The City of Elk Grove offers pre-approved plans for detached accessory dwelling units, designed to meet all currently adopted California Residential Code requirements. Using these plans allows for an expedited review process, and a lower cost permit process, making it easier to permit your ADU.

Obtaining a Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) plan does not constitute approval to begin construction. A site-specific design and permit approval is still required, including planning and zoning approval. A building permit is still required prior to starting any work.

Policy and Procedure No.: B-26-39

Purpose

This handout outlines the procedures for submittal and permitting when proposing a City Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) plan.

In accordance with applicable codes, including the California Residential Code (CRC), California Building Code (CBC), and California Energy Code, permits are required for the construction, alteration, repair, movement, conversion, or demolition of buildings and structures.

Applicants must review the following guidelines prior to commencing any work.

City Pre-Approved ADU Plans

Plan 1

Studio unit at 435 square feet

Plan 2

1-Bedroom unit at 625 square feet

Plan 3

2-Bedroom unit at 746 square feet

The pre-approved ADU plans cannot be revised and must be permitted as designed. If your project requires any modifications, the pre-approved plans will not work for you. 

Additional Requirements

  • Before a building permit is issued, all pre-approved plans will require site-specific design and permitting approval, including planning and zoning approval, like any other new construction project. 
  • Applicants are responsible for preparing and providing a valid site plan (specific to the property), and Title 24 energy documentation.  
  • If the Title 24 Energy documentation requires a Solar Photovoltaic system, a separate permit will be required for installation. This permit will be required to be issued and fully inspected prior to obtaining the final Certificate of Occupancy for the ADU. 
  • Applicants are responsible for receiving outside agency approvals from CSD Fire, Sacramento County Technical Resources, and Sacramento County Environmental Management (for properties having well or septic tanks), paying applicable permit fees, obtaining necessary construction permits, scheduling the required building inspections, and obtaining the final Certificate of Occupancy.

Divisions and Outside Agency Contact Information

Access Contact Information

Building Permit and Development Impact Fees

We highly recommend contacting the Building Division to obtain an estimate of all applicable permit and development impact fees. Based on project-specific criteria, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) may be subject to certain impact fees.

To request a fee estimate:

Fire Sprinkler Requirements for ADUs

Fire sprinklers may be required for your Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) depending on project-specific factors. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Fire sprinklers are not required in an ADU if the primary residence is not equipped with sprinklers.
    Example: A garage conversion to an ADU would not need fire sprinklers if the main residence does not have them.
  • Fire sprinklers are required in both the ADU and the main residence if both are constructed at the same time, as sprinklers are required in the main residence under the California Residential Code.

Please contact the Cosumnes Community Services District (CCSD) Fire Department for additional information regarding fire sprinkler requirements for your specific project.

Submittal Requirements

  • City of Elk Grove Application for Permit

  • City of Elk Grove Addressing Application

  • Site Plan

    Drawn to scale. View a sample Residential Site Plan. The site plan shall include:
    • Property line dimensions including the north arrow and scale (Exp. 1/4, 3/16, 1/8 inch per foot).
    • Location of all existing and proposed buildings and structures on the parcel, showing the minimum and actual separation between structures, as well as the distance from each structure to all property lines.
    • Indicate if any trees and tree types are being removed for construction of the ADU.
    • Location of public and/or private utilities, (Sewer, Water, Electricity, and Gas). Easement locations.
    • Location and ampacity of the existing Main Electrical Service Panel at residence.

  • Construction Plans

    • See Pre-Approved ADU plans above for plan submittal options.

  • California Energy Code Requirements – Title 24 Energy Compliance

    • The ADU must comply with all applicable California Energy Code (Title 24) requirements.
    • Title 24 Energy Compliance Documentation must be registered with an approved data registry and included in your submission.
    • Submit the required Low-Rise Residential Mandatory Measures Summary as outlined in the California Energy Code and incorporate this summary into the construction plans.
    • At the time of the submission, Title 24 energy documentation must be presented and will be reviewed by City staff for compliance.

    • Solar Photovoltaic System

      If the Title 24 Energy documentation requires a Solar Photovoltaic system, the solar submittal must be submitted separately for plan review and permitting. This permit will be required to be issued and fully inspected prior to obtaining the final Certificate of Occupancy for the ADU permit.

Additional assistance with Title 24 Energy Code requirements

Permit Process

Step 1: Submittal 

Submit all required applications, a full set of construction plans, and all relevant supporting documents to the Building Division Filedrop for a cursory review.  

  • Please review the Plan Submittal Checklist above for specific submittal requirements.
  • Electronic Plan Review Policy: Please review this policy for detailed submittal guidelines. 

Step 2: Cursory Review 

A Permit Technician will review the submittal and determine if it is complete or incomplete within 48 hours of submission. 

  • Incomplete Submittal

    If the submittal is deemed incomplete, you will receive a list of additional items required to complete the submission. The incomplete submittal will not proceed until a new, complete submittal is made through the Building Division’s Filedrop. Please note that incomplete submittals will not be saved or held by the division while waiting for additional items.

  • Complete Submittal

    If the submittal is deemed complete, you will be notified and provided with a timeline for the plan review. Your project will then proceed to the next step. Additionally, you will receive a list of outside agencies that must approve the project before the Building Division can issue the building permit. We highly recommend contacting each agency as soon as possible to understand their processes, timelines, and fee requirements. Addressing this early will help prevent any delays in the permit issuance.
     

Step 3: Plan Review

Once the plan review is complete, you will either receive comments that need to be addressed or approval. 

  • Plan Review Comments

    If you receive plan review comments, you must revise your plans accordingly and resubmit a complete, and updated plan set, along with any required documents and an itemized response letter. The response letter must address each original comment in writing. Incomplete responses will not be accepted. Submit all materials to the Building Division’s Filedrop for further review.

  • Approval

    If your plans are approved, you will be notified by a Permit Technician of any outstanding items, required agency approvals, and final permit fees due. All outstanding items must be addressed prior to the issuance of the building permit. You can then proceed with the next step in the process.

Step 4: Permit Issuance

Once all outstanding items have been received and final fees are paid, the building permit will be issued. The permit, along with the stamped approved plans and all applicable supporting documents, will be emailed to the permit holder. The permit holder will need to download and print all stamped approved plans and supporting documents and make them available to the Building Inspector upon inspection.

Step 5: Inspections

The permit holder is responsible for scheduling all the required inspections and ensuring that all approved plans and supporting documents are available to the Building Inspector during inspection. Inspections can be scheduled in the following ways:

  1. Automated Inspection Scheduling Line

    Call (916) 478-2225.

  2. Online Scheduling

    Use the eTrakit permit and inspection program.

Once all required building inspections have been completed and approved, the final building inspection can be scheduled. 

Please note that prior to scheduling the final building inspection, any separate building permit requirements and inspections (e.g., Solar Photovoltaic Permit), including field inspections from outside agencies, may be required depending on your project's specific criteria.  The final inspection will not be approved unless all outstanding permit requirements have been addressed. 
 

Step 6: Certificate of Occupancy 

A final Certificate of Occupancy will be issued to the permit holder once all inspections have been completed and, if applicable, all required outside agency approvals have been received. The permit holder will receive the final Certificate of Occupancy via email.
 

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