ADUs in Dana Point
Backyard homes for Dana Point, priced before you sign.
We design, permit and build standard ADU models in Dana Point and across Orange County. You pick a model, we assess your lot, and you get one all-in price before you sign.
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The models
Four standard homes, each with a price up front.
Starting prices include design, permitting and construction with standard finishes. Site work and utilities generally run $15,000 to $35,000 and are priced after we see your lot, and city permit fees are billed at cost. Model S, Model 1 and Model 2 are all 800 sq ft or less, within the size limit for a detached ADU under the state-law path. See what's included.
Around Orange County
Buildoly projects across Orange County.
Each pin is a Buildoly project in Orange County, including Dana Point. See the full map.
Dana Point ADU rules in plain English
What you can build in the City of Dana Point.
These rules apply outside the Coastal Zone. Inside the Coastal Zone, the City's Local Coastal Program rules still apply until the Coastal Commission acts, and we confirm which rules apply to your lot. The basics below are for a single-family lot, under the ADU rules the City adopted in September 2026.
How many
An ADU, a junior ADU and a detached ADU
On a single-family lot, an ADU and a junior ADU inside the house, or the ADU in an existing accessory building, can be combined with one new detached ADU of up to 800 sq ft with 4 ft side and rear setbacks. Larger ADUs follow the City's own standards, and we confirm how many fit your lot.
DPZC 9.07.212.ESize
850 or 1,000 sq ft
Outside the state-law path, an ADU can have up to 850 sq ft of living space with one bedroom or less, or 1,000 sq ft with more. An attached ADU added to an existing house can be up to half the house's living area, and never has to be smaller than 800 sq ft. A conversion has no size cap, and an ADU can be as small as 150 sq ft.
DPZC 9.07.212.F.6Height
16 ft detached, 25 ft attached
A detached ADU can be 16 ft tall, or 18 ft within a half-mile walk of a major transit stop, where 2 more feet may be allowed to match the house's roof pitch. An attached ADU can be 25 ft or the zone's limit, whichever is lower, and two stories.
DPZC 9.07.212.F.5Setbacks
4 ft from the side and rear
Nothing, including HVAC equipment, stairs or patio covers, can project into a setback. The front follows the zone's setback unless that would rule out an 800 sq ft ADU, and a conversion or a same-size rebuild needs no setback.
DPZC 9.07.212.F.4Parking
One space, with exceptions
Outside the state-law path, an ADU needs one off-street parking space, unless it's an efficiency unit, within a half-mile walk of public transit including bus stops, part of the house or an existing accessory building, or another exception applies. A junior ADU adds no parking.
DPZC 9.07.212.F.8; 9.07.215Renting and selling
Rent for 30 days or more
An ADU can't be rented for less than 30 days, and it can't be sold separately from the house unless the sale complies with state law and the Subdivision Map Act.
DPZC 9.07.212.F.2Public Safety Areas
In six areas, an ADU or junior ADU outside the state-law path, on a lot whose existing building doesn't meet current parking or driveway-length standards, needs a discretionary Site Development Permit: Lantern Village (RMF14 and RSF22), Nottingham Way and Cheltam Way (RMF14), Doheny Village (C/R), and Capistrano Beach (RD-14 and RSF7/RSF12).
We check whether your lot is in one, and whether that area is inside the Coastal Zone.
Worth knowing in Dana Point
An ADU that misses these standards can still seek a discretionary Site Development Permit from the Planning Commission, but never with side or rear setbacks under 4 ft (other than a conversion or a same-size rebuild), above the zone's height limit except as state law allows, or with more than 1,200 sq ft of living space, except for certain units allowed under state law.
We confirm with the City when the new rules take effect outside the Coastal Zone, whether the state housing department has reviewed them, and how many ADUs your lot can have alongside a junior ADU.
Changing on January 1, 2027
SB 1117 limits the impact fee on an ADU over 750 sq ft to the area above 750 sq ft, in proportion to the main house, for up to two ADUs on a lot. ADUs of 750 sq ft or less still pay no impact fee.
AB 956 lets you build two new detached ADUs on a single-family lot through the state's approval path. On that path a city can cap each one at 800 sq ft.
Sources: Dana Point Zoning Code 9.07.212 and 9.07.215, as adopted by Ordinance No. 26-07 (Zone Text Amendment ZTA26-0002, adopted September 15, 2026); California Government Code sections 66310 to 66342; SB 1117 and AB 956 (2026). Checked November 2026.
How it works
From your lot to move-in.
Step 1
Pick a model
Choose a model and finishes online, or book a free consultation to talk it through.
Step 2
Site assessment
We visit your lot, check utilities, access and the City's rules, and give you one all-in price before you sign.
Step 3
Design and permits
We finish the plans and run the permit with the City of Dana Point from submittal to approval.
Step 4
Build and move in
We build on site and manage the job through final inspection and your certificate of occupancy.
Typical timeline: 8 to 12 months from start to finish. About 1 month of design, 2 to 4 months of permits and 3 to 5 months of construction. Your lot and the City's review times can move it.
Dana Point ADU questions
What Dana Point homeowners ask us.
Our models start at $165,000 for Model S, $195,000 for Model 1, $270,000 for Model 2, $360,000 for Model 3. Those are all-in starting prices for design, permitting and construction. Site work and utilities generally run $15,000 to $35,000, and we price yours after the site assessment, before you sign. City permit fees are separate: your city sets them and we bill them at cost. You start with $1,000, credited in full to your contract, and many of our clients finance the whole build through our lending partners, subject to credit approval. See what's included in the price.
These rules apply outside the Coastal Zone. Inside the Coastal Zone, the City's Local Coastal Program rules still apply until the Coastal Commission acts, and we confirm which rules apply to your lot.
Outside the Coastal Zone, an ADU can have up to 850 sq ft of living space with one bedroom or less, or 1,000 sq ft with more, and a new detached ADU under the state-law path can be up to 800 sq ft. Model S, Model 1 and Model 2 are all 800 sq ft or less. We check the exact limit for your lot.
Our typical timeline is 8 to 12 months from start to finish: about 1 month of design, 2 to 4 months of permits and 3 to 5 months of construction. Your lot and the City's review times can move it either way, and we give you a schedule for your address after the site assessment.
The City names six areas where a lot whose existing building doesn't meet current parking or driveway-length standards needs a discretionary Site Development Permit for an ADU or junior ADU outside the state-law path: Lantern Village (RMF14 and RSF22), Nottingham Way and Cheltam Way (RMF14), Doheny Village (C/R), and Capistrano Beach (RD-14 and RSF7/RSF12). We check whether your lot is in one.
Yes. We build across Orange County, as well as Los Angeles County, San Diego and the Inland Empire. Each city has its own ADU rules and plan check, and we confirm them for your address. Enter your address in our quote tool to check that you're in our service area.
Where we build
We also build in these cities.
Each city page covers that city's ADU rules and who issues the permit. All cities.
Los Angeles County
Orange County
San Diego County
Inland Empire
See your price for a Dana Point ADU.
Pick a model and tell us your address. After the site assessment you get one all-in number, before you sign.