2016 · THE INFLECTION POINT
One law changed everything.
Before 2016, building a backyard home in California meant fighting your municipality for years. SB 1069 and AB 2299 ended that fight in a single legislative session: by-right approvals, reduced parking, waived utility fees. What had been an exception became a right.In the eight years that followed, California passed ten more laws — each one removing a different barrier.
2016 → 2024 · THE LEGISLATION
Eight years. Ten laws.
Each removed a barrier. Together, they redefined what a single-family lot could be.
2016
SB 1069 & AB 2299 — "By-right" begins.
By-right ADU approvals. Reduced parking. Waived utility connection fees. The opening that made everything else possible.
2019
AB 68, AB 881, SB 13 — Two ADUs per lot.
Up to 1 ADU + 1 Junior ADU on every single-family lot (and 2 detached ADUs on multi-family lots). Owner-occupancy mandates banned. 60-day permit decisions required. Impact fees capped.
2022
SB 897, AB 2221 — Objective standards only.
Required only objective design standards. No subjective architectural review. Detached garage ADUs permitted. Fire sprinkler mandates blocked from ADU triggers.
2023
AB 976, AB 1033 — Condo-style sales.
Enabled separate condo-style sale of ADUs (local opt-in). Owner-occupancy ban made permanent. An ADU becomes a real estate asset, not just an annex.
2024
SB 477 — Codification.
Renumbered and consolidated all ADU law into one coherent framework (Gov. Code §66310–66342). Maturation, not expansion.
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