ADU Complaints From the Neighbors
Can neighbors complain about your ADU?
We get this question a lot from Californians trying to build an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). And even once construction is done, owners want to know if neighbors can complain about it being rented out.
ADU Complaints and Discretionary Permits
Can your neighbors stop your ADU by complaining?
In the past, many cities and HOAs used restrictive ordinances to put complicated limits on accessory dwelling units.
But since January 2020, the rules are much clearer.
To encourage the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units, the state has a broad definition of an ADU and requires that you should be able to get a permit promptly without any discretionary steps, as long as you stay within some pretty generous size constraints.
Our expert guest Laura Blair from BuildZig talks about the new laws, and what you can do with your ADU.
As long as you respect the 4 foot setbacks and 16 foot height maximum, you’re pretty much good to go.
Who are these ADU experts?
Laura Blair is a member of the California Bar and the COO of BuildZig. She has significant expertise in a number of fields including land use (her legal specialization) as well as planning and permits (often referred to as entitlements).
BuildZig is a one-stop shop to get consumers from planning through construction to completed projects. And that makes them very good people to talk to for homeowners like How To ADU subscribers.
The webinar was very informative and we thought we’d share the video recording here for others to benefit.
What other ADU topics did we discuss?
Watch the whole Q&A ADU Webinar on our blog or by joining the How To ADU Facebook group.
Accessory Dwelling Unit topics - Timestamp in video
Laura Blair went over the ABC’s of ADU’s - 14:05
What are the new rules starting in January 2020? - 37:50
My property has been in two different cities over time. Who do I talk to at the city? - 40:36
Have you noticed cities or counties leading the pack to make ADU construction easier? - 44:35
Can my neighbors object to my ADU? - 47:21
Can I do a garage conversion and add on to it - can I combine my garage easement and a new foundation for the add-on? - 49:20
What if your foundation is brick or appears to be brick? - 54:15
Lots of great questions. We’ll be breaking some of the most popular questions out into their own articles.
Please share this article and the recording with friends and family looking into building an Accessory Dwelling Unit.
Get more videos like this one and free invitations to future How To ADU webinars by subscribing to our emails with the form below, or by joining the How To ADU Facebook group.