Lodi, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

2, regardless of any density limit the general plan or zoning would otherwise impose, and the unit is not counted toward residential density at all. Approval is ministerial, not a discretionary use permit: subsection (E) requires only a building permit, and the city must issue it within sixty calendar days of a complete application when a primary dwelling already exists on the lot. Size limits depend on configuration. An attached ADU under subsection (J)(1)(b) tops out at eight hundred fifty square feet for a one-bedroom unit or one thousand square feet for a unit with more than one bedroom, and cannot exceed half the primary dwelling's square footage; a detached ADU under (J)(2)(b) uses the same eight hundred fifty and one thousand square foot caps.

Setbacks for a detached ADU are four feet on the side and rear yards under (J)(2)(c), and the height cap for a new detached ADU is sixteen feet under (J)(2)(d), though an existing taller structure being converted can keep its height. A junior ADU, built entirely within the walls of an existing single-family home, is capped at five hundred square feet under subsection (G)(1)(c) and needs only an efficiency kitchen rather than a full one. Parking is minimal: subsection (L) requires just one uncovered or covered space per ADU and waives it entirely if the unit sits within a half mile of public transit, is carved out of an existing structure, sits in a historic district, or a car-share vehicle is within a block. Impact fees are waived outright for any ADU under seven hundred fifty square feet under subsection (K)(1)(b).