Lot Coverage
Lot coverage is the percentage of a lot's area covered by buildings. Like floor area ratio, California ADU law bars a jurisdiction from using lot-coverage limits to block an ADU of at least 800 square feet — so even a Sacramento lot already near its coverage cap with the main house can still add a unit.
Lot coverage mostly affects whether a detached unit fits alongside existing structures; on tight lots, a garage conversion or attached ADU may site more easily than a new detached build. In Sacramento's older, denser neighborhoods — where a home, driveway, and detached garage may already cover much of the lot — this protection is what keeps an ADU possible: the city cannot point to a near-maxed coverage figure to block an 800-square-foot unit. Practically, converting that existing garage adds no new footprint at all, so it sidesteps the coverage question entirely, while a new detached unit has to be sited within the 4-foot setbacks around whatever structures remain.
Go deeper:Sacramento ADU rules & setbacks
Related terms
Back to the ADU glossary.