SB 1211
SB 1211, effective January 1, 2025, raised the cap on detached ADUs allowed on a multifamily lot from two to as many as eight, and barred cities from requiring replacement of demolished uncovered parking. It is the most significant recent ADU law change for owners of small apartment parcels.
For single-family homeowners the practical cap is still one ADU plus one JADU. SB 1211's added density applies only to qualifying multifamily lots. For a Sacramento-region owner of a duplex, fourplex, or small apartment parcel, this is the law that turns underused open space into several detached rental units in a single ministerial filing, instead of the old two-unit ceiling. Its no-replacement-parking provision matters locally too: an owner who tears out an uncovered lot to make room for the new units does not have to rebuild those spaces, which is often what made the extra density physically fit on an older Sacramento multifamily lot.
Go deeper:California ADU law in 2026
Related terms
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