Hanford, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

" Within that state-law ceiling, subsection (A)(5) sets the local setback: side and rear setback areas are four feet from the lot line, the front setback follows whatever the underlying zone district requires, and detached structures must be at least 10 feet apart except as the California Building Standards Code otherwise allows. No setback at all applies to an ADU built within the existing footprint of a converted structure, or to any ADU that qualifies for the state's mandatory ministerial approval path under subsection (A)(2)(b), which guarantees at least an 800-square-foot detached ADU with four-foot side and rear setbacks regardless of the underlying zone's normal standards.

Subsection (A)(6) sets height by structure type and location: 16 feet for a detached ADU on an ordinary single-family or multifamily lot, 18 feet if the lot sits within a half-mile walk of a major transit stop (with two additional feet allowed to match the primary home's roof pitch), 18 feet for a detached ADU with a multifamily, multistory principal building, and 25 feet, or the zone's height limit for the primary residence if lower, for an ADU attached to the primary home, capped at two stories.

Because the section requires only a four-foot side and rear setback, permits none for qualifying ministerial ADUs, sets no lot-size minimum, and bars density-based denial, most single-family lots in Hanford's residential zones can accommodate the state-mandated 800-square-foot ADU as a matter of ministerial right rather than discretionary review.