A requirement that the property owner live on the property — either in the main house or in the ADU.
California state law prohibits cities from imposing an owner-occupancy requirement on any ADU. AB-976 made that permanent from January 1, 2024. A JADU that shares sanitation facilities with the existing structure still requires owner-occupancy; it is not required if the JADU has separate sanitation facilities, or if the owner is another governmental agency, land trust, or housing organization. Verify the details with your local planning department.
Part of the BackyardADU California ADU Glossary — plain-English definitions of the regulatory, construction, and financing terms you'll encounter during a California ADU project.