Planning and Building Permit Costs and Requirements for An Accessory Dwelling in Menlo Park, CA

At New Avenue, we have acquired 30 different types of permits to get residential projects approved. These are “normal” projects such as additions, remodels, restorations, accessory dwellings, accessory structures, and custom homes.

One of New Avenue’s design professionals recently completed the design, permitting, and construction of an accessory dwelling in Menlo Park, CA.

This is a great starting point if you are researching. (Most people have never heard of all these fees.) While this gives you a good idea of what to expect, we guarantee your project will be different.

Here are our findings on the costs of the permits:

Planning/Zoning: $700.00

Building Permits for 640sf ADU: $6500.00

School Impact Fee $1,800.00

Here are our findings on the permit requirements:

Q: What is the zoning district?
A: R1S.

Q: What is the allowable coverage? How is it measured?
A: Floor area limit = 2800 square feet + 25% of (lot size – 7000 square feet) = 3560 square feet.

Q: Is there a floor-area ratio (FAR) between the main home and the second unit? What is it?
A: Building coverage = 35%.

Q: What is the maximum allowed size for the second unit?
A: 640 SF

Q: Do chimneys, window boxes, and/or bay windows count toward the square footage of the second unit?
A: Yes.

Q: Do other structures count toward the existing footprint?  What are they?
A: Yes, all covered open or closed spaces are included in the FAL. Building coverage is just for enclosed structures.

Q: Does the basement and/or attic count toward the floor area of the main home?
A: The basement does not. Attic space over a two-story home higher than five feet does count.

Q: Can the second unit have two floors?
A: Yes, but this depends on a 9-foot wall height limit and a 17-foot overall height limit.

Q: Can the second unit have a loft, mezzanine, open storage, closed storage, and/or attic?
A: Yes.

Q: Can the loft be habitable space?
A: No.

Q: Can the second unit have a basement, workspace, or other area? Do they count toward square footage?
A: Yes, and yes they do count towards overall FAL but not building coverage calculations.

Q: What landscaping requirements and exceptions are there?
A: None for this project.

Q: Is this a liquefaction zone?
A: No.

Q: Is this a fire zone?
A: No.

Q: Is this a flood zone?
A: This is classified as Flood Zone X—the least-flooding zone in the county.

Q: Is this an environmental zone?
A: No.

Setbacks and Dimensions

Q: What is the front setback?
A: 20 feet.

Q: What are the side setbacks?
A: 5 feet with a neighbor’s approval letter; in reality it is 10 feet because of easement.

Q: What is the rear setback?
A: 5 feet with a neighbor’s approval letter; in reality it is 10 feet because of easement.

Q: What are the required setbacks to the main home?
A: N/A—the client would like a separate secondary dwelling unit.

Q: What are any other required setbacks? (Special setbacks may be needed for creeks, power lines, key or corner lots, etc.)
A: None

Q: Are there any setback exceptions?
A: See above.

Q: Can the second unit be connected to the main home? If not, how far apart do they have to be?
A: Yes, they can be connected. If they are not, they need to be 10 feet apart.

Q: Can we continue the wall of an existing structure within a setback? Is there a maximum length for walls?
A: No.

Q: What is the maximum height limit? Is there a maximum average height limit? Can we match the height of the existing house?
A: 9 feet for exterior walls with a 17-foot maximum height.

Parking

Q: Do we measure from the sidewalk, the property line, or from somewhere else?
A: Measure from the front of the house. Otherwise, see below.

Q: How many parking spaces are required for the main home? Sizes? Do they need to be covered? What configuration or access must they have?
A: (E) garage is OK for main house. For the secondary unit: 1 (covered or uncovered); tandem is OK. Parking is permitted within the required interior side yard and within the front yard if no more than 500 square feet of the front yard is paved for motor vehicles and a minimum side setback of 18 inches is maintained.

Q: How many more new spaces are required for the property? Sizes? Do they need to be covered? What configuration or access must they have? Do they require a border around them?
A: None. The new parking spot in the driveway will suffice.

Q: Is there a turning radius or other parking rule to test?
A: No.

For a detailed budget of this project and example floor plans or to use the free New Avenue project management system, you can contact us here: Get Started