Beaumont, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Chapter 17.15 of the Beaumont Municipal Code, adopted by the Beaumont City Council through Ordinance Nos. 1149 and 1150 on October 4, 2022, implements Government Code Sections 65852.2 and 65852.22 for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior accessory dwelling units (JADUs) in Beaumont, Riverside County. Section 17.15.030 sets the count. On a lot with an existing or proposed single-family dwelling, up to one ADU and one JADU are allowed. On a lot with attached multifamily dwellings, the code allows up to two detached ADUs, each no more than 16 feet in height with side and rear yard setbacks of at least four feet, plus conversion of non-habitable portions of the existing main structure, capped at 25 percent of the number of multifamily units.

Section 17.15.060 supplies the dimensional standards. The size caps are 850 square feet for a studio or one-bedroom ADU and 1,200 square feet for an ADU with two or more bedrooms. ADUs created by converting existing space can exceed those limits, and an addition of up to 150 square feet for ingress and egress is exempt when an existing accessory structure is converted. Front setbacks follow the underlying zone district. Side and rear setbacks are four feet or the zone setback, whichever is less, and a detached ADU built in the same location and to the same dimensions as an existing structure keeps that structure's setbacks. Height cannot exceed the height of the main unit or 16 feet, whichever is greater.

Parking is one off-street space per ADU. It can be tandem and can sit in a setback, but not in the front yard unless it is on the driveway. Section 17.15.060.D.3 removes the parking requirement when the ADU is within one-half mile walking distance of public transit, sits in a historic district, is part of the primary residence or an existing accessory structure, when on-street permits are required but not offered to the occupant, or when a car share stop is within one block. Design rules in 17.15.060.E put a new detached ADU behind the street-facing façade, require a converted garage to lose its garage door in favor of windows or a door, and call for a six-foot solid fence or screening plantings with a mature height of at least ten feet where the ADU sits less than ten feet from an interior side or rear line. Section 17.15.060.F stops lot coverage, open space and floor area ratio limits from blocking an ADU of up to 800 square feet and 16 feet in height with four-foot side and rear setbacks.