City fee stack
Plan check, building permit, trade permits, impact fees, and utility charges sit in different city schedules.
Free ADU feasibility check · California
Before you spend a dollar on an ADU, check your property's potential.
Enter your address. We check public property records against your city's ADU rules and California state standards — a preliminary answer in minutes, not weeks.
Free · No card · No sign-up to see your result. Preliminary screening, not a permit determination.
What could fit in your backyard
Real ADU types California cities permit every day. Your report shows which of these paths your city's rules support — and the size each one protects.
How it works
— 01Enter your address
We match your address to public property records — parcel, lot size, zoning — and confirm it's the right property with street and aerial views.
— 02Answer three questions
Property type, build new or convert, target size. We only ask what changes the report — under a minute, and you can skip.
— 03Get your free report
A preliminary signal for your ADU type and your city's official rule preview. Unlock every ADU path for your address with just an email — no phone, no card.
ADU rules by city — free
Plain-English summaries of each city's ADU regulations, reviewed by our designers and kept current. Start with your city, then check what the rules mean for your specific lot.
#1Los AngelesLos Angeles CountyADU rules#2San DiegoSan Diego CountyADU rules#3San JoseSanta Clara CountyADU rules#4San FranciscoSan Francisco CountyADU rules#5OaklandAlameda CountyADU rules#6SacramentoSacramento CountyADU rules#7Long BeachLos Angeles CountyADU rules#8AnaheimOrange CountyADU rules
These are the current top 8 cities from our reviewed California ADU rule set. Don't see yours? Run a property check — state ADU law applies everywhere.
ADU permit cost
Permit cost starts with the city, then the address.
A permit estimate is not useful until you know the agency, ADU type, size path, waiver questions, and plan-check route. Use the guide to understand the fee stack, then run the address check to connect it to your lot.
Address-first path
The right cost question depends on jurisdiction, ADU type, size, overlays, and whether a waiver path applies.
Before design spend
Use the permit-cost guide to frame the fee risk, then run the address check before paying for drawings.
A real feasibility report, not a chatbot guess
Any AI can tell you ADUs are "usually allowed." Your free HomeFeasible report is built from public property records and stored city ADU rules — the same starting point a designer uses for a paid consultation.
- Size, setback, height, and parking rules from your city's official ADU standards — not estimated by a chatbot
- Your city's path and the California State path side by side — the two rulebooks that decide your project
- A source note behind every rule: the official handout or code section it came from
- A report you can share with your contractor, agent, or lender
Learn the rules before you build
Free guides written by working designers — the context behind the regulations, without the legalese.
ADU basics in California
Detached, attached, conversion, JADU — what each type means and which state rules protect your right to build.
Read guide
SB 9 explained
How the lot-split law actually works, who qualifies as an urban lot, and why most applications stall.
Read guide
Garage conversion guide
How California's garage conversion rules work, where city rules still matter, and why the address check comes before design spend.
Read guideCommon questions
Straight answers about ADUs, SB 9, and what a feasibility check actually tells you.
On most single-family lots, yes — state law guarantees the right to build at least an 800 sq ft ADU with 4 ft side and rear setbacks on qualifying lots. The real question is what your specific parcel allows: lot shape, existing structures, easements, and slopes determine the size and placement. That's what a feasibility check answers.
State law protects at least 800 sq ft. Most cities allow detached ADUs up to 1,200 sq ft if your lot can fit one within setbacks and lot coverage limits. Your buildable envelope — not the ordinance ceiling — usually decides the practical maximum.
Often not. Parking is waived within half a mile walking distance of public transit, for garage conversions, and in several other cases. Many Bay Area properties qualify for at least one exemption.
SB 9 lets owners of single-family lots in urbanized areas split the lot or add a second primary home. Qualification depends on lot size, location, tenant history, and other criteria — it's more restrictive in practice than headlines suggest.
Yes. Real estate agents run checks to show buyers a listing's ADU potential, and contractors use them to understand a site before bidding. The free report doesn't require the owner's involvement, and you can share the report directly with your client.
The online report is free: a preliminary feasibility signal, your city's official ADU rule preview, and clear caveats. Leave your email — no phone, no card — to unlock every ADU path for your address, the City vs California State comparison, and the source notes. A deeper parcel-specific review will cost a fraction of the thousands a traditional consultation runs.
No. We give you a preliminary, parcel-specific assessment based on current regulations — the same starting point an engineer uses. Final approval always comes from your city's planning and building departments.
Before you spend a dollar on design, permits, or a contractor — check your ADU potential.
Homeowners use it to plan. Agents use it to show a listing's potential. Contractors use it to scope a bid. The report is free either way.