threshold: no impact fee at all may be imposed on an ADU under 750 square feet of floor area.

Once an ADU reaches 750 square feet or larger, the agency may charge an impact fee, but only in proportion to the square footage of the primary dwelling unit on the parcel, not a flat per-unit charge. Paragraph (f)(2) clarifies the limit does not stop a local agency, special district, or water corporation from adopting a service or connection fee ordinance tied to a junior accessory dwelling unit, so long as that fee applies uniformly to every single-family residence in the same category regardless of whether a JADU is present.

456, covering unit size, setbacks, and legalization of existing unpermitted units, and applies citywide in every zoning district that allows a single-family or two-family dwelling. Applicants pull ADU permits through the Pacifica Planning Division, which coordinates plan review with the Building Division and confirms with the relevant water or sewer provider that any fee charged on a sub-750-square-foot unit has been waived under this section.