San Rafael, CA Accessory Structures: Garage Conversions (2026)

5 sets the parking rules that apply to an accessory dwelling unit built under the standard ADU review path. The baseline is one parking space per ADU, which may sit anywhere on the lot, be tandem on a driveway, and be covered or uncovered. b then waives that space entirely in five situations, including where the ADU sits within a half-mile walk of public transit, in a historic district, within the existing footprint of the primary residence or an existing accessory structure, where on-street parking permits exist but are not offered to the ADU occupant, or where a car-share vehicle is within a block.

c adds a separate waiver aimed directly at garage conversions: when a garage, carport, or covered parking structure is demolished in conjunction with building an ADU, or is itself converted into an ADU, the resulting loss of off-street parking spaces does not have to be replaced elsewhere on the lot. 3, allowing multiple ADUs inside portions of an existing multifamily building that are not livable space, including storage rooms, boiler rooms, passageways, attics, basements, or garages, capped at 25% of the building's existing dwelling units, provided each converted ADU meets building code standards for dwellings.

Because these parking and conversion standards fall within the ministerial ADU review track, a qualifying garage conversion does not require discretionary approval or correction of any preexisting nonconforming condition on the lot.