By Dominic McClelland | Updated 09/14/2026
House Junkies Construction gets some version of the same call every week. Someone owns a house in Visalia or somewhere else in Tulare County, they have heard ADUs got easier to build in 2026, and they want to know what that actually means for their specific lot in their specific city. The honest answer is that state law sets the floor, but your city still decides some of the details, and those details are not the same in Visalia as they are in Farmersville.
This post covers three things: what actually changed in California ADU law for 2026, the baseline rules every city in the state has to follow, and how Visalia, Tulare, Dinuba, Farmersville, and Exeter each handle ADUs differently within that baseline. Then I will walk through how House Junkies Construction actually builds these, pre-approved plans, custom builds, and how the referral payout works if you send us a client.
New California ADU Laws for 2026
A handful of bills either took effect or became permanent on January 1, 2026, and together they are the biggest set of changes since ADU law started loosening up a few years ago.
- AB 976 permanently removed the owner-occupancy requirement for standard ADUs. The old rule had a sunset date that would have brought owner-occupancy back in 2025. AB 976 killed that sunset for good, so you can rent out your primary home and your ADU at the same time, indefinitely. Junior ADUs that share a bathroom with the main house are the one exception, owner-occupancy still applies there.
- SB 543 clarified exactly how many units a lot can have, one attached ADU, one detached ADU, and one JADU on a single-family lot, and shut down cities that had been misreading that as an either-or. It also exempts ADUs and JADUs under 500 square feet from school impact fees and requires cities to determine whether an application is complete within 15 days, or it gets automatically deemed complete.
- AB 1332 relaxed setback requirements further, allows height up to 25 feet in some cases, and pushes cities toward offering pre-approved ADU plan sets specifically to speed up permitting.
- AB 2533 gives homeowners a path to legalize older, previously unpermitted ADUs without a full code overhaul, focused mainly on safety items like exits and sanitation rather than tearing the whole thing apart.
- SB 1211 expanded how many detached ADUs a multifamily property can add, up to eight units at a rate of one ADU per existing unit on the lot.
- AB 1154 locked in the JADU size cap at 500 square feet and clarified that a JADU with its own separate bathroom does not trigger the owner-occupancy requirement, only a JADU sharing sanitation with the main house does.
General California ADU Laws Overview
Underneath all of the 2026 changes, there is a baseline that has not moved much and that every city and county in California has to follow, whether their local ordinance has been updated to say so or not.
- Size. A detached ADU can be up to 1,200 square feet. An attached ADU is generally capped at 850 square feet for a one-bedroom or 1,000 square feet for a two-bedroom, though your specific city's ordinance can be more generous. A JADU is capped at 500 square feet and has to be built within the existing footprint of the primary home.
- Setbacks. Four feet from the rear and side property lines for a new construction ADU, full stop. A city cannot require more than that. If you are converting an existing structure, like a garage, no setback applies at all.
- Parking. No more than one parking space per ADU or per bedroom, whichever is less, and no parking requirement at all if the ADU is within a half mile of public transit or was created by converting an existing garage, carport, or covered parking structure.
- Permit timeline. Cities must approve or deny a complete application within 60 days. If you are using a pre-approved plan, several cities are moving that down closer to 30 days.
- Fees. ADUs under 750 square feet are exempt from most local impact fees. Under SB 543, ADUs and JADUs under 500 square feet are also exempt from school fees specifically.
- Fire sprinklers. Not required in the ADU unless they are already required in the primary residence.
That is the floor. No city in Tulare County can go below it. What they can do is add their own program on top of it, offer pre-approved plans, or in a couple of cases, still be catching up.
Tulare County City by City: How ADU Rules Actually Differ
Visalia. Visalia has gone further than the state minimum by publishing its own official pre-approved ADU plan set through the city, with several options that come in under 800 square feet, which also exempts them from lot coverage requirements. Standard setbacks apply, four feet side and rear, and parking is waived if you are within a half mile of transit or converting a garage. Of the five cities here, Visalia has the most homeowner-friendly paperwork already built out.
Tulare. The city caps new ADUs at 800 square feet locally and 25 feet in height, with the standard 4-foot side and rear setbacks. The detail that catches people off guard is that Tulare sits in Seismic Design Category D, which means a detached ADU needs a licensed engineer's stamp on the structural drawings, not just architectural sheets. Permit fees generally run in the $3,200 to $3,400 range.
Dinuba. Dinuba actually allows more square footage than the bare state minimum for attached units, up to 850 square feet for a one-bedroom ADU and 1,000 square feet for a two-bedroom, regardless of the underlying zoning. JADUs are capped at the standard 500 square feet. As of now, the city does not have its own pre-approved plan program, so every project goes through individual plan review.
Farmersville. Farmersville adopted its own ADU ordinance in early 2024, but the state's Department of Housing and Community Development flagged parts of it in a compliance review in December 2025, including a height limit that was more restrictive than what state law now allows. If you are planning an ADU in Farmersville, it is worth confirming the current, corrected version of the ordinance with the city directly before you finalize a design.
Exeter. Exeter does not have a clearly published, ADU-specific local ordinance the way Visalia or Farmersville do. In practice that means the state's baseline rules govern most of what you can build, but you will want to call Exeter's Planning and Development Department directly to confirm zoning and any local requirements before you commit to a design.
How House Junkies Construction Builds ADUs
This is the part of the business Omar Ayon runs day to day. House Junkies Construction is a licensed California general contractor, LIC #1077593, and ADUs are one of our most requested projects across Visalia and the rest of Tulare County.
Pre-approved plans. We already have ADU plans approved and ready to go in Tulare, Kings, Kern, and Fresno counties, custom county-specific approval, not a generic template. If your property sits in one of those counties, that step is already done before we ever break ground.
Custom projects. If a pre-approved plan does not fit your lot or your goals, we design and build a custom ADU from the ground up, sized anywhere from 400 to 1,200 square feet depending on your property and what the local ordinance allows.
Expert construction and project management. Design, permitting, and construction under one roof, managed by our own crews, not subcontracted out piece by piece.
Fast approvals. Because we already understand the city-by-city differences laid out above, and because several of our plans are pre-approved, projects tend to move through permitting faster than starting from a blank page with a new architect.
If you know someone thinking about an ADU, homeowner, investor, doesn't matter, send them our way. We pay $2,500 to $5,000 per referral on ADU clients who move forward with a project. If you are more interested in referring property acquisitions instead of construction clients, that is a separate program, covered on our Partner page.
Omar Ayon, Project Manager (559) 350-1804
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to live on my property to build an ADU in California? No. AB 976 permanently removed the owner-occupancy requirement for standard ADUs. The only exception is a Junior ADU that shares a bathroom with the main house.
How big can an ADU be in Tulare County? It depends on the city. State law protects up to 1,200 square feet for a detached ADU, but Tulare caps new units locally at 800 square feet, while Dinuba allows up to 1,000 square feet for a two-bedroom attached unit. Visalia, Farmersville, and Exeter generally follow the broader state allowances.
Does my city need to approve or deny my ADU application within a set time? Yes. Every city in California, including all five covered here, must approve or deny a complete ADU application within 60 days.
Do I need a licensed engineer for my ADU? It depends on your city's seismic classification and your specific design. Tulare's Seismic Design Category D requires an engineer's stamp on structural drawings for a detached ADU. Other cities may not require it for a straightforward, code-compliant design.
What is the difference between a pre-approved plan and a custom ADU? A pre-approved plan has already cleared plan review in that specific county, which speeds up permitting. A custom ADU is designed from scratch for your property and still has to go through full plan review, but gives you more control over size, layout, and finishes.
How does the ADU referral commission work? If you refer someone who moves forward with an ADU project through House Junkies Construction, you get paid $2,500 to $5,000 depending on the size and scope of the project once it is underway.
Thinking About an ADU on Your Property?
Whether you are in Visalia, Tulare, Dinuba, Farmersville, or Exeter, the fastest way to find out what is actually possible on your lot is a direct conversation, not another article.
Call or text Omar Ayon at (559) 350-1804.
This post summarizes California state ADU law and select local ordinances as of September 2026 for general informational purposes. It is not legal advice. Local ordinances change and specific lot conditions vary, confirm current requirements with your city's planning department and a licensed professional before starting a project.
