ADU rules in Santa Rosa, CA — also called accessory dwelling unit regulations or granny flat ordinances — cover setbacks, owner-occupancy, parking, and permit requirements.
Santa Rosa allows one ADU plus one JADU on single-family lots under Zoning Code Section 20-42.130, adopted by urgency Ordinance on March 3, 2020 to align with California Government Code Sections 65852.2 and 65852.22. Detached ADUs are capped at 1,200 sq ft with 4-ft side/rear setbacks and a 16-ft (one-story) or 27-ft (two-story) height limit; JADUs are capped at 500 sq ft and must sit entirely within the existing single-family dwelling walls.
Section 20-42.130 was rewritten by the City Council on March 3, 2020 as an urgency measure after Senate Bill 13 and Assembly Bills 68, 881, 670, and 587 voided the city's prior ADU rules on January 1, 2020. The ordinance preserves city-specific protections for hillsides, Historic Preservation Districts, and creekside setbacks while ministerially approving any application that complies with the development standards. ADUs may be located on any lot allowing a single-family or multifamily use with a proposed or existing dwelling (Subsection B.1), are not subject to General Plan density requirements (B.2), but cannot be placed on or adjacent to property listed on the California Register of Historic Places (B.3). Detached ADUs are capped at 1,200 sq ft of habitable space (E.3.a); attached ADUs cannot exceed 50% of the existing residence's square footage (E.3.b); internal conversions of a single-family dwelling cannot occupy more than 45% of existing habitable space excluding the garage (E.3.c). One-story ADUs may not exceed 16 ft in height; two-story ADUs may not exceed 27 ft (E.4). One off-street parking space is required, with multiple exemptions including ADUs of 750 sq ft or less, units within a half-mile walking distance of public transit, units in a historic preservation district, and conversions from existing garages (E.10). Owner-occupancy is not required for ADUs; the City's deferred enforcement and the deletion of owner-occupancy language reflect 2019 state legislation. JADUs (Subsection F) max 500 sq ft, must be within existing single-family residence walls, require deed restrictions filed with Sonoma County recording owner-occupancy and prohibiting separate sale, and require no off-street parking.
Construction of an ADU or JADU without a building permit constitutes a Santa Rosa Municipal Code violation enforced by Code Enforcement. The City offers an ADU Enforcement Deferral Program (Policy 2530) for certain unpermitted units built before March 3, 2020. Lack of compliance with JADU deed restrictions voids the JADU approval and may result in legal action against the property owner per Subsection G.3 of the ordinance.
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