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

140(I)(3) of the Redding Municipal Code splits owner-occupancy treatment between the city's two accessory unit types. On a lot where the primary residence contains a junior accessory dwelling unit, the owner must occupy the property; that mirrors the JADU's design, which under subsection (F)(8) must include only an efficiency kitchen and under (F)(7) may share an interior entry with the main living area rather than have full physical separation from the primary home. On a lot with only a standard, larger accessory dwelling unit, no owner-occupancy is required at all, letting an owner rent out both the main house and the ADU, or live off-site entirely, so long as neither unit is rented for less than thirty days under the section's separate rental restriction.

The deed restriction required before a JADU building permit issues, filed with the County Recorder under subsection (G), reinforces the owner-occupancy expectation: it must state that the JADU cannot be sold separately from the primary residence and that the restriction binds any successor owner, with noncompliance opening the owner to legal action. 140(B) requires the city to approve any application meeting these standards without a discretionary permit or public hearing, the owner-occupancy rule is enforced through this deed restriction and the certificate-of-occupancy process rather than through case-by-case review.