With the Santa Cruz County community facing a critical housing shortage and high housing costs, the County is interested in expanding access to affordable housing for residents. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), sometimes called Granny Units or second units, are housing units that can be built as accessory structures to existing single or multifamily dwelling(s). ADUs have the potential to help ease the housing shortage, and to provide places to rent that may be more affordable than a standard single-family home. Our community needs more types of housing to suit the needs of different households, and ADUs are part of the solution.
DID YOU KNOW? NEW ADU LAWS GO INTO EFFECT JANUARY 1,2020!
Starting January 1, 2020, new state laws go into effect making it even easier to construct ADUs. The Santa Cruz County Code is in the process of being updated to comply with these new laws, which cover the topics of streamlined project review, reduced fees, more lenient development standards, lower parking requirements, Junior ADUs, multifamily dwelling ADUs, owner occupancy requirements, short-term rentals, nonconformities, and code enforcement. Click here for information about the new laws.
Pardon the inconvenience as we update this ADU website to reflect these new state laws
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Pardon the inconvenience, this webpage is being updated to reflect new state ADU laws
ATTENTION ADU PROPERTY OWNERS!
If you own an ADU in unincorporated Santa Cruz County, please complete our survey to help improve the County’s ADU program.