Sacramento, CA Accessory Structures: Garage Conversions (2026)

105(B)(2)(c)(iii) generally require an ADU to meet the front-yard setback if any portion sits within 60 feet of the front property line, and to meet interior side-yard and rear-yard setbacks equal to the underlying zoning designation or 3 feet, whichever is less, for upper floors beyond that 60-foot line. ' A detached garage that already sits close to the property line, closer than the ADU setback rules would otherwise allow, can therefore become a legal ADU without a variance, provided the conversion stays within the garage's existing footprint or an exact rebuild of it.

The waiver has one limit: an ADU created this way still may not project into the required setback from the landside toe of a levee, per subsection (B)(2)(c)(iii)(3)(b). a allows converting 'existing space of a single-unit dwelling or accessory structure', which includes garages, into an ADU or junior ADU, with an expansion of up to 150 square feet permitted only to accommodate a required ingress/egress point, so long as the side- and rear-yard setbacks are sufficient for fire and safety.