Database

Pre-approved ADU plans

Name: California pre-approved ADU plan programs, verified jurisdictions
Creator: HyreADU Research Desk
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Which California cities actually have a catalog you can use — and which only have a process page with nothing on it.

Updated September 2026 · Data as of Official program pages retrieved 2026-09-05

Written by HyreADU Research Desk Primary-source research and data analysis

21/21 named cities with at least an AB 1332 process page 2026-09-05; not a 480-jurisdiction census

12 of those with a named catalog this desk could read The rest are empty, expired, or uncounted galleries

30 days statutory decision window for a complete detached application using a current-cycle preapproved plan Gov. Code § 65852.27(b) — a clock, not a measured median

The finding

HyreADU opened the official pre-approved / standard-plan / permit-ready ADU program pages for 21 named California cities on 2026-09-05, plus 14 further cities and counties found in the same pass, and the state Factory-Built Housing program.

Every one of the 21 named cities has at least an AB 1332 process page. That is not the same as a catalog a homeowner can use. 12 of those 21 had a named current catalog this desk could read on the page. 2 posted “none” or no approved plans. 1 (Fremont) had to retire 2022-cycle plans when the 2025 California Building Standards Code took effect on 1 January 2026. 6 have a live intake or a JavaScript gallery this desk could not independently count.

None of the 21 returned no program — so the anti-omission table is a table of empty and unusable catalogs, not a table of missing statutes.

HCD factory-built housing is not a city pre-approval and is kept off the city table. What a catalog does to approval time is not yet measured.

What this directory is, and what it refuses to be

Cities have been launching pre-approved and permit-ready ADU plan programs faster than anyone has been keeping a public list. A homeowner deciding between a custom drawing and a catalog has had nowhere official to look.

Planning departments have had no directory that lists their own program next to the cities that have a process and no plans. This page is that list, for the jurisdictions this desk actually opened on 2026-09-05.

It is not a census of California’s roughly 480 cities and counties. Assembly Bill 1332 (Gov. Code § 65852.27) required every local agency to develop a preapproval program by 1 January 2025.

A process page satisfies the statute. A populated catalog of current-code plans is a different and rarer object. Treating the first as the second is the error this directory is built to avoid.

The named set we were asked to open is Los Angeles, San Francisco, San José, San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Santa Monica, Long Beach, Burbank, Pasadena, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Fresno, Bakersfield, Anaheim and Irvine — plus HCD factory-built housing at the state level.

Additional programs found in the same pass (counties and extra cities) are in a later table, labeled as extras, not folded into a fake statewide rate.

HyreADU does not sell plans and does not build ADUs. Nothing here is a recommendation of a designer, a manufacturer or a plan. A city’s posting of a plan is not an endorsement of the applicant — the statute says so in terms, at § 65852.27(a)(4)(A)(ii).

Four things the market collapses into one phrase

City or county pre-approved plan: A non-site-specific ADU drawing a local building department has already reviewed for code. Using it still requires a building permit and a site-specific package (site plan, setbacks, foundation, utilities, energy). It is the object this directory tracks.
AB 1332 program: The statutory duty, from 1 January 2025, to accept ADU plan submissions for preapproval from any party, post approved plans and contacts, and decide a complete detached application that uses a current-cycle preapproved plan within 30 days. A program can exist with zero plans posted.
HCD Factory-Built Housing: State regulation of housing manufactured off-site. An HCD Insignia of Approval is not a city pre-approval. The local department still permits the foundation, the site and the installation. See the HCD section below.
Permit-ready / shelf-ready / standard plan: Local brand names for the same family of object. “Permit-ready” does not mean the permit has been issued. “Standard plan” in Los Angeles is the LADBS catalog. “Shelf Ready” in Sacramento is a city-drawn giveaway. The label is not the legal effect.

The statute buys a 30-day decision, not a discount and not a permit

AB 1332 added Government Code § 65852.27. The duty is on every local agency, including charter cities. Three facts from the text, and not from trade blogs, decide what a homeowner actually gets.

First, the agency must take plans from anyone and post the ones it preapproves. It may also admit plans it drew itself, and plans preapproved by other agencies in the state.

It is not required to own plans, to give them away, or to have received a single submission. ABAG’s implementation note is blunt: if no one submits, the jurisdiction is done.

Second, the 30-day clock is narrow. It applies to a complete application for a detached ADU that uses a plan preapproved in the current triennial California Building Standards Code cycle, or a plan identical to one the agency already approved in that cycle. It is ministerial.

It is not, by its terms, a 30-day clock for an attached ADU, a garage conversion or a JADU. The ordinary ADU completeness clock under the rest of state ADU law remains 60 days.

Third, the statute does not cut plan-check fees by half. It lets the agency charge the same permitting fees it would charge for a same-sized ADU.

Any 50% plan-check discount (Berkeley), $1,000 flat review (Fremont), 25% plan-check cut (Santa Barbara) or free city PDF (Oakland, Fresno, Anaheim, Sacramento Shelf Ready, Pasadena Prototype A) is a local policy. Verify it on the program page, not from a statewide claim.

The plan fee in the tables below is the cost of the drawings — free city PDF, or a license paid to the designer — not the cost of building the unit. Construction cost is a different study: what an ADU actually costs to build in California.

The 2026 code-cycle cliff

Preapproval is only good inside the triennial code cycle it was issued in. The 2025 California Building Standards Code took effect on 1 January 2026. Plans reviewed under the 2022 cycle are not, without a local exception, current-cycle plans for the purpose of § 65852.27(b).

Fremont says so in terms: as of 1 January 2026, all preapproved ADU plans designed under the 2022 regulations are invalid and unable to be used. One 499-square-foot plan was listed as currently usable on 2026-09-05; the rest of the old roster is waiting on 2025-code resubmittals.

Pasadena says so in terms: standard plans expired 31 December 2025. One 374-square-foot studio (Prototype A) was updated to the 2025 CBC and posted in August 2026 for citywide single-family use. The rest of the old catalog is restricted to Eaton Fire red-tagged properties.

Sacramento’s Shelf Ready page still labeled the three city plans as meeting 2022 CRC requirements on 2026-09-05, even though a January 2026 city report said the plans were updated in December 2025 and the city is requiring 2025-code submittals from 1 January 2026.

Mountain View’s program page, in the version indexed for this pass, still stated that the current cycle expired 31 December 2025.

A plan on a city website is not a 2025-cycle plan until the department says the cycle. Ask before you pay a designer for a license.

What the named-city pass actually found

21 named cities opened, as asked 2026-09-05

12 of those with a named catalog this desk could read on the page Status “catalog” in the table below

3 empty postings or 2022-cycle catalogs the city has invalidated Santa Monica none; San Francisco none posted; Fremont 2022-cycle retired

0 named cities with no program page at all AB 1332 made the process page the baseline

Named cities with a catalog this desk could read (12)

Jurisdiction	Program	Plans posted	Plan fee (drawings, not build)	Still requires	Source
City of Los Angeles	LADBS ADU Standard Plan Program	1 city-owned + designer catalog	YOU-ADU: free. Designer plans: paid to the plan owner (not published by LADBS)	Building permit; site-specific zoning and foundation review	Program page
City of San José	Preapproved ADUs	7 approved (5 vendors)	Paid to the vendor. City does not publish the license price.	Site-specific documents (location, utilities, setbacks, zoning). Lot must be residential with an existing single-family home or duplex, and must not be in a geohazard, landslide, flood or WUI area.	Program page
City of San Diego	Preapproved ADU Plans (AB 1332)	Accepts 3 other-agency catalogs	Paid to the ADU provider. City: contact the provider for the license cost.	Building permit; 30-day review; must comply with San Diego Municipal Code development regulations, including setbacks and any Coastal Overlay requirements.	Program page
City of Sacramento	Preapproved ADUs (AB-1332) and Shelf Ready ADU Plans	3 city Shelf Ready (vendor AB-1332 list empty)	Shelf Ready: free. Modifications not allowed (mirroring is). Designer AB-1332 plans, if later listed: not posted.	Site plan; site-specific design and permitting, including planning and zoning, like any other new building project.	Program page
City of Oakland	Pre-Approved ADU building plans	3 city PDFs (studio, 1-bed, 2-bed)	City PDFs: free to use (hold-harmless required). Plan-check fee is discounted if the city plans are used — Prohousing application language; confirm the current fee at intake. Designer-owned plans, if later listed: paid to the designer.	Planning/zoning worksheet and a building permit. Pre-approved plans may not be an option in certain neighborhoods. Creek areas and high-fire S-9 have extra requirements.	Program page
City of Berkeley	Pre-Approved Designs / ADU Plans Gallery	Gallery (count not independently enumerated)	Paid to the designer. City: pre-approved designs qualify for a plan-check fee at 50% of the usual cost.	Building permit; zoning confirmation with Land Use Planning before selecting a design. Design changes are not accepted into a pre-approved submittal.	Program page
City of Burbank	Burbank Preapproved ADU Program (BPAP)	2 listed (1 city, 1 LADBS)	City studio: contact the city (no purchase price posted). LADBS plan: paid to the plan owner. BPAP enrollment fees for designers equal permit application fees by square footage.	Planning zoning preclearance; then Planning, Public Works, BWP Electric, BWP Water and Fire review at permit. School facilities fees. Very High Fire Zone max 800 sf. Rancho area: no new-construction ADUs.	Program page
City of Pasadena	ADU Standard Plans Program	1 citywide (2025 CBC); others Eaton Fire only	City Prototype A: free. Designer plans (Eaton-restricted): paid to the designer. Hold Harmless required.	Site plan; address application; plan review (~3–4 weeks first cycle per the city; ~2 weeks resubmittal). Modifications are not allowed; a modified plan is a full review. Slope, hillside, expansive soil, fire sprinklers, solar PV and surveys may still be required.	Program page
City of Sunnyvale	Sunnyvale ADU Plans Gallery	Gallery (count not independently enumerated)	Paid to the designer.	Required permit; site-specific review. City: processed within 30 days.	Program page
City of Santa Barbara	Preapproved ADU Program	Posted (count not independently enumerated)	Paid to the designer. City: 25% discount on plan-check fees (construction and inspection still apply).	Eligibility check with Planning; site-specific building permit. Plans must be identical to the preapproved set; any deviation is rejected.	Program page
City of Fresno	ADU and Small Homes Program	5 free plans × 3 elevations	Free (city construction drawings).	Building permit; site/plot plan for the specific lot. New electrical service panel per plan. Plans 1 and 3 require a gas line per the duplex/cottage-court packet.	Program page
City of Anaheim	Pre-Approved Plan Catalog / ADU Express	4 free	Listed as Free.	ADU Express eligibility screening (address, selected plan, meter spot). Site-specific work still applies. Plans may not be modified on the Express track.	Program page

Named cities from the 2026-09-05 pass whose official page listed at least one identifiable plan, including city-owned PDFs and designer-owned catalogs. “Plans posted” is what the page showed that day, not a promise it will show the same tomorrow.

A catalog plan does not make a lot eligible. Site conditions, setbacks, utilities, fire, flood, WUI, historic status and the primary dwelling still decide. HyreADU does not rank the designers named on these pages.

What those catalogs actually contain

Los Angeles is the largest object in the set and the one this desk could not fully count. LADBS hosts a city-owned plan, YOU-ADU, 455 square feet, free, plus a designer-owned catalog on the same page.

The City’s 2024 Annual Progress Report said 79 standard plans had received pre-approval as of 31 December 2024. The live listing did not return a complete parseable table on 2026-09-05, so 79 stays a city-reported stock figure, not a HyreADU enumeration. Site-specific zoning and foundation review still happen.

San José is the one this desk could count by hand: seven approved plans from five vendors on 2026-09-05, and a separate under-review list that is not eligible for the expedited path.

Same-day issuance is a city claim for complete site-specific packages on lots that are not in geohazard, landslide, flood or WUI. The license price is the vendor’s.

San Diego does not host a city-owned ADU catalog on the page we opened.

It accepts three other agencies’ catalogs — County of San Diego, Chula Vista, Encinitas — and will preapprove new plans under Information Bulletin 114a. That is § 65852.27(a)(5)(B) working as designed: one city admitting another agency’s plans. The license cost is still the provider’s.

Giveaway PDFs are the other model. Oakland posts three city drawing sets. Fresno posts five plans in three elevations, free, and has dropped the Zone Clearance so the application goes to building permit.

Anaheim lists four free plans from 224 to 1,199 square feet. Sacramento posts three Shelf Ready sets (367 / 559 / 747 habitable square feet) and, on 2026-09-05, had no third-party AB-1332 plans listed under the heading that promised them.

Pasadena’s citywide giveaway has shrunk to one 374-square-foot studio on the 2025 code. Burbank lists a 432-square-foot city studio plus one LADBS plan it has separately accepted.

Berkeley and Sunnyvale put the catalog in an ADU Accelerator gallery this desk did not scrape. They are in the catalog table because the official page says pre-approved designs are there, with a fee or clock attached (Berkeley: 50% plan-check; Sunnyvale: 30-day processing). The count is “not independently enumerated,” not “dozens.”

Named cities: program live, catalog empty, expired, or uncounted

Jurisdiction	Program	What we found	Plans posted	Source
City and County of San Francisco	Pre-approved ADU Plans (DBI)	Program live; no plans posted	None posted	Program page
City of Fremont	Preapproved Accessory Dwelling Units	2022-cycle plans invalid after 1 Jan 2026	1 current-code listed; remainder 2022-cycle (invalid)	Program page
City of Santa Monica	Preapproved ADU Program	Program live; no plans posted	None at this time	Program page
City of Long Beach	Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Program (PAADU)	Process live; catalog not independently enumerable	Not listed on the program homepage	Program page
City of Palo Alto	ADU Plans Gallery / Master Detached ADU Design for Pre-Approval	Process live; catalog not independently enumerable	Gallery; seeking submissions	Program page
City of Mountain View	Preapproved ADU Program	Process live; catalog not independently enumerable	Posted on ADU Accelerator (count not independently enumerated)	Program page
City of Santa Cruz	Pre-approved ADU Program	Process live; catalog not independently enumerable	Growing list (not enumerated on the page retrieved)	Program page
City of Irvine	Pre-Approved ADU Plans Program (AB 1332)	Process live; catalog not independently enumerable	Not enumerated on retrieval	Program page
City of Bakersfield	ADU Standard Plans Gallery	Process live; catalog not independently enumerable	Gallery claimed; not independently enumerated	Program page

The anti-omission table. These cities were opened. They are not missing. A process without a current-code plan is not a catalog, and omitting them would make the directory look more useful than it is.

San Francisco’s designer fee is $2,408 on the webpage and $1,472 on the fillable application dated 2025 — a reconciliation the department has not made on the page.

Irvine’s program URL redirected to the homepage on automated retrieval; the Hold Harmless and development-standards forms exist. Bakersfield’s gallery is claimed on the city ADU page and did not render a plan list to this desk.

Santa Monica posted the honest sentence

Santa Monica’s program page, retrieved 2026-09-05, lists “NONE AT THIS TIME” under preapproved Standard ADU Plans and Vendors.

That is the correct public record for a city that has built the AB 1332 intake and has not yet approved a plan to hang on it.

San Francisco’s page is the same object with more words: a $2,408 designer-intake program, a list of building elements DBI will review, and no approved-plan gallery.

Long Beach, Palo Alto, Mountain View, the City of Santa Cruz, Irvine and Bakersfield are not empty in that sense. They have a program, and in some cases a gallery or a second-installment call for designers.

This desk could not independently enumerate current-code plans on the pages it retrieved. Recording them as “yes, 12 plans” from a third-party aggregator would have been a fabrication. Recording them as “no program” would have been a different fabrication.

The practical consequence for a homeowner is simple. Search the city’s own program page the week you start. A catalog that existed in 2024 can be invalid in 2026. A program that existed in January can have four plans in June. This directory is a dated snapshot, not a substitute for the counter.

Additional programs found in the same pass (14)

Jurisdiction	Program	Plans posted	Plan fee (drawings, not build)	Still requires	Source
County of Santa Cruz (unincorporated)	Pre-Designed ADU Plans	3 sizes × 3 exteriors	Free to download. Permit fees (county figures, not plan fees): approx. $5,000 / $6,000 / $20,000+ depending on size; school and fire review extra; impact fees on the 998 sf plan.	Building permit; review by all relevant departments. Plans checked for building code and basic health and life safety only.	Program page
County of Santa Barbara (unincorporated)	Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Building Plans	4 plan sets × 3 styles	Free to download. Reduced plan-check fees for unmodified applications (amount confirm at counter).	Site plan (application incomplete without it). Coastal Zone: Coastal Development Permit. Zoning siting (setbacks). Not suitable for steep slopes, unstable soils, flood hazards without special studies.	Program page
County of Santa Clara (unincorporated)	Pre-Approved ADU Program	2 county plan sets (2 styles each)	Free. Minimum plan-review fees (2 hours) for applications using the plans without modification.	Project-specific site plan, Title 24 CF-1R, roof truss design from a manufacturer. Zoning and Energy Code still reviewed.	Program page
County of Sacramento (unincorporated)	Shelf Ready ADU Program	5 variations	Free (HCD LEAP grant). Standard building fees still apply. ADUs >750 sf subject to impact fees.	Site plan. Modifications not allowed. Unincorporated county only.	Program page
County of San Diego (unincorporated)	Standard ADU Plans / dwelling unit building plans	Posted (accepted by City of San Diego)	Confirm on the county page (not restated here).	Project-specific information; unincorporated county, unless another city (e.g. City of San Diego) has separately accepted the plans.	Program page
City of Encinitas	Permit-Ready Accessory Dwelling Unit (PRADU) Program	Posted (accepted by City of San Diego)	Confirm on the Encinitas page.	Site-specific permit. City of San Diego applicants using Encinitas plans must still meet San Diego submittal guidelines.	Program page
City of Chula Vista	City Standard ADU Plans	Posted (accepted by City of San Diego)	Confirm on the Chula Vista page.	Site-specific permit.	Program page
County of Placer (unincorporated)	Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Plans / Master ADU Program	5+ listed on the page	Purchase from the Master Plan applicant (designer). Not a county giveaway.	Site-specific building permit. Know setbacks, septic/well, existing permits, site plan.	Program page
County of Kern (unincorporated)	Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Units	Multiple designer plans posted	Paid to the listed engineer/architect/designer.	Site-specific permit. Confirm climate zone.	Program page
City of Hayward	Pre-Approval of ADU Plans / ADU Plans Gallery	Gallery (accepting designer applications)	Paid to the designer once listed. Designer preapproval: e-Permit Portal application 'Pre-Approval of ADU Plan Set (No Site-Specific Plans)'.	Site-specific permit after purchase.	Program page
City of Monterey Park	Pre-Approved ADU Plans	4 (as of June 2026, per the city page)	Purchase from the approved designer.	The designer to finalize plans, secure a building permit, and customize for the property.	Program page
City of Stockton	Pre-approved ADU plans	3 city plans (studio, 1-bed, 2-bed)	Free. Hold Harmless (BLDG-0078) required.	Site-specific design and permitting approval as on all standard projects.	Program page
City of Torrance	Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Program	4 listed on the page	Paid to the designer.	Contract with the designer; building permit; site-specific details (title sheet, utility plan, complete site plan, structural calcs as applicable, energy calcs).	Program page
City of Glendale	Standard Accessory Dwelling Unit Plan Program	1 listed; others 'coming soon'	Paid to the design firm.	Applicant must verify zoning compliance before submitting a building permit. Site-specific conditions may still block use.	Program page

7 county programs and 7 extra cities, found by searching “pre-approved ADU plans” plus the jurisdiction and opening the official page or the URL another city cited. They are not part of the 21-city denominator above.

County plans are for unincorporated areas unless a city has separately admitted them (City of San Diego’s use of County, Chula Vista and Encinitas plans is the documented case). A Placer County master plan is purchased from the designer, not given away.

HCD factory-built housing is not a city pre-approved plan

The California Department of Housing and Community Development regulates factory-built housing — residential buildings, dwelling units, rooms or building components manufactured so that concealed work cannot be inspected before installation (Health & Safety Code § 19971).

Manufacturers work through HCD-approved Design Approval Agencies and Quality Assurance Agencies. An HCD Insignia of Approval is affixed before the unit leaves the factory.

That insignia is not a city building permit, and the FBH program is not a city pre-approved ADU catalog. Local building officials still permit the foundation, the site work, the utility connections and the installation.

Title 25 and HCD’s own handbook for local agencies say so. Some city galleries — Berkeley’s, and some LADBS listings marked “HCD Approved” — admit HCD- or HUD-approved designs into a local preapproval program.

That admission is a local act under § 65852.27(a)(5)(B). It does not convert HCD into a municipal planning department.

HCD also publishes the Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (updated March 2026, with a December 2025 addendum for 2026 law). The handbook explains state ADU law. It is not a plan set. HyreADU does not rank factory-built manufacturers, and this page does not turn an insignia list into a league table.

What still has to be reviewed, even with a catalog plan

Every program page this desk opened says some version of the same thing: the structure may be pre-reviewed; the lot is not. The remaining review is not a technicality. It is most of the permit.

Typical site-specific items, named on the pages themselves: site plan with setbacks and existing structures; foundation design for the actual soils; Title 24 energy for the actual orientation; fire separation, sprinklers and emergency access; utility connections and meter spots; flood, liquefaction, landslide, WUI and coastal overlays; historic status; school-district fees; and, in several cities, a hold-harmless agreement because the drawings were not prepared for your parcel.

San José will not run the same-day path in a geohazard, landslide, flood or WUI area. San Francisco will not use preapproved plans in slope-protection, landslide, liquefaction, Maher or flood zones.

Burbank will not permit a new-construction ADU in the Rancho area and caps Very High Fire Zone units at 800 square feet. Pasadena flags slope, hillside and expansive soil.

Santa Barbara County flags steep slopes, unstable soils and flood. A catalog plan on a lot that fails those screens is a PDF, not a permit.

That is also why this page will not tell you the program “saves six weeks.” Some cities publish a review window — San José same-day if complete; Oakland 10 business days once issues are resolved; Fremont 7 business days versus 15; Santa Barbara 10 business days; Sacramento Prohousing materials, 10 days typical for Shelf Ready.

Those are city claims. This desk has not measured application-to-issuance times for catalog versus custom submittals. That measurement belongs on how long an ADU takes to approve, which will pick this variable up when the permit extracts support it.

How to use a catalog without confusing it for a permit

Open your city’s program page, not this snapshot
Programs change with the code cycle and with designer submissions. The URL in the table is the object to re-retrieve. This page is dated 5 September 2026.
Confirm the plan is current-cycle
Ask whether the plan was approved under the 2025 California Building Standards Code (effective 1 January 2026). A 2022-cycle plan on a website is the Fremont problem.
Price the drawings separately from the build
City PDFs can be free. Designer catalogs are a license. Neither figure is construction cost, impact fees or utility connection. See ADU cost in California.
Ask what is not pre-reviewed
Most cities publish a “what is not pre-approved” list: site plan, foundation, energy, utilities, fire. If they do not, assume those are still in. Modifications usually void the preapproval.
Take the lot to planning before you pay a designer
A catalog does not make a lot eligible. The feasibility checker is a list of questions for the counter, not a yes. The type selector is a form recommendation, not a permit.
A catalog is not a contractor
Who is named on permits in a given city is a different dataset: the contractor index and who is building California’s ADUs. A plan license is not a bid.

Method

Primary pages only
Each row is an official planning or building-department program page (or, for San Diego’s accepted catalogs, the URL the city itself cites). Retrieval date 2026-09-05. Trade roundups were used as search leads, never as counts.
Plan fee means the drawings
Free city PDF, or “paid to the designer / not posted.” Building-permit fees, school fees and impact fees are out of scope here. We did not scrape plan PDFs into this page.
Counts are counts of what the page showed
San José’s seven, Anaheim’s four, Fresno’s five, Oakland’s three, Sacramento’s three Shelf Ready, Burbank’s two, Pasadena’s one citywide, Monterey Park’s four, Torrance’s four, Stockton’s three are hand counts of named plans. Galleries that did not return a static list are “not independently enumerated.” Los Angeles’s 79 is the city’s 2024 APR, labeled as such.
Status encoding
catalog = at least one identifiable plan on the official page. empty = program page, no plans posted. expired = city has invalidated the posted 2022-cycle set. process = program live, catalog not independently enumerable on retrieval.
Approval time
City-published windows are quoted as city claims. No application-to-issuance median was computed. Incomplete applications inflate clocks; that warning lives on the permit-times study.
HCD kept off the city table
Factory-Built Housing is a state insignia regime. It appears in its own section. Berkeley’s gallery may include HCD/HUD designs; that is a local admission, not an HCD municipal catalog.

Limitations

Not 480 jurisdictions
California has hundreds of cities and counties. This is 35 programs this desk opened on 2026-09-05, of which 21 were the named set. A missing city is unexamined, not “no program,” unless we opened its ADU page and say so.
Programs move
Designers submit, cities take plans down within 30 days of a removal request, and the code cycle resets the board. A row here can be stale the week after it ships.
Pre-approved is not permitted
Every program still requires a building permit and site review. A catalog plan on an ineligible lot is not an ADU.
Irvine and Bakersfield catalogs were not recovered
Irvine’s program URL redirected on automated retrieval. Bakersfield’s gallery did not render. Both are recorded as process, not as zero and not as a guessed count.
County ≠ city
Santa Cruz County plans are not City of Santa Cruz plans. Sacramento County Shelf Ready is not City of Sacramento Shelf Ready. Kern County is not Bakersfield. Using the wrong catalog is a wasted license fee.
Not legal advice, and not a plan shop
HyreADU does not sell plans, does not design, does not permit and does not build. Nothing here is a determination that a lot may take an ADU. The next useful step on a specific parcel is the planning counter and a licensed professional.

Questions

Which California cities have pre-approved ADU plans?

Of 21 named cities opened on 2026-09-05, 12 had a named catalog this desk could read, including Los Angeles, San José, San Diego (via other agencies’ catalogs), Sacramento, Oakland, Berkeley, Burbank, Pasadena, Sunnyvale, Santa Barbara, Fresno and Anaheim. San Francisco and Santa Monica have programs with no plans posted. Fremont has retired its 2022-cycle catalog except one listed current plan. This is not a list of every California city.

Does every California city have to offer pre-approved ADU plans?

Every local agency had to develop a preapproval program by 1 January 2025 (Gov. Code § 65852.27). It must accept submissions and post the plans it preapproves. It does not have to draw plans itself, give them away, or have any plans on the wall. A process page with “NONE AT THIS TIME” is compliance. It is not a catalog.

How much do pre-approved ADU plans cost?

The drawing fee is a local fact. City-owned PDFs in Oakland, Fresno, Anaheim, Sacramento (Shelf Ready) and Pasadena (Prototype A) are free. Designer catalogs are a license paid to the plan owner; cities generally do not publish that price. Fremont charges a $1,000 flat plan-review fee on top. None of those figures is the cost to build. See the cost study.

Do pre-approved plans skip the building permit?

No. Every program page we opened still requires a building permit and site-specific review — zoning, foundation, utilities, energy, fire. San José’s same-day path still needs a complete site package on an eligible lot. Pre-approved is not permitted.

How much time do pre-approved plans save?

State law gives a 30-day approve-or-deny clock for a complete detached application that uses a current-cycle preapproved plan. Several cities publish shorter internal windows. This desk has not measured application-to-issuance times for catalog versus custom submittals. That measurement will live on the permit-times study.

Can I use Los Angeles standard plans in another city?

Only if that city has admitted them. Burbank lists LADBS ADU17 as accepted after its own staff review. Long Beach says out-of-town standard plans must complete Long Beach PAADU approval first. San Diego accepts County, Chula Vista and Encinitas catalogs, not the LADBS set, on the page we opened. Never assume portability.

Are HCD factory-built ADUs the same as city pre-approved plans?

No. HCD’s Factory-Built Housing program approves factory design and production and issues an insignia. The city or county still permits the site and installation. A city may admit an HCD-approved design into its local gallery. That is a local pre-approval of that design, not a substitute for HCD, and not a substitute for a building permit.

What if my city is not in the table?

It was not opened on this pass, which is not a finding that it has no program. Search the building department for “pre-approved ADU,” “standard plan ADU” or “AB 1332.” If you send a working official URL, this directory can add the row with a retrieval date.

Written and audited by

HyreADU Research Desk

Primary-source research, data analysis and fact checking

We are a research desk, not a builder. We read the permit extract, the statute, the HCD return or the fee schedule ourselves, and publish each figure with its source and retrieval date.

Where a number cannot be traced to a primary source, we leave it out and say what we could not verify. Our store-based claims cover California only.

CA: the only state this desk will make store-based claims about
5: jurisdictions with extracted ADU permit evidence
735: CSLB-verified companies in the California store
0: national claims from a one-state store

How this desk works

Primary sources only. Permit counts come from the city or county that issued the permit. Production counts come from HCD’s Annual Progress Report. Rents come from HUD or the Census. We do not cite an article that cites a source; we download the source and compute the figure ourselves.
This is a California site. The company store is 734 California firms and one New Mexico firm. Permit evidence exists for five named jurisdictions: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, San José and unincorporated Marin. A number from that store is titled to those places, never to the United States.
A permit is not a completion, and a license is not an ADU grade. California licenses no ADU classification. Being named on an ADU permit is evidence of engagement in that jurisdiction, not of quality, completion, or work anywhere else. Owner-builder permits are excluded from contractor counts.
Calculation is labeled as calculation. Figures we derive are never presented as something HCD, HUD, the Census or a city published. Terner Center research is cited as Terner’s, never restated as ours.
We do not design, permit or build ADUs, and we take no payment for placement, ranking or a favorable mention. Pages that look like rankings are not: they publish public-record counts and let the reader decide.
Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Zoning, underwriting and appraisal practice vary by jurisdiction, lender and appraiser. The useful next step on a specific lot is the planning counter and a licensed professional.

Data as of Official program pages retrieved 2026-09-05. Authorship on this site is organizational: the analysis belongs to the desk rather than to a named individual, and we do not publish credentials we do not hold. Our editorial policy sets out how we source, date and correct what we publish.

Sources & retrieval dates

California Government Code § 65852.27 , AB 1332 preapproval program; 30-day detached clock; posting rules; fees may match a same-sized ADU Retrieved 2026-09-05.
HCD — Factory-Built Housing , State FBH program; not a city catalog Retrieved 2026-09-05.
HCD — ADU Handbook , Updated March 2026, with December 2025 addendum for 2026 law Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Los Angeles — LADBS ADU Standard Plan Program , YOU-ADU (455 sf, 1-story, 1-bedroom with options) is owned by the City and free. Designer-owned plans are listed on the same page for purchase from the plan owner. The City’s 2024 Housing Element Annual Progress Report stated 79 ADU Standard Plans had received pre-approval as of 31 December 2024. This desk did not independently enumerate the live listing on 2026-09-05 because the catalog page did not return a complete parseable table. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City and County of San Francisco — Pre-approved ADU Plans (DBI) , The live page is a designer-intake program. No approved-plan catalog was listed on the page retrieved 2026-09-05. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of San José — Preapproved ADUs , Counted on the live page 2026-09-05: Acsiom Designs (1), Ca2Homes (2), J. Kretschmer Architect (2), LiveLarge (1), Orange Engineering (1). A separate 'currently under review' list is not eligible for expedited review. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of San Diego — Preapproved ADU Plans (AB 1332) , The city page lists no city-owned plans. It accepts County of San Diego Standard ADU Plans, City of Chula Vista Standard ADU Plans, and City of Encinitas Permit-Ready ADU Plans. Applicants may also submit plans for preapproval under Information Bulletin 114a (master plans). Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Sacramento — Preapproved ADUs (AB-1332) and Shelf Ready ADU Plans , Shelf Ready: Studio 367 habitable sf, One Bedroom 559 habitable sf, Two Bedroom 747 habitable sf. The AB-1332 page’s 'Available Preapproved ADU Plans' section pointed only at Shelf Ready on 2026-09-05 — no third-party plans were listed. The Shelf Ready page still labeled the plans as meeting 2022 CRC requirements. A January 2026 city report said the plans were updated in December 2025. Confirm current-code status at the counter before relying on them. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Oakland — Pre-Approved ADU building plans , City-hosted construction-drawing PDFs. The city is also accepting designer submittals for preapproval under AB 1332. Square footages are on the PDFs, not restated here. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Berkeley — Pre-Approved Designs / ADU Plans Gallery , Plans Gallery at berkeley.aduaccelerator.org/gallery. City: designs in the gallery have been pre-approved by Berkeley, HCD or HUD. This desk did not count the JS gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Fremont — Preapproved Accessory Dwelling Units , As of the 2026-09-05 retrieval, the city stated that all preapproved plans designed under the 2022 code are invalid as of 1 January 2026. One plan was listed as currently usable: Basically Homes / Vitalizebuild, 1 bed / 1 bath, 499 sf. Adore Homes, ALIGCUS, Cottage, Expand ADU and J. Kretschmer were listed as 2022-cycle and needing update. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Santa Monica — Preapproved ADU Program , The live page states 'NONE AT THIS TIME' under Preapproved Standard ADU Plans and Vendors. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Long Beach — Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Program (PAADU) , The 2026-09-05 homepage describes the program and is accepting designer submittals for a second installment (IB-078). It did not list named plans. IB-068 describes OTC review of a unique-property PAADU submittal, including zoning. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Burbank — Burbank Preapproved ADU Program (BPAP) , BPAP 24001: City of Burbank 432 sf 1-story studio. LADBS ADU17: IT House 360 sf studio, accepted by Burbank after staff review. Garage conversions are excluded. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Pasadena — ADU Standard Plans Program , Prototype A: 374 sf studio, updated to 2025 CBC, free, available August 2026 for most single-family properties citywide. ADU 1 (560 sf), ADU 2 (400 sf), ADU 3 (750 sf), older Prototype A and Prototype D (682 sf) are restricted to residential properties red-tagged due to the Eaton Fire. Prior standard plans expired 31 December 2025. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Palo Alto — ADU Plans Gallery / Master Detached ADU Design for Pre-Approval , City: 'actively seeking submissions from design professionals for its new ADU Plans Gallery. Once populated…' Gallery URL: cityofpaloalto.aduaccelerator.org/gallery. This desk did not count the JS gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Mountain View — Preapproved ADU Program , City: a preapproved ADU is a detached new-construction ADU from a third-party design professional, preapproved for local building and fire code including Reach Code. Plans are published on the city’s ADU Accelerator page. The program page retrieved in search still stated the current cycle expires 31 December 2025 — confirm 2025-code status before using a listed plan. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Sunnyvale — Sunnyvale ADU Plans Gallery , City ADU Toolkit (document dated around January 2026): the gallery includes pre-approved plans for detached new-construction ADUs already reviewed for building code. Gallery: sunnyvale.aduaccelerator.org/gallery. This desk did not count the JS gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Santa Cruz — Pre-approved ADU Program , Building & Safety page: the city is participating in the state-mandated pre-approved ADU program. Approved plans are added to a growing public list; the city posts renderings/elevations and floor plans and sends applicants to the designer for the full set. This desk did not find a named-plan table on the page. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Santa Barbara — Preapproved ADU Program , City announced plans available, including a 406 sf detached studio with sleeping loft (BESHDA Gable 400+) with four exterior schemes. Other designer plans (Bevyhouse, Godkin) appear in city materials. Detached, new construction, 250–800 sf, one story, max 16 ft, High Fire construction. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Fresno — ADU and Small Homes Program , Plan 1 studio 340 sf (23-TADU-001); Plan 2 1-bed 499 sf (002); Plan 3 1- or 2-bed 625 sf (003); Plan 4 Plan 3 over garage (004); Plan 5 3-bed 2-bath 1,015 sf (005). Elevations: Craftsman, Contemporary, Gable. City: pre-approved and custom ADU plans no longer require a Zone Clearance; applications go directly for a Building Permit. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Anaheim — Pre-Approved Plan Catalog / ADU Express , Plan 001 studio 224 sf; Plan 002 1-bed 1-bath 499 sf; Plan 003 2-bed 2-bath 990 sf; Plan 004 3-bed 3-bath 1,199 sf. Page note: plans include Building Code requirements effective 1 July 2024. Confirm 2025-cycle status at intake. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Irvine — Pre-Approved ADU Plans Program (AB 1332) , Program page at cityofirvine.org/building-permits-and-inspections/pre-approved-adu-plans-program describes a Standard Plan Program of pre-approved architectural and structural plans, with site-specific review still required. Automated retrieval of that URL redirected to the city homepage on 2026-09-05. Hold Harmless Affidavit (Form 67-02, Rev 01/25) and Pre-Approved ADU Development Standards Checklist (Form 67-01, Rev 01/25) exist. No named-plan table was recovered. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Bakersfield — ADU Standard Plans Gallery , City ADU page: 'Use our new ADU Standard Plans Gallery to browse ready-made ADU plans, including some reduced-cost designs pre-reviewed by the city.' Automated retrieval of the page returned almost no body text (JS-rendered). This desk could not count plans. Separate: Kern County Public Works hosts its own pre-approved ADU plans for the unincorporated county. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
County of Santa Cruz (unincorporated) — Pre-Designed ADU Plans , Plan 1: 425 sf studio or optional 1-bed/1-bath + 76 sf porch. Plan 2: 637 sf 1-bed/1-bath + 85 sf porch. Plan 3: 998 sf 2-bed/1-bath + 62 sf porch. Exteriors: classic bungalow, coastal Mediterranean, sleek modern. County: updating to the 2025 code cycle; until then, submit and they will try to accommodate with redlines. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
County of Santa Barbara (unincorporated) — Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Building Plans , Approx. 480 sf studio; 672 sf one-bedroom; 909 sf two-bedroom; 768 sf two- and three-bedroom. Styles include Farmhouse, California Ranch, Mediterranean, Contemporary, Traditional, Mid-Century, Modern. Fact sheet dated 13 April 2026. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
County of Santa Clara (unincorporated) — Pre-Approved ADU Program , 800 sf 2-bed/1-bath, Standard or Contemporary. 1,200 sf 3-bed/2-bath, Standard or Contemporary. CAD files posted. Free of charge for unincorporated-county residents. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
County of Sacramento (unincorporated) — Shelf Ready ADU Program , Model A1 Laurel 460 sf studio/1-bed metal roof; A2 Willow 460 sf traditional roof; B Redwood 870 sf 2-bed; plus 1,000 sf 2-bed and 1,184 sf 3-bed. Plan-checked to 2022 CRC/CEC/CMC/CPC including energy calcs. Confirm 2025-cycle status: the county announced the 2025 code effective 1 January 2026. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
County of San Diego (unincorporated) — Standard ADU Plans / dwelling unit building plans , Listed on the City of San Diego preapproved-plans page as an accepted catalog. County page: sandiegocounty.gov/.../adu_plans.html. Plans require project-specific information. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Encinitas — Permit-Ready Accessory Dwelling Unit (PRADU) Program , Listed on the City of San Diego preapproved-plans page. Program page on encinitasca.gov. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Chula Vista — City Standard ADU Plans , Listed on the City of San Diego preapproved-plans page. Program page on chulavistaca.gov. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
County of Placer (unincorporated) — Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Plans / Master ADU Program , Page retrieved via search 2026-09-05: One Bedroom 661 sf; Two Bedroom 746 sf; Three Bedroom 1,194 sf; One Bedroom 661 sf single-story; Two Bedroom 749 sf with optional garage. Each plan reviewed by the Building Team for current codes as adopted by Placer County. As of 1 January 2026, ADU codes updated by the State and the county is working to reflect the changes. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
County of Kern (unincorporated) — Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Units , Page cites Gov. Code § 65852.27. Plans listed with sf, bedrooms and climate zone (13 or 14). One Ridgecrest city plan is marked for use in the City of Ridgecrest only. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Hayward — Pre-Approval of ADU Plans / ADU Plans Gallery , Page updated 24 July 2026: in accordance with AB 1332, Hayward is accepting applications from architects and designers to pre-approve plans for detached ADUs. Approved plans will be marked on the city’s ADU Plans Gallery. This desk did not count the gallery. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Monterey Park — Pre-Approved ADU Plans , All four from Michael Zhang / ALiGCUS: two 800 sf 2-bed/2-bath options and two 1,000 sf 3-bed/2-bath options. Property owners hire the design professional to finalize, permit and customize. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Stockton — Pre-approved ADU plans , City-offered, free, all-electric. Homeowners submit a permit application and a site plan. Fire sprinklers required if the primary house is sprinkled. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Torrance — Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Program , Adrian Lopez 798 sf 2-bed; Adrian Lopez 751 sf 2-bed; VL Architects 640 sf 1-bed; VL Architects 440 sf studio. City: plans are approximately 80% complete for permitting. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Glendale — Standard Accessory Dwelling Unit Plan Program , 1-story 740 sf 1-bed/1-bath by YD Group. Additional plans marked coming soon on the page retrieved via search. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
City of Los Angeles — 2024 Housing Element Annual Progress Report , 79 ADU Standard Plans pre-approved as of 31 December 2024; YOU-ADU noted as developed by BOE with LADBS Retrieved 2026-09-05.

A catalog is not a lot

Pre-approved plans decide a drawing. Whether your parcel can take an ADU, and which form it can take, are questions about that parcel. These two tools ask the questions. Neither issues a permit.

ADU type selector Feasibility checker

HyreADU does not design, permit or build accessory dwelling units and does not sell plans. This directory is informational. It is not legal, zoning, tax, financial or construction advice. A pre-approved or permit-ready plan does not make a lot eligible.

Confirm the current catalog, code cycle and site standards with the local building department before paying for a license or starting work. HyreADU has no commercial relationship with any city, county, designer or manufacturer named here.