ADU builders and rules in Solana Beach

Solana Beach ADU rules

Solana Beach's ADU rules now live in Municipal Code § 17.60.210(A), added by Ordinance 542 in 2026. That ordinance repealed the old section 17.20.040(D), which the city had adopted as Ordinance 525 in December 2023. ADUs and junior ADUs are allowed in any zone that allows homes or mixed-use housing, and they don't count toward a lot's density.

On a single-family lot, the city must approve a conversion ADU plus a junior ADU inside the house or an existing accessory structure, and a new detached ADU of up to 800 sq ft with 4-ft side and rear setbacks. On a lot with an existing apartment building, you can add up to eight detached ADUs, but no more than the number of existing units. Lot coverage and floor area limits can't block an 800 sq ft ADU.

The city's ADU submittal handout adds limits that matter on Solana Beach's small, sloped lots. Up to 800 sq ft of the ADU is exempt from the floor area calculation, but if the project goes over 60% of the lot's allowed floor area, the ADU is capped at 800 sq ft. No ADU is allowed on a site that needs more than 50 cubic yards of grading to build it. A landscape plan is required if the project adds more than 500 sq ft of landscaping, water features or decorative hardscape. The handout also says an attached ADU can't have interior access to the main house.

The state rules behind these limits are in California ADU laws. If you're choosing between unit types, see attached vs. detached ADUs and our junior ADU guide.

Does Solana Beach's ADU ordinance comply with state law?

The old one didn't. On December 16, 2025, the state housing department sent the city formal findings that Ordinance 525 failed to comply with state ADU law. HCD listed problems including limits on which ADU and junior ADU combinations the city would approve, no ADUs on lots with a proposed apartment building, a cap of two detached ADUs on existing multifamily lots instead of eight, and a rule that the ADU's main entrance can't be visible from the street, which HCD called subjective. The city had until January 15, 2026 to respond.

The 2026 code fixes several of these. It now allows ADUs with a proposed multifamily building, approves “any combination” of the units state law lists, allows up to eight detached ADUs on existing multifamily lots, and says building an ADU won't require sprinklers in the existing house. Two items HCD flagged are still in the text: the hidden-entrance rule, and a parking list that leaves out the state's waiver for an ADU built at the same time as a new home, which state law requires.

One more change is coming. Solana Beach's mayor wrote in August 2026 opposing AB 956, which lets single-family lots add two detached ADUs. The governor signed it on September 29, 2026, and it takes effect January 1, 2027. Expect the city to update its code again.

Coastal Commission approval and fire zones

This is the step that sets Solana Beach apart. The city's ADU submittal handout says your building permit application must include a copy of the approval letter from the California Coastal Commission. So you go to the Commission first, then the city. Small projects can qualify for a de minimis waiver of the coastal development permit. In 2022, for example, the Commission waived the permit for a 320 sq ft ADU on North Helix Avenue that replaced a one-car garage in the same footprint; it noted the site was within a half-mile of transit, so no ADU parking was needed. A waiver isn't automatic: it's reported to the Commission at a public hearing, and the notice has to be posted at the site. Build that time into your schedule.

Fire maps changed too. The city adopted CAL FIRE's updated fire hazard severity zone maps, effective July 18, 2025, and they now show moderate and high zones as well as very high ones. Check your parcel on the state viewer linked from that page. The city's pre-approved plan guide warns that steep slopes, sensitive habitat and fire mitigation requirements can call for extra reports even with a pre-approved design.

Solana Beach pre-approved ADU plans

Solana Beach runs a Pre-Approved ADU (PADU) program for detached ADUs. Designers, not the city, submit the plans. Each plan is capped at 800 sq ft and 16 ft tall, and must include structural drawings, Title 24 energy compliance and a fire sprinkler system, with a note that sprinklers aren't required where the main house has none. Designers must meet with city staff before submitting, and the city estimates about 15 days per review cycle. Approved plans are listed on the city's website with the designer's contact details.

• Not free. You pay the designer for the plans, and you still pay plan check fees for Planning, Engineering and Fire review.
• Unchanged plans move faster. If you change a pre-approved plan, it goes through the standard review.
• The coastal step still applies. A pre-approved plan doesn't replace the Coastal Commission letter.

We couldn't find a published list of approved PADU plans, so ask the counter what's available. Our pre-approved ADU plans guide covers the County and neighboring cities' programs.

Solana Beach ADU fees

The city code requires most new ADUs to have their own utility connection, though a submeter may be allowed, and any connection fee must be proportional to the ADU's size or plumbing fixtures. Conversions and junior ADUs are exempt from a new connection and its fee. The handout adds that a new ADU's sewer line must tie into the house's lateral on your property, since each parcel gets only one lateral to the city main.

The high school district also collects fees for the Solana Beach, Del Mar Union and Rancho Santa Fe elementary districts, by appointment at its Encinitas office, by check only, with a separate check for the elementary district. It doesn't publish those elementary rates, so call (760) 753-6491 ext. 5514 with your parcel number.

The city can cut its impact fees by 75% if you record a 99-year affordability deed restriction. The planning page still links the CalHFA ADU grant, but CalHFA says those grant funds were fully reserved in December 2023. For other options, see ADU financing and ADU grants in California. For build costs, see what an ADU costs in San Diego or try the ADU cost calculator.

Getting a Solana Beach ADU permit

1. Talk to Planning. Call (858) 720-2440 or email planning@cityofsolanabeach.ca.gov to confirm what fits on your lot.
2. Get the Coastal Commission letter. The city wants it with your application.
3. Email your application. Send the building permit application, a PDF of your plans and the coastal letter to counter@cosb.org. The city invoices plan check and address fees, then routes the plans to Planning, Building, Engineering and Fire. Planning assigns the ADU its own address.
4. Record the covenant if you're building a junior ADU. It has to be recorded before the permit is issued.

City Hall is at 635 S. Highway 101; the building permit counter is (858) 720-4450. Under the city code, Solana Beach must approve or deny a complete application within 60 days. The city also asks ADU applicants to fill in a short housing affordability tracking form for state reporting.

Solana Beach approved 6 ADUs in 2018, 10 in 2019 and 12 in 2020, according to its housing plan, and planned for 16 a year, or 128 from 2021 to 2029. Before you sign, read how to hire an ADU contractor, check a contractor's license, and compare verified ADU builders in San Diego County.

Common questions