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

2 defines a Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit as a unit of no more than 500 square feet built entirely inside an existing or proposed single-family residence, including an efficiency kitchen and either its own or shared sanitation facilities; that same definition notes that owner-occupancy of either the primary dwelling or the JADU is required by state law. 4 turns that requirement into an explicit local condition: a natural person, not a corporation, LLC, or trust, who holds legal or equitable title to the property must live on-site, in either the primary dwelling or the JADU, as that person's actual legal domicile and permanent residence.

The owner-occupancy rule reaches only JADUs; standard ADUs built under Section 3006 carry no equivalent owner-occupancy condition, reflecting the state-law change that dropped owner-occupancy for full-size ADUs while keeping it for JADUs. Compliance is locked in the same way as the rest of Section 3006's conditions: the property owner must record a covenant, approved as to form by the City Attorney, declaring compliance with every condition referenced in the section, giving the City title-level enforcement of the occupancy requirement even after the property changes hands.