Moreno Valley, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

130 implements state ADU law locally and gives applicants two paths: the city's local development standards or the by-right standards under Government Code Section 66323. Under the local path, an existing single-family lot may add one ADU (attached, detached or a conversion) plus one junior ADU (JADU); under the by-right path, a qualifying single-family lot can reach three ADUs total. Existing multifamily buildings can add up to eight detached ADUs, capped at the number of existing units, plus one attached ADU converted from non-habitable space.

Detached ADUs are capped at 1,000 square feet unless built on a multifamily parcel, where there is no size cap; attached ADUs are capped at 850 square feet for a studio or one-bedroom and 1,000 square feet for two or more bedrooms. Side and rear setbacks are four feet, with no minimum lot size required as long as the setbacks are met, and detached units up to 20 feet tall. Front setbacks follow the underlying zone but do not apply to internal ADUs, JADUs or by-right units.

Only one parking space per ADU or per bedroom, whichever is fewer, is required, and it is waived entirely if the ADU sits within a half mile of a public transit stop, within a block of a car-share space, in a historic district, or is a conversion of existing living or accessory space. Approval is ministerial through a building permit or, for multifamily conversions, an administrative plot plan, and the city must approve or deny within 60 days, with the application deemed approved if it misses that deadline; completeness review is due within 15 business days of submittal.