Orange, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

120 of the Orange Municipal Code governs how ADUs and JADUs can be rented, occupied, and transferred. Subsection (A) permits an ADU to be rented independently of the primary residence, giving owners flexibility to lease the two units to different tenants, but it flatly prohibits selling or otherwise conveying the ADU separately from the primary residence, keeping the two under common ownership permanently. Subsection (D) sets a minimum lease term: ADU and JADU rentals must be for longer than 30 days and are explicitly declared ineligible to operate as short-term rentals.

That 30-day floor mirrors the threshold state law commonly uses to separate long-term housing from transient lodging, and it applies uniformly whether the accessory unit is attached, detached, or a converted garage. Because subsection (A) allows independent rental but bars independent sale, an ADU functions as a distinct rental asset on the same lot while remaining legally tied to the primary parcel for any future transfer of ownership, which matters for financing and title work as well as day-to-day leasing decisions.