ADU problems: causes, fixes and who helps

Permit and design problems

• ADU permit denied: common causes and next steps. An ADU permit denied or held incomplete usually comes down to a fixable gap: missing documents, a design that breaks an objective standard, or a site issue such as setbacks, fire access or utilities.
• Neighbor objection to an ADU: what it can and cannot change. A neighbor objection to an ADU usually cannot stop a California permit on its own.
• Fire sprinkler requirement triggered for an ADU. A fire sprinkler requirement for an ADU usually follows the main house.
• Lot coverage exceeded for an ADU: what to do. Lot coverage exceeded for an ADU means the buildings on the lot would cover more ground than the zone allows.
• Title 24 failure on an ADU: causes and fixes. A Title 24 failure on an ADU means the design or the finished unit does not meet California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24, Part 6).
• ADU plan check delays: why they happen and what helps. ADU plan check delays usually come from incomplete submittals and rounds of corrections, not the review itself.

Money and site problems

• ADU cost overrun: why it happens and what to do. An ADU cost overrun usually starts in a few places: site work and utility connections that were left out or underestimated, low allowances for finishes, unknown conditions in a conversion, and change orders.
• Utility connection refused for an ADU: what to check. A utility connection refused for an ADU usually means the sewer line, water service or electrical service cannot serve a second unit as designed.
• ADU impact fees too high? Check the rules first. If ADU impact fees look too high, check the size first.
• Septic system too small for an ADU: options. A septic system too small for an ADU means the tank or drain field cannot take the added flow from a second unit.

Problems held for legal or lending review

Contractor abandoning a build, a low appraisal, being unable to finance, an HOA blocking an ADU, buying a house with an unpermitted ADU, and a lender ignoring ADU rent all turn on legal or lending advice.

Those pages will be published only after a qualified reviewer signs them. Until then, our contractor enforcement research, financing research and legalization research cover the public record.