Norwalk, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Owner Occupancy (2026)

210(Q) ties every Junior ADU approval to a signed, recorded covenant stating that the primary dwelling, the JADU, or an existing ADU on the lot will be occupied by the property owner as a legal domicile and principal residence. Only a 'human being,' defined in the section to exclude corporations, LLCs and other legal entities, can satisfy this requirement; a JADU cannot even be approved on property titled to a corporate entity or LLC. The owner-occupancy duty is waived only when the property owner is itself a governmental agency, land trust, or housing organization.

Once recorded, the covenant runs with the land, binding every future owner of the parcel, not just the applicant who built the JADU. An owner can only remove the covenant by eliminating the JADU and reverting it to its original permitted layout, then filing a written request with the Director of Community Development along with evidence the unit has actually been removed. The Director decides whether that evidence supports the claim, and a property owner who disagrees may appeal under the Title's general appeal provisions.

If a JADU is only partially eliminated, meaning a necessary component like the separate entrance or efficiency kitchen is removed but the space itself isn't fully restored, the remaining structure still has to meet every other applicable standard in the section.