Pico Rivera, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Owner Occupancy (2026)

Section 18.22.030(A)(9) of the Pico Rivera Municipal Code states that all junior accessory dwelling units are subject to an owner-occupancy requirement, and that a person with legal or equitable title to the property must reside on the property, in either the primary dwelling or junior accessory dwelling unit, as the person's legal and permanent residence. The requirement applies only to junior accessory dwelling units (JADUs), the smaller category of ADU that Section 18.22.030(A)(2) allows only inside an existing or proposed single-family home, including within an attached garage, and that Section 18.22.030(A)(4)(b) caps at 500 square feet; a standard detached or attached accessory dwelling unit up to the 1,000-square-foot cap does not carry this same owner-occupancy condition in the text quoted above.

The rule ties the JADU's simplified permitting path to the property remaining an owner-occupied home rather than becoming fully rental-only housing stock. Because the requirement is tied to title, it follows the property regardless of whether the owner lives in the main house or moves into the JADU itself and rents out the primary dwelling instead, so long as the titleholder's legal and permanent residence is one of the two units on site. The Community and Economic Development Department administers ADU permit applications and can confirm current owner-occupancy documentation requirements for a JADU permit.