ADUs in San Diego
Backyard homes for San Diego, priced before you sign.
We design, permit and build standard ADU models in the City of San Diego and across San Diego 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, small enough for San Diego's exemption from lot coverage and floor area limits. See what's included.
Around San Diego
Buildoly projects in San Diego County.
Each pin is a Buildoly project in the San Diego area. See the full map.
San Diego ADU rules in plain English
What you can build in the City of San Diego.
The basics for a single-family lot in the City of San Diego, outside the Coastal Overlay Zone. Every lot is different, so we confirm each of these for your address before we price anything.
Size
Up to 1,200 sq ft
A new attached or detached ADU can be up to 1,200 sq ft, and its floor area counts toward your lot's floor area limit, which on many lots is what really sets the size. One ADU of 800 sq ft or less is exempt from that limit and from lot coverage, front setback and open space rules.
SDMC 141.0302(b)(4), (b)(7)Setbacks
Often none at the side and rear
An ADU 16 ft tall or less needs no side or rear setback, except in a high fire hazard zone, where it's 4 ft. A taller ADU needs up to 4 ft along a line shared with a residential neighbor. Fire code spacing between buildings still applies.
SDMC 141.0302(b)(9)Height
Your zone's limit, two stories
An ADU follows the height limit of your base and overlay zones. On a single-family lot, a detached ADU can be up to two stories.
SDMC 141.0302(b)(8)Parking
None, almost everywhere
The City requires no parking for an ADU. The exception is a lot in the Beach Impact Area that's outside a transit priority area, where one space is required unless an exception applies, such as an ADU of 500 sq ft or less.
SDMC 141.0302(b)(10)Living on site
Not required
You don't have to live on the property to build or rent an ADU. A junior ADU only requires you to live there if it shares a bathroom with the house.
SDMC 141.0302(b)(11); Gov. Code 66333(b); IB 400Renting and selling
Rent for 31 days or more
An ADU can't be rented for less than 31 consecutive days. San Diego also lets an ADU be converted into a condominium and sold separately, under the conditions in the code. A junior ADU can't be sold separately.
SDMC 141.0302(a)(8), (c)(1)(D), (f)Worth knowing in San Diego
Near the coast: the City's 2025 and 2026 ADU amendments don't apply inside the Coastal Overlay Zone until the Coastal Commission certifies them, so a coastal lot can still be under older rules. We check which version applies to your address.
ADU Home Density Bonus: on top of the ADUs above, the City allows bonus ADUs when you also build ADUs deed restricted as affordable. On a single-family lot the total of ADUs and junior ADUs is capped at 4, 5 or 6 depending on lot size, and the program doesn't apply in some zones or on some lots in high fire hazard areas.
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: San Diego Municipal Code 141.0302, as amended through Ordinance O-22109, in effect July 15, 2026; City of San Diego Information Bulletin 400 (January 2026); HCD findings letter to the City of San Diego of October 6, 2025; California Government Code sections 66310 to 66342; SB 1117 and AB 956 (2026). Checked October 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 San Diego's Development Services Department 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.
San Diego ADU questions
What San Diego 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.
Not all of them yet. The City's 2025 and 2026 ADU amendments don't apply inside the Coastal Overlay Zone until the California Coastal Commission certifies them, so a lot near the coast can still be under older rules. We check which version applies to your address before we price anything.
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.
Usually not. The City requires no parking for an ADU, except on a lot in the Beach Impact Area that is outside a transit priority area. There, one off-street space is required unless an exception applies, such as an ADU of 500 sq ft or less.
Yes, under conditions. The City of San Diego lets an ADU be converted into a condominium and sold separately from the main house, following the requirements in its code. An ADU that is rent restricted for very low, low or moderate income households can't be converted while the restriction lasts, and a junior ADU can never be sold separately.
Yes, through the ADU Home Density Bonus program. On top of the ADUs the code already allows, you can add bonus ADUs when you also build ADUs deed restricted as affordable. On a single-family lot the total of ADUs and junior ADUs is capped at 4, 5 or 6 depending on lot size, and the program doesn't apply in some zones or on some lots in high fire hazard areas.
Yes. We build in San Diego County, as well as Los Angeles County, Orange County 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
Inland Empire
See your price for a San Diego ADU.
Pick a model and tell us your address. After the site assessment you get one all-in number, before you sign.