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Planning commission recommends ADU ordinance updates to City Council amid new state rules
Summary
The Rolling Hills Estates Planning Commission voted to recommend an ordinance updating local ADU rules to conform with recent state legislation that changes size definitions, application timelines and the ability to combine ADU types; the recommendation moves the item to City Council for final action.
The Rolling Hills Estates Planning Commission on Nov. 18 voted to recommend that City Council adopt an updated ordinance amending chapter 7.28 on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior ADUs to align the city code with recent state law changes.
Planning staff told the commission the updates are urgent because recent state legislation includes a provision the presenter called a "poison pill" that would nullify local ADU rules on Jan. 1 unless the city's code is revised to reflect the new statutes. The presenter said staff is advancing the item now so Rolling Hills Estates retains "what's left of our local authority" over architectural standards, setbacks and historic-protection measures.
The ordinance reflects several state changes summarized by staff: a narrow emergency exception allowing an ADU to receive a certificate of occupancy when a governor-declared emergency has destroyed the primary dwelling; clarification that square-footage limits…
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