Yes! New California state regulations mean nearly all residential properties (both single family and multifamily) are eligible for ADUs. Additionally, municipalities must allow all ADUs of up to 800 sq. ft. in size with 4 ft. property line setbacks and up to 16 ft. in height under the new California Statewide Exemption ADU rules. Most municipalities allow larger ADUs with even fewer restrictions, and these vary from city to city. We cover this topic in more detail in our Resources page about ADU eligibility and in our municipal ADU regulations pages.

Accessory Dwelling Units can come in many shapes and sizes, from an attached garage conversion or an in-law suite to a backyard guest house or a basement studio apartment. The best ADU design is one that matches the use cases, budget, and needs of both you and your property. Cottage’s architectural design team can help bring the best ADU for you to life. Learn more from our article describing how we think about floor plans and to see a few sample ADU designs.

Cottage’s in-house design team specializes in only ADUs, creating efficient and elegant small space designs that result in a smoother permitting process. After the initial permit submission to the local municipality, our permit operations team works hand-in-hand with our design team to address plan check comments promptly while keeping you in the loop. Cottage has built local permitting expertise in over 50 municipalities - we’ve likely permitted an ADU in your city already!

Cottage’s ADU builder partners are local construction experts that specialize in ADUs and have decades of experience building in your area. Cottage carefully vets all potential contractors to ensure that they not only do high-quality work, but also deliver projects at great, consistent prices. Learn more from our article describing how we think about working with General Contractors here.