Update: City of Santa Cruz ADU Regulations

The State of California has a recognized housing shortage, with the result that both Sacramento and local municipalities throughout California have made myriad recent changes to the regulations governing ADUs. The upshot is that the City’s Planning Department has become more proactive in support of folks wanting to build ADUs, with the result that the associated rules and fees have become considerably more reasonable over the past several years. That said, if you are considering to build an ADU within the jurisdiction of the City of Santa Cruz it’s best to be well informed before embarking on your Project. Note that each local jurisdiction in the Monterey Bay area – Cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola, Watsonville, and Scotts Valley – each have their own, specific regulations: this article applies specifically to ADU regulations particular to the incorporated City of Santa Cruz.