Redwood City, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Zoning Code Sec. 37.5
- Minimum rental term
- 30 consecutive days
- Separate sale of ADU
- Prohibited
- Grandfathered short-term rentals
- Registered before Jan. 1, 2020
- JADU occupancy rule
- Owner must live in home or JADU
- Enforcement
- Zoning Administrator under Article 50
Summary
Redwood City bars owners from selling an accessory dwelling unit or junior ADU separately from the main house, and from renting either one for less than 30 days, under Zoning Code Section 37.5. Only ADUs already registered as short-term rentals with the City before January 1, 2020 are grandfathered in and may keep operating as short-term rentals.
Except as otherwise permitted by State law, an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit shall not be offered for sale, nor sold, but may be rented for terms longer than thirty (30) days. The short-term rental of accessory dwelling units shall not be permitted. Notwithstanding the foregoing, existing short-term rentals in accessory dwelling units that were registered with the City prior to January 1, 2020 may continue to be used as short-term rentals.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Code: Supplement 29 | City Code: Supplement 61 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
5 of the Zoning Code applies to both accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units (JADUs) built anywhere in Redwood City. 3 does not extend to ADUs. 3. 3(I)(8), which requires a recorded deed restriction prohibiting the sale of a JADU separate from the single-family residence, enforceable against future purchasers. 5 is a narrow grandfather clause: an ADU already registered with the City as a short-term rental before January 1, 2020 may keep operating as one, but any ADU that was not registered by that date, including ones built afterward, is confined to rentals of 30 days or longer.
3(I)(7), with the owner living in either the primary residence or the JADU, an owner cannot sidestep the rental-term rule by treating a JADU as a separate short-term unit while living elsewhere. The restriction runs with the property rather than the owner, so a buyer of a home with an existing ADU inherits the same 30-day rental floor and sale prohibition going forward.
Violations & Fines
Operating an ADU as an unregistered short-term rental or attempting to sell one separately violates Section 37.5 and is enforced under Article 50 like any other Zoning Code breach: the use is declared a public nuisance (Sec. 50.2), and Section 50.5 makes it an infraction punishable by up to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for each subsequent violation of the same provision, with the Zoning Administrator authorized to issue citations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rent my Redwood City ADU out on Airbnb for a weekend?
Can I sell my ADU as a separate unit from my house?
Does the citywide short-term rental program cover ADUs?
What happens if I already registered my ADU as a short-term rental before 2020?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redwood City
California rules heatmap·Compare Redwood City to another location·View the California accessory structures overview
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