Several local cities have already adopted preapproved accessory dwelling unit designs and plans. Pictured are renderings of ADU plan options from Santa Barbara (top), Carpinteria (bottom left) and Buellton (bottom right).

As part of its efforts to build more housing, the County of Santa Barbara will begin offering homeowners pre-approved designs for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) later this year.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors recently approved a $150,000 contract with RRM Design Group to develop the plans.  

According to Lisa Plowman, the director of Planning and Development, the pre-approved designs will streamline the process and help save residents time and money. Plowman estimated the savings for applicants could be anywhere up to $25,000 compared to paying for a new design from scratch.

“I think it will help applicants move more quickly through the process, because when it goes through it’s already pre-approved. All those construction documents are already reviewed,” Plowman said. “And so that will really speed up things in the permitting aspect of it too.”

Accessory dwelling units are small housing units that can be added on to a property and serve as their own apartment with their own utilities. The unit can be attached to the house or built as a separate structure.

ADUs can be built as an add-on, but some residents can choose to convert areas like garages into separate living spaces.

Carpinteria was the first local city to offer pre-approved ADU designs and plans, mid-2023, and since then, several others have followed its lead.

The county intends to begin offering the pre-approved plans in mid-August after the plans are drawn up.

The plans will be available for different projects based on square footage and the number of rooms. Applicants will be able to pick from studio plans up to three bedrooms. Each design will also come with different architectural styles that the applicant can pick from, such as Farmhouse, California Ranch, and Mediterranean.

Plowman said the Planning and Development staff reached out to RRM Design Group after seeing their work in other counties that already offer pre-approved plans. She added that the designs were already being used but were modified to fit Santa Barbara County.

During the June 24 meeting to approve the contract, Supervisor Bob Nelson from District Four asked Plowman if the county would be competing with local contractors by offering pre-approved designs.

Nelson stated he was worried the county would have an unfair advantage compared to local contractors, and asked if the county was offering a service that was already being provided. 

He added that there are about 300 pre-approved ADU projects in the process of being built right now.

Plowman responded that the county is required to develop pre-approved plans for ADUs by December 2025 as part of the county’s housing plan.

In the end, Nelson expressed his support for the plan and said that the number of plans the county was receiving for the money was “a pretty good deal.”

A crane lifts a pre-built accessory dwelling unit into a Goleta Valley backyard in April. The county issued permits for 125 ADUs for the South Coast and 94 in the North County just last year. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

ADUs have become popular residential projects in California for areas struggling to add new housing units. The state passed three laws aimed at streamlining the process and restricting how much local governments could regulate ADU permitting and construction.

The city of Santa Barbara has already allowed for the building of ADUs and offers pre-approved designs reviewed by the city’s Planning and Building & Safety departments. The city states that the plan provides design certainty, faster review times, and lower fees. Those plans are available online here.

Even though the plans are pre-approved, the applicant must meet specific criteria to build ADUs. Santa Barbara requires that ADUs in the city are not attached to the main house, and the property’s historical significance may prevent the construction of an add-on.

The city of Carpinteria currently offers two pre-approved designs for residents. The approved projects include a 400-square-foot plan and a 480-square-foot plan. Each plan also features the architectural option of coastal cottage or a California ranch. Those plans are available online here.

Buellton already offers three pre-approved designs for residents, one of which is a garage conversion. The other two include a 745-square-foot, single-bedroom plan and a two-bedroom, 1,022-square-foot design. Those plans are available online here.

Lompoc does not offer pre-approved designs but announced in June that its Permit Ready Accessory Dwelling Unit (PRADU) initiative would be presented to the city planning commission on July 9. The plan will be presented to the Lompoc City Council in August.

Goleta is not currently offering pre-approved ADU designs but is accepting design submissions for the program.  

Santa Maria does not have pre-approved ADU designs, but the city’s website says it is accepting plans from designers and architects. Solvang also does not have any pre-approved designs, but is accepting any plans that meet state requirements.

— Noozhawk staff writer Daniel Green can be reached at dgreen@noozhawk.com.