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

The City of Placentia sets its ADU rental rule in Section 23.73.070(3) of the Municipal Code, which applies to all accessory units. Rentals of the accessory dwelling unit and of the primary unit must have a contract length of at least thirty-one (31) days, so nightly and weekly stays are not allowed in either unit. The same subsection says the ADU cannot be sold separately from the primary residence unless it was constructed under Government Code Sections 66340 and 66341, and it makes all of these restrictions binding on any successor in ownership of the property. A buyer of a Placentia lot with an ADU takes the 31-day floor along with the deed.

Junior accessory dwelling units carry a parallel rule through a recorded deed restriction under Section 23.73.090(7)(C): the owner cannot rent the junior unit or the primary residence for less than thirty (31) consecutive, calendar days, as the code prints the figure. The same deed restriction bars selling the junior unit apart from the single-family residence and caps it at 500 interior livable square feet. It must also state that the restrictions can be enforced against future purchasers, and a copy of the recorded restriction is filed with the community development department.

Section 23.73.090(7)(D)(i) lets an owner rent both the primary residence and the junior unit to one party, as long as the lease bars that party from subleasing any unit or portion of one. None of these sections regulates the amount of rent. The rule is a duration floor that applies to the ADU and the main house alike.