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

The owner occupancy sentence in the City of Yucaipa appears in Development Code § 84.0570(c)(1)(C)(VII), the accessory dwelling unit section the City Council last amended by Ord. 426 in 2023. It reads: "Unless State law is amended, the JADU or single family residence shall be occupied by the owner of record." The obligation can be met two ways: the owner lives in the junior unit or in the main house. Either arrangement satisfies the text.

It attaches to a junior accessory dwelling unit, defined as a unit of no more than 500 square feet contained entirely within an existing single-family residence. The other JADU standards printed beside it are: a minimum of 220 square feet and a maximum of 500 square feet of gross floor area, not counting a shared sanitation facility; a unit contained entirely within the walls of the existing or proposed single-family dwelling; a separate exterior entry from the main entrance; separate or shared sanitation facilities; an efficiency kitchen meeting Government Code Section 65852.22; and no additional parking. The lead-in says JADUs follow Government Code Section 65852.22 unless State law sets different standards, in which case State law governs.

The standards for a full ADU in subsections (c)(2) through (c)(12) of the same section do not repeat an owner occupancy sentence. They cover one ADU per single family lot, 1,200 square foot size caps, four-foot side and rear setbacks and one parking space.

The JADU list sits in the building-permit-only path. A project approved that way requires the owner to record a declaration of restrictions, in a form approved by the City Attorney, binding the property and all successors in interest. The declaration bars rentals shorter than 31 days and bars sale or conveyance of the unit apart from the Primary Dwelling Unit, except units meeting Government Code Section 65852.26. Proof of recordation must reach the City before the final building permit is issued.