Planning and Building Permits Required For a New Accessory Dwelling in San Ramon, CA
At New Avenue we have acquired over 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.
In planning a new accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in San Ramon, CA, one of New Avenue’s partner designers recently met with San Ramon city planner Lauren Barr. Here’s what our designer learned about the required permits. While we guarantee your project will be different, this is a great starting point if you are researching.
Here are our partner designer’s findings for this particular project:
Q: What is the zoning district?
A: The Windemere 4 development.
Q: What is the allowable coverage? How is it measured?
A: There are no lot coverage requirements.
Q: Is there a floor-area ratio (FAR) between the main home and the second unit? What is it?
A: See below.
Q: What is the maximum allowed size for the second unit?
A: For an attached or detached second dwelling unit, the maximum allowed size is 350 square feet or 35% of the main house (up to 1,200 square feet max.), whichever is less. For an attached in-law unit with no kitchen, there is no limit. A detached in-law unit with no kitchen may be a maximum of 5% of the lot size.
Q: Do chimneys, window boxes, and/or bay windows count toward the square footage of the second unit?
A: No.
Q: Do other structures count toward the existing footprint? What are they?
A: There is no maximum footprint.
Q: Does the basement and/or attic count toward the floor area of the main home?
A: Only habitable spaces count toward floor area.
Q: Can the second unit have two floors?
A: Yes.
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: Yes.
Q: Can the second unit have a basement, workspace, or other area? Do they count toward square footage?
A: Yes. Any habitable space counts toward square footage.
Q: What landscaping requirements and exceptions are there?
A: N/A
Setbacks and Dimensions
Q: What is the front setback?
A: For an addition to the main house with no kitchen, the front setback is 18 feet, but this can be reduced to 15 feet for ground floor space if the garage is a minimum of 18 feet from the sidewalk. For a second dwelling unit with a kitchen the front setback is a minimum of 20 feet.
Q: What are the side setbacks?
A: For an addition to the main house (no kitchen), the side setback is 5 feet. At corner lots, it is 10 feet. For a second dwelling unit (with kitchen), the side setback is 7 feet from the interior side and corner side property line. For a detached accessory structure with no kitchen, a minimum 6-foot setback is required. (This is based on a maximum building height of 9 feet minus 3 feet.)
Q: What is the rear setback?
A: For an addition to the main house (no kitchen), the rear setback is 20 feet. For a second dwelling unit with a kitchen, it is 7 feet.
Q: Are there any setback exceptions?
A: None that we found.
Q: Can the second unit be connected to the main home? If not, how far apart do they have to be?
A: Yes.
Q: What is the maximum height limit? Is there a max average height limit? Can we match the height of the existing house?
A: The maximum height limit is 35 feet for a second dwelling unit and 16 feet for a detached unit. This is measured to the midpoint of a sloped roof.
Parking
Q: Do we measure from the sidewalk, the property line, or from somewhere else?
A: Measure from the property line.
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: Two spaces are required for a main house with four bedrooms or less. Three spaces are required if the main house has five bedrooms.
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: An ADU requires one new space.
Q: Is there a turning radius or other parking rule to test?
A: N/A
Additional notes.
In adding a new second dwelling unit with a kitchen, additional costs include new gas and electric meters, a new water meter, and a sewer connection. The additional fees for these items can be between $30,000 and $40,000. For a new detached dwelling unit with a kitchen, the fire department will likely require an automatic fire sprinkler system. This could be another $25,000.
For a detailed budget of this project, example floor plans or to use the free New Avenue project management system you can sign up for free here: Get Started