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

Rocklin Municipal Code Section 17.67.040(C)(4) requires that either the junior accessory dwelling unit (JADU) or the primary dwelling unit be owner-occupied, unless the JADU has independent sanitation facilities under Government Code Section 66333. Section 17.67.040(C)(5) exempts lots owned by a governmental agency, land trust, or housing organization from this requirement, but otherwise at least one legal owner of the lot must make one of the two dwellings their bona fide principal residence, evidenced by documents of title and residency at the time of approval. Before a building permit issues for a JADU, Section 17.67.040(C)(6) requires the owner to record a covenant, in a form set by the city attorney, running with the land, that prohibits selling the JADU separately from the residence, restricts its size and attributes, bars renting it for fewer than thirty consecutive days, and requires the primary residence or the JADU to remain the owner's bona fide principal residence unless the government-agency, land-trust, or housing-organization exception applies.

A copy of the recorded covenant must be filed with the community development department before the permit issues, per Section 17.67.040(C)(7). By contrast, Section 17.67.040(D)(4) flatly states that no owner-occupied requirement shall be imposed on any standard accessory dwelling unit, tracking the state law limits on local ADU regulation while allowing the city to keep the stricter JADU rule because JADUs share utilities and often sit inside the primary home's walls.