Redding, CA Accessory Structures: Garage Conversions (2026)

140(F)(2) of the Redding Municipal Code sets unit-size standards for accessory dwelling units, and subsection (F)(2)(b) carves out a specific exception for garages and other existing accessory structures converted into an ADU: unlike a newly built detached or attached ADU, which is capped at one thousand square feet under subsection (F)(2)(a), a converted accessory structure has no size limit at all. If the structure being converted already exceeds one thousand square feet, the code still allows it to grow, but only by up to one hundred fifty square feet, and only for the ingress and egress necessary to serve the new dwelling unit, not for general living space.

This conversion path also carries a separate setback break under subsection (F)(5)(b): when an existing, legally constructed structure is converted or partially converted into an ADU or JADU, any nonconforming height or setbacks the structure already had may be maintained rather than brought up to the standard ADU setback table. Converted units still must meet the architectural-compatibility standard in subsection (F)(6), matching the main dwelling's materials, features, and roof pitch, and the separate-entrance requirement in subsection (F)(7). A garage conversion used to satisfy required off-street parking would need a replacement parking solution, since a home occupation cannot use such a structure, though the ADU parking exemption in subsection (F)(9) waives the added parking-space requirement for a conversion that does not add a new detached unit's footprint.