Attached ADUs in Solana Beach

An addition that becomes its own home suits Solana Beach houses with a wide side yard or a long rear wing. The city treats it as a fully separate unit: per the Solana Beach ADU Submittal Process and Basic Plan Requirements (June 2025), an attached ADU has no interior access to the house.

Rules that shape the plan

• No interior door to the primary residence
• Primary ADU entrance not visible from the street adjacent to the front yard setback
• Same architectural style, materials and colors as the house (new construction)
• Independent facilities for sleeping, living, sanitation, eating and cooking
• ADU kitchen: at least 10 ft of counters and wall cabinets, 24 in sink with disposal, 12 cu ft refrigerator, two cooking appliances
• Rentals 30 consecutive days or more

Height

State law requires a city to allow an attached ADU up to 25 ft or the zone's height limit, whichever is lower, subject to the rule against more than two stories (Gov. Code §66321).

Fire sprinklers

Sprinklers are required where they were required for the existing house, or if the house undergoes significant alteration that now requires them.

Floor area

The attached ADU goes into the FAR worksheet with the 800 sq ft exemption. See floor area.

Rules that shape an attached ADU here

• No interior access to the primary residence.
• Same architectural style, exterior materials and colors as the house for new construction.
• Eaves, awnings, bay windows and balconies may project 2 ft, but not into side or rear setbacks.
• The ADU's primary entrance can't be visible from the street adjacent to the front yard setback.
• Sprinklers are required only if they were required for the house, or the house is altered enough to need them.

Impact fees and the 750 sq ft line

ADUs of 750 sq ft or less carry no impact fees under SBMC 17.60.210(A)(3)(p). Above that, impact fees are proportional to the primary home's size, and the plans must state the ADU's percentage of the house (for example, 1,000 sq ft against a 2,000 sq ft house is 50%).

Plans checklist

• Existing house plan and proposed ADU plan, dimensioned to exterior surfaces
• FAR areas shaded on a separate sheet
• Two cross sections with maximum height line
• MSL elevation under the tallest point
• Roof plan with eaves dimensioned

Also checked Oct 14, 2026: Solana Beach ADU Submittal Process and Basic Plan Requirements (June 2025).

Height

25 ft or the zone's limit for the house, whichever is lower, and never more than two stories (SBMC 17.60.210(A)(3)(h)(iv)). Size: 850 or 1,000 sq ft by bedrooms.

Also checked Oct 14, 2026: SBMC §17.60.210(A) (Ord. 542, 2026).

Sources, checked Oct 14, 2026: Solana Beach ADU Submittal Process and Basic Plan Requirements (June 2025) · Gov. Code §66321.