Ripon council reviews ADU state mandates, seeks direction on local standards to protect neighborhood character

Ripon city staff reviewed a series of California state laws that have progressively limited local control over accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and asked the City Council for direction on local standards for ADUs that are not “state-exempt.”

Ken, a city planning staff member, told the council that since February 2016 the state has passed multiple bills intended to expand ADU production and streamline approvals, and that Ripon has approved 56 ADU applications through the planning department since 2016. "ADU ordinances are required by law to be compliant with state law," Ken said, adding that many recent bills reduce local discretion on design, parking, setbacks and owner-occupancy requirements.

The presentation summarized recurring state requirements described in state statutes and implementing guidance: ministerial (staff-level) approval with reduced review timelines, limits or waivers on parking, restrictions on replacement parking rules for multifamily parcels, caps and categories for ADU sizes (state-exempt detached ADUs generally 800 square feet or smaller and certain attached ADUs with different limits), and removal of some owner-occupancy rules. Ken said the city’s last ADU ordinance was adopted in May 2021 and that the state has passed roughly a dozen additional…