Mendocino County, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Owner Occupancy (2026)

Sec. 030(C)(8) sets owner-occupancy requirements specifically for junior ADUs, a category limited to 500 square feet built within an existing single-unit home's footprint under Sec. 020(C). Subsection (a) requires the owner of the lot to reside on-site, whether in the primary residence or the JADU itself; the only carve-out is when the owner is a governmental agency, land trust, or housing organization rather than an individual. Subsection (c) requires that before a building permit issues for the JADU, the owner record a deed restriction approved by the County with the County Recorder's office.

That restriction must spell out the JADU's occupancy and other limitations, runs with the land, and binds every future owner, heir, or assign, so a buyer who purchases the parcel later inherits the same owner-occupancy obligation. This owner-occupancy requirement applies to JADUs only; the standard attached and detached ADU categories described in Sec. 030(A) and (B) carry no comparable owner-occupancy condition, reflecting the more flexible standards state ADU law applies to full-size units versus the smaller, in-home JADU category.