ADU rules in Santa Clarita

Santa Clarita allows ADUs and JADUs in every zone 'pursuant to California law as may be amended from time to time, including without limitation, Government Code Section 66323' (SCMC 17.42.020), and since Ord. 26-2 (adopted April 28, 2026) it has no local ADU development standards. The city's Director's Policy of February 19, 2026 approves one detached, new-construction ADU on a lot with an existing or proposed single-family home, with four-foot side and rear setbacks, plus up to two detached ADUs on a lot with a proposed multifamily building or up to eight on a lot with an existing one (never more than the number of existing units). The city's March 2026 ADU FAQ sets a detached height of 16 ft, or 18 ft plus 2 ft for roof pitch within a half mile of a transit stop. From January 1, 2027, AB 956 (Chapter 791, Statutes of 2026) raises the state-guaranteed count to two detached new-construction ADUs on a single-family lot, which the city's code adopts automatically through its reference to 66323 as amended.

An ADU created inside the existing or proposed space of a single-family home or an existing accessory structure (a conversion, including an attached garage) is allowed ministerially, together with one JADU, and the city's FAQ sets no maximum size for it. The city's Director's Policy and March 2026 FAQ list only the state-exempt Gov. Code 66323 categories (conversion, detached new construction, JADU), and the FAQ dropped the 'Attached' row the 2023 handout carried, so a new attached addition to an existing home is not among the ADU types the city says it approves. HCD told the city on December 10, 2025 that it must also allow at least one ADU under the general state standards of Gov. Code 66314 (which include attached ADUs up to 50 percent of the existing home) in combination with the 66323 units; ask Planning (661-255-4330) before designing an attached addition. On multifamily lots, ADUs may be converted from non-livable space such as storage rooms, attics, basements or garages: at least one and up to 25 percent of the existing units.

The Director's Policy (February 19, 2026) states that a detached new-construction ADU on a single-family lot 'is limited to 800 square feet of livable space', the cap Gov. Code 66323(a)(2)(A) lets a city impose on state-exempt units, and the city's March 2026 FAQ prints '800 sq. ft.' for detached units and 'No maximum allowable area' for conversions. The code itself (SCMC 17.57.040(L) as rewritten by Ord. 26-2) contains no numeric size caps. Whether a larger detached ADU can be approved under the general state standards (up to 1,200 sq ft under Gov. Code 66314(d)(5), with local caps barred below 850 sq ft or 1,000 sq ft for more than one bedroom under 66321(b)(2)) is unsettled: the city publishes no such track, while HCD's December 2025 letter says the city must allow at least one 66314 unit alongside the 66323 units. The 850/1,000 sq ft caps on the city's 2023 handout are repealed.

No owner occupancy is required for an ADU: SCMC 17.57.040(L) imposes none and Gov. Code 66315 bars 'an owner-occupant requirement'. For a JADU, SCMC 17.57.040(L)(3)(b) requires the owner to live in either the home or the JADU 'unless exempt pursuant to applicable law, including without limitation Government Code Section 66333(b)', which since January 1, 2026 requires owner occupancy only when the JADU shares sanitation facilities with the home (not when it has its own bathroom, or the owner is a government agency, land trust or housing organization). The city's March 2026 FAQ says the same: 'Either the main home or JADU must be owner-occupied if sanitation facilities are shared.' A recorded JADU deed restriction barring separate sale is still required (the city posts a JADU Deed Restriction Covenant form).

Ord. 26-2 (adopted April 28, 2026) deleted the former Accessory Dwelling Unit row of the SCMC 17.42.010 use chart, which had required one space per unit or bedroom with the state exemptions, and replaced it with the SCMC 17.42.020 state-law use type; a full-code eCode360 search finds no other ADU parking rule. Because the city approves ADUs under the state-exempt Gov. Code 66323 categories, no parking can be imposed on them (66323(b) bars any standard the section does not authorize), and JADUs never require additional parking (66334). The 2023 handout's one-space rule and its JADU garage replacement-parking rule are repealed.

SCMC 17.22.090: 'The Class I application ministerial process shall apply to accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units' (last amended by Ord. 26-2); a Class I application is a ministerial check of compliance with no discretionary review. The Planning Division reviews every ADU and JADU before Building and Safety plan check, through the city's no-cost Over-the-Counter review for small residential projects. State law requires a completeness determination within 15 business days and a decision within 60 days of a complete application, or the permit is deemed approved, with no hearing (Gov. Code 66317).

SCMC 17.57.040(L)(3)(a): 'any rental of the ADU must be for a term of 30 days or longer'; (L)(3)(b): the JADU 'may not be sold separately' and 'cannot be rented for any period less than 30 days.' Gov. Code 66323(e) and 66333(g) require terms 'longer than 30 days' for units created under 66323 and for JADUs, and the city's code says state law controls where they conflict, so plan on a minimum term of 31 days. The city's April 14, 2026 staff report notes the city 'is required by state law to prohibit short-term rental of ADUs and JADUs'; the code has no separate short-term rental permit program. The March 2026 FAQ: an ADU 'may be rented separately from the primary residence, but may not be sold or otherwise conveyed separately.'