Yuba City, CA Accessory Structures: Garage Conversions (2026)

5004(A), sets a standard four-foot interior side and rear yard setback for new ADU construction, but footnote [2] to that table carves out an exception specifically for conversions: no setback is required for the conversion of an existing living area, garage, or accessory structure to an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit, or for a new structure built in the same location and same dimensions as an existing structure. A homeowner converting an attached or detached garage into livable space therefore keeps the garage's existing footprint and location exactly as built, even if that footprint sits closer to the property line than four feet.

Footnote [3] extends a related, narrower allowance if the owner also wants to expand the converted structure: the setback for that expansion may be reduced below four feet if the proposed setback is sufficient to protect health and fire safety, but the expansion is capped at 150 square feet beyond the existing structure's dimensions and must be limited to the purpose of accommodating entrance and exit from the unit. Where the conversion involves tearing down a detached garage to replace it with a new ADU rather than converting the existing structure in place, subsection (c)(8) requires the demolition permit for that garage to be reviewed together with the ADU application and issued at the same time, so the two approvals move on one timeline rather than requiring the garage to come down first.

Subsection (g)(12) also excuses that garage demolition from the notice-and-placard requirements that otherwise apply to demolitions, unless the property sits in an architecturally or historically significant district.