Santa Clara, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

020 attaches conditions to that fast-track approval. ' The rule applies across every ministerial pathway in the section, whether the ADU is a new detached unit, an attached unit carved out of the primary residence, or a JADU built inside the walls of an existing single-family home. It reaches both the detached and attached unit standards (height limits of 18 to 25 feet, 4-foot side and rear setbacks) and the JADU rules covering the mandatory efficiency kitchen and owner-occupancy condition. Because the section does not distinguish between owner-managed and property-manager-managed units, the 30-day floor applies regardless of who collects the rent.

020, and Building Permit issuance for an ADU can proceed even where the underlying parcel carries legal nonconforming conditions such as inadequate setbacks or parcel coverage, since the ministerial pathway does not require those conditions to be cured first. The City reserves the right to pursue correction of illegal conditions unrelated to the ADU construction through its standard code enforcement process, separate from the rental-term requirement itself. 250.