Santa Clarita is a step closer to letting homeowners build larger backyard units. The city's Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve a second round of accessory dwelling unit changes that would create a new "Class 2" category, with units that could reach 1,000 square feet, the Santa Clarita Valley Signal reported (via The Signal). The changes still need a City Council vote before they become part of the municipal code, and no council date has been announced.
This is the second piece of a two-part rewrite. Back in April, the City Council adopted the first round, now called Class 1, to bring the city's rules in line with state housing law. Council members made it clear at the time that they weren't thrilled about losing local control, but said they had little choice.
Under the Class 1 rules already on the books, a junior ADU built inside the main house is capped at 500 square feet, a detached ADU tops out at 800 square feet, and converting existing space, like a garage, has no size cap. The city's current ADU handout lists a 16-foot height limit for detached units, rising to 18 feet plus 2 feet for roof pitch within a half-mile of a transit stop, and 4-foot side and rear setbacks.
Class 2 is where the city gets a little more room to set its own terms. State law lets cities apply what the Signal described as limited development standards to these larger units, and in exchange owners get a bigger footprint than the state-mandated minimum.
The amendment also changes how height works for people adding a unit behind an existing house. Right now, those owners face tighter limits on taller accessory buildings than someone building a new house and ADU together under the base zoning. Zarui Chaparyan of the city's Planning Division told commissioners the change "would allow these homeowners a simpler path forward and the same opportunity as those with taller existing or proposed homes."
Parking isn't much of a hurdle either. The city's handout says no parking is required for ADUs or junior ADUs, and the Signal noted that projects meeting conditions such as being within a half-mile of a transit center don't need it.
Demand has been steady. City figures provided by Planning Manager Patrick Leclair and reported by the Signal show 61 ADU applications in 2021, 74 in 2022, 75 in 2023, 95 in 2024 and 86 in 2025. The city had already logged 87 this year, passing last year's total with two months to go.
The rewrite has been a long time coming. In March 2023, the California Department of Housing and Community Development sent the city a letter finding that its 2021 ADU ordinance conflicted with state law on several points, including height limits, setbacks, oak tree rules and impact fees on units under 750 square feet. In April 2026, the city filed a state environmental exemption notice covering updates to its ADU ordinance, its SB 9 two-unit ordinance and a housing element program.
Why it matters for Contractors
If you build or remodel in the Santa Clarita Valley, a 1,000-square-foot backyard unit is a real job: foundation, framing, a full kitchen and bath, utilities and permits. That's a meaningful step up from the 800-square-foot detached cap most owners work with now, and it could make an ADU a better fit for families housing a parent or adult kids.
Don't start drawing plans to the new size yet. Nothing changes until the City Council signs off, and the council has been reluctant about ADU changes before. Keep an eye on council agendas, and when the ordinance is adopted, get the Class 2 standards from the Planning Division (661-255-4330) before you price a job, since those extra local rules are the trade-off for the bigger footprint.
With applications already ahead of last year's total, small crews that know the city's ADU process have steady work to bid on.