Accessory Structures in Thousand Oaks, CA (2026)
6 verified accessory structures rules for Thousand Oaks, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
ADU Rules
Thousand Oaks must review ADU and Junior ADU (JADU) applications ministerially, no discretionary review, no public hearing, as long as the project meets the city's objective standards. The city has 60 days to approve or deny a complete application when there's already a home on the lot, and a denial must come with a full list of what needs fixing.
Accessory Structures: Adu Permits
Few RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) § 9-4.4503(a)-(b) (Applications and Approvals)
(a) Except as provided in Sec. 9-4.4513, no ADU or JADU may be created without an ADU permit and a building permit. ... An application for development of a ADU or JADU created pursuant to this Article will be reviewed ministerially, without discretionary review or a hearing, and approved if it meets all the requirements set forth in Sec. 9-4.4504 through Sec. 9-4.4508 (inclusive). (b) AD...
ADU Impact Fees
ADUs under 750 square feet are exempt from local impact fees in Thousand Oaks, and an ADU generally isn't treated as a "new residential use" for utility connection fees or capacity charges unless it's built together with a brand-new single-family home.
Accessory Structures: Adu Impact Fees
Few RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) § 9-4.4512 (Fees)
(a) An ADU/JADU may not be considered a new residential use by a local agency, special district, or water corporation to calculate utility connection fees or capacity charges unless the ADU is constructed with a new single-family dwelling. (b) Impact fees may not be assessed by local agencies, special districts, or water corporations on an ADU smaller than 750 square feet. Impact fees ma...
ADU Owner Occupancy
Thousand Oaks imposes no owner-occupancy requirement on a standalone ADU at all. The rule bites only on a lot with a junior ADU (JADU): the owner must live in the primary home or the JADU, and only when the JADU shares a bathroom or kitchen with the main house.
Thousand Oaks ADU Owner-Occupancy Rules
Light RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) § 9-4.4506(c) (Occupancy and Conveyance)
(c) On a lot with a JADU, the property owner shall occupy either the primary dwelling or the JADU only when the JADU shares sanitation facilities with the primary dwelling, or when the owner is a governmental agency, land trust, or housing organization. When a JADU contains separate sanitation facilities, no owner-occupancy requirement shall apply, consistent with California Government Code S...
ADU Rental Restrictions
Thousand Oaks lets owners rent an ADU or JADU separately from the main house, but bans rentals of 30 days or less and forbids selling or conveying the unit apart from the primary dwelling except through a narrow state-law pathway.
Thousand Oaks ADU Rental Restrictions
Some RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) § 9-4.4506(a)-(b) (Occupancy and Conveyance)
(a) An ADU and/or JADU may be rented separately from the primary dwelling but may not be sold or otherwise conveyed separately from the primary dwelling except as provided in Government Code Section 66341. (b) An ADU and/or JADU shall not be rented for a term of thirty (30) days or less.
Shed & Carport Rules
Thousand Oaks exempts small detached accessory sheds from a building permit under TOMC § 8-4.09(b)(1), but only if the structure stays at or under 120 square feet and 12 feet in height, sits outside a required yard setback, and clears the dwelling and other accessory buildings by at least six feet.
Thousand Oaks Shed Permit Exemption Rules
Some RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) § 8-4.09(a), (b)(1)
Except as specified in this code, no building, structure or building service equipment regulated by this code shall be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, installed, improved, removed, converted or demolished unless a separate, appropriate application has been made and permit... has first been obtained from the building official. ... Building Permits. A building permit sha...
Garage Conversions
Converting a Thousand Oaks garage into living space while building a replacement garage or carport requires a precise plan of design approval under TOMC Sec. 9-4.1802(e) before the city will issue a residential building permit. The conversion cannot proceed on a standard building permit alone.
Thousand Oaks Garage Conversion Permit Rule
Significant RestrictionsThousand Oaks Municipal Code (TOMC) Sec. 9-4.1802(e) (Precise Plan of Design Required)
When none of the discretionary approvals set forth in Sections 9-4.904(h) and 9-4.1801(b) are required, a precise plan of design approval shall be required prior to the issuance of a residential building permit, for each of the following: ... (e) Garage conversion in conjunction with the construction of a new garage and/or a carport, if applicable;
Looking for Ventura County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Thousand Oaks city rules.
Accessory Structures in Ventura County →