Garden Grove, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Owner Occupancy (2026)
Key Facts
- ADU owner-occupancy
- Not required
- JADU owner-occupancy
- Required for owner of record
- JADU exception
- Government agency, land trust, housing org
- JADU rule source
- Recorded deed restriction, Sec. 9.54.050(I)
- If occupancy lapses
- JADU becomes unhabitable, unrentable
Summary
Garden Grove does not require an owner to live on site to rent out a regular ADU. Municipal Code Section 9.54.060(C) treats ADUs and JADUs differently: owner occupancy is optional for a standalone or attached ADU, but a JADU requires the property owner to occupy either the JADU or the remaining primary home as a principal residence.
C. Owner Occupancy Requirements. 1. ADUs. Owner occupancy of a primary dwelling or ADU is not required. 2. JADUs. An owner of record of the lot upon which a JADU is located must occupy either the JADU or the remaining portion of the primary single-family dwelling as his/her/their principal residence. Notwithstanding the foregoing, owner-occupancy is not required if the owner is another governmental agency, land trust, or housing organization.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4903654; v10 updated 2026-05-12).
Full Breakdown
060(C)(1) is a single sentence: ADUs, owner occupancy of a primary dwelling or ADU is not required. That means an investor or absentee owner can build and rent out an ADU in Garden Grove without living in either unit, mirroring state ADU law. 060(C)(2): an owner of record of the lot upon which a JADU is located must occupy either the JADU or the remaining portion of the primary single-family dwelling as his/her/their principal residence, with an exception if the owner is a governmental agency, land trust, or housing organization.
050(I)(3): the owner must occupy the JADU or the remaining primary residence, and if owner occupancy ever ceases, the JADU shall automatically become unhabitable space, shall not be used as a separate dwelling unit, and shall not be separately rented or leased for any purpose. In practice, a Garden Grove homeowner who converts part of their garage into a JADU and later moves out and rents the whole property to a tenant can no longer keep the JADU as rentable living space unless they, or the new owner, personally occupy one of the two units.
Violations & Fines
Renting a JADU without the required owner occupancy, or after occupancy has lapsed, violates the recorded deed restriction under Section 9.54.050(I) and Section 9.54.060(C)(2), and is enforceable as a Municipal Code violation under the general penalty at Section 1.04.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both, with continuing violations charged day by day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to live in my house to rent out an ADU in Garden Grove?
Do I have to live on the property if I build a JADU?
What happens if I move out after building a JADU?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Garden Grove
California rules heatmap·Compare Garden Grove to another location·View the California accessory structures overview
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ADU Owner Occupancy in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle adu owner occupancy.