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

Section 17.104.210 of the Paramount Municipal Code splits owner-occupancy by unit type. Subsection C removes the requirement for full ADUs: owner-occupancy is not required of the primary residence, or for any attached or detached ADU. A Paramount homeowner can rent out both the main house and a new ADU to tenants while living elsewhere.

Subsection D covers the junior accessory dwelling unit. Owner-occupancy in either the JADU or the single-family residence in which the JADU is permitted is required. The exception is for ownership by another governmental agency, land trust or housing organization, where owner-occupancy is not required. The enforcement tool is a deed restriction recorded against the property, which binds all future owners, so the obligation travels with the lot rather than the person.

The JADU rule makes sense once the unit type is clear. Under section 17.104.040, JADUs are only permitted on lots with existing or proposed single-family dwellings. Section 17.104.090 allows only one JADU on the same lot as an ADU, and a JADU without its own bathroom must have its own exterior entrance and an interior entry to the primary dwelling where a bathroom is located. Section 17.104.220(A) lets the Planning Department ministerially approve a JADU within the proposed or existing space of a legally permitted single-family dwelling, and section 17.104.050 sets a 60-calendar-day review period for the application.

Subsection E adds a related protection. Any covenant, restriction or condition in a deed, contract, security instrument or other instrument affecting the transfer or sale of an interest in a planned development, and any provision of a governing document, that effectively prohibits or unreasonably restricts the construction or use of an ADU or JADU on a residential lot meeting Government Code Section 65852.2 or 65852.22 is void and unenforceable.