In recent years, the state of California has seen an explosion in ADUs, also known as Accessory Dwelling Units (mother-in-law units). In 2023, one out of every five homes built in the state was an ADU, according to recently released state data. Only 3 years ago they represented just one in every 10 new units. Since 2017, the California state Legislature has passed several bills lowering the ADU building barriers. Most notably, AB 68, which sped up the approval process from 120 days to 60 and prohibited local officials from imposing requirements around lot size and parking. AB 881, passed the next year, prevented communities from requiring the owner to live on the property, opening the possibility for landlords to build ADUs on their rental properties.

To address its decades-long housing shortage, housing advocates say California needs to build all types of housing, more single-family homes, more tall apartment buildings, more affordable houses, more everything. But supply is constrained by the lack of open land close to existing infrastructure and jobs, as well as strict local zoning laws that limit what can be built in infill areas. “Our biggest challenge in California is that so much of our zoning is for single-family homes, which makes it next to impossible to build any new housing,” Ting said in an interview. “This is the one housing product that you can actually build in these single-family neighborhoods.” Special thanks to The Sun for some of this content. Thinking about an ADU, give Summit Property Management a call.