Sewer Districts and Onsite Septic Systems: If your property is outside of a sewer service district, you will need to find out if your septic system will meet local requirements when adding an ADU to your property. You may have to increase your septic capacity (add a new tank) or establish a new water source, which can be an unexpected cost, so talk to the El Dorado County Environmental Management Department early in the process to find out (see the Contact page for details).

Water Wells: If your home is not served by the public water system, El Dorado County Environmental Management will require a capacity report to ensure the existing water well is adequate for an additional residence. You must submit a perc test, septic design, and well production report to Environmental Management (with or after building permit application).

City of Placerville: Septic systems are not permitted in the City unless the public sewer main is greater than 200 feet from the residence. Septic systems require a permit application, a review and an approval by the El Dorado County Environmental Management Department.

Conversion ADUs: New connections and fees not required.

Attached/detached ADUs: Separate utility connections and connection fee/capacity charges are required for new ADUs and are due when building permit is issued.

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) come in many shapes and sizes but are always a self-contained home that is usually smaller than the main house and legally part of the same property. They must have a kitchen, bathroom, and place to sleep, and typically range from studios under 500 square feet to large homes with multiple bedrooms.

Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs) are within the footprint of your home (or attached garage) and less than 500 square feet. They can share a bathroom with the main home and/or have an efficiency kitchen (sink, cooking appliance, fridge, and small counter). Construction costs for JADUs are typically much lower. In most cases, the property owner must live on site in either the main home or the JADU.

State law now allows homeowners to have both a JADU and a regular ADU on their property.

You’re not required to tell your neighbors about your ADU, but it’s always a good idea to communicate with them early in the process. Your project will run more smoothly if they are kept informed, and they may have great ideas for your project!

If you live in a Neighborhood or Homeowners Association, talk with your representative or board early in the process. They can’t prevent you from building or renting an ADU, but they may have guidelines you’ll need to know for design and construction.

In most cases, yes! ADUs and JADUs are allowed in all single-family and mixed-use zones. If residential buildings are allowed, ADUs are almost always allowed too (with limited exceptions for safety, traffic, and water). Confirm with Planning staff (City of Placerville Planning Department or El Dorado County Planning Services) – see our Contact page for more information.

Homeowners can convert legally built structures (garage, barn, art studio) into an ADU. JADUs can be converted from an attached garage, but not detached.

If you demolish your garage or other enclosed structure and build an ADU in its place, the ADU can be in the same footprint if it’s the same size and height of the structure it’s replacing. You may need to provide replacement parking; check with Planning staff for more details (see the Contact page).

Demolition permits for an existing detached garage can be processed at the same time as the ADU permits. Note that garage conversion ADUs may require significant moisture barriers and other design elements in order to meet building codes.

Garage conversions do not require off-street parking spaces, nor do they require replacement parking (with an exception for JADUs in Placerville; see below).

City of Placerville: There must be documentation that the building was legally built, and this may be used as a building permit (subject to review by director). The building must also be upgraded to meet the current code. Conversions must meet a variety of other standards and criteria similar to new construction (confirm with Planning staff). JADUs converted from an attached garage may be required to provide replacement parking.

Homeowners can build both an ADU and JADU on their property. Multifamily properties can have at least two detached ADUs. Talk to Planning staff for more information.

According to state law, most ADUs can be at least 800 square feet, as long as rear and side setbacks are at least 4 feet and it is not above 16 feet tall. Otherwise, size limits depend on your property. No room behind or next to your main home? You can build it in your front yard instead.

See more details on the Learn the Rules page.

According to state law, rules about setbacks, lot coverage, and open space requirements cannot restrict you from building an 800 square foot ADU, as long as the ADU has setbacks of at least 4 feet and is not above 16 feet tall. Front setbacks also cannot restrict you from building an 800 square foot ADU, which means an ADU can be in a front yard – but only if rear or side placement isn’t possible.

Until at least 2025, homeowners are not required to live on their property if it includes an ADU. However, JADU owners need to live in the primary unit or the JADU – and this will need to be recorded in a deed restriction for the property.

No. ADUs and JADUs cannot be rented short-term.

El Dorado County: Minimum 30 day rental.
Placerville: Minimum 31 day rental.

Parking is much less of a concern than it used to be. See details below for El Dorado County and the City of Placerville.

Unincorporated El Dorado County:
One off-street parking space required per unit, unless:

• The unit is a JADU
• Within ½ mile to public transit
• In a Design Review-Historic Combining Zone (-DH)
• Converted from primary dwelling or permitted accessory structure
• On-street parking permits are required but not offered to ADU occupant
• Within 1 block of car share

The required space may be tandem or in the side yard/setback (ask Planning staff to verify allowed placement). Garage conversions do not require a replacement parking space.

Placerville:
Detached ADUs: One off-street space required, unless:

• Within ½ mile to public transit
• In architecturally and historically significant historic district
• On-street parking permits are required but not offered to ADU occupant
• Within 1 block of car share

Attached or conversion – no off-street parking requirement

Multi-family: One parking space per unit. Replacement parking required for any parking spaces eliminated by new construction.

The required space may be tandem or in the side yard/setback (ask staff to verify allowed placement).

When a garage, carport, or covered parking space is replaced by an ADU, the parking space does not need to be replaced. JADUs are still subject to parking requirements if created within an attached garage.

No.

JADUs: You’ll need to record in a deed restriction for the property that the JADU cannot be sold separately from the primary home.

ADUs: El Dorado County does not require a deed restriction for ADUs. Placerville requires a deed restriction stipulating that the ADU can’t be sold separately from the primary residence. See more information here.

An unpermitted ADU can make it difficult to sell or refinance your property. If an unpermitted unit is discovered and is under construction, the county will issue a stop work order. If the building is complete, it will need an as-built permit, which has extra fees and requires substantial physical work on the building to assess the condition and details.

For unpermitted ADUs built before January 1, 2018, state law says a permit to legalize cannot be denied even if there is a violation of ADU laws or building standards, unless it is a “health and safety concern” or if the building is deemed “substandard” by state Health and Safety Code.