Last week county supervisors took up the issue of accessory dwelling units also known as casitas, labor quarters, caretaker housing, or mother-in-law apartments. They can be attached, detached, and sometimes they have wheels. Here’s reporter Mike Lipsitz with some background and overview of the new rules for these dwellings…
Not so much new rules as a relaxing of old rules. To put everything in perspective, we look back to last fall when a series of new state housing-related bills (SB 13, AB 68, AB 587, AB 670, AB 671, AB 881) were signed into law and became effective January 1. Many of these bills related to accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, with the goal of encouraging their development. The new laws require local agencies to remove restrictive development standards, reduce fees, allow additional time for compliance, and streamline the review process. Last week’s amendments to county development code, Title 8, by the board of supervisors was required in order to bring the county into compliance with state law. Some of the changes include a relaxing of parking requirements, exemptions to set backs and lot coverage, and a streamlining of the review process.
