FAQs • South Lake Tahoe, CA • CivicEngage

Can a portion of an existing house, garage or other accessory structure be converted to an ADU?: Yes, provided the structure was legally constructed with building permits and the structure can be upgraded to meet the building code requirements for a living unit. When an existing garage or other accessory structure is converted to an ADU, no additional building setback is required. The ADU must have independent exterior access from the existing residence.

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General Questions

1. Where are ADUs allowed?: An ADU is permitted on parcels zoned for single and multiple family residential land uses where a primary dwelling is proposed or existing.

2. Can a portion of an existing house, garage or other accessory structure be converted to an ADU?: Yes, provided the structure was legally constructed with building permits and the structure can be upgraded to meet the building code requirements for a living unit. When an existing garage or other accessory structure is converted to an ADU, no additional building setback is required. The ADU must have independent exterior access from the existing residence.

3. What is the minimum lot size required for an ADU?: There is no minimum lot size required for an ADU.

4. Can an ADU be constructed above or attached to a garage?: Yes, provided the garage was legally constructed with building permits and the structure can be upgraded to meet the building code requirements for a second story and a living unit. An ADU constructed above a garage must meet the setbacks required for that parcel.

5. How big can an ADU be?: An ADU with less than 2 bedrooms can be up to 850 square feet and with 2 bedrooms can be up to 1,000 square feet. An attached ADU is limited to 50% of the primary dwelling floor area. A JADU can be up to 500 square feet and needs to be built within the framework of a single family detached primary dwelling.

6. How many ADUs can I build on my property?: Where ADUs are permissible, each single-family parcel is able to have up to three dwellings. One primary dwelling, one detached ADU and one Junior ADU or one detached ADU and one attached ADU. Two detached ADUs, up to 800 square feet each, are allowed on parcels where multi-family structures exist as long as the number of converted ADUs within a structure does not exceed 25% of the existing units. There is no limit on the square footage of the primary dwelling.

7. Can I add a “tiny home” as an ADU?: Tiny homes are residential dwellings that are 400 square feet or less and there are a variety of types (i.e. manufactured, factory built, stick built, park model RV). Tiny homes are allowed as ADUs in the City if they are on permanent foundations and meet California Residential Building Code requirements.

8. What if my HOA does not allow an ADU?: Homeowner associations (HOAs and CC&Rs) must allow the construction of ADUs according to recent state legislation.