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Lake Forest Council introduces ADU ordinance to align with 2026 state law
Summary
The Lake Forest City Council unanimously introduced an ordinance updating local ADU and JADU rules to reflect recent state legislation that took effect Jan. 1, 2026; staff said the change preserves local ADU standards while ensuring statutory compliance and an exemption from CEQA.
Senior planner Ron Santos presented a draft ordinance to amend Lake Forest’s municipal code on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior ADUs (JADUs) so the city complies with several state bills that took effect Jan. 1, 2026. Santos told the council the package of state changes affects owner-occupancy rules for JADUs, size calculations for ADUs and JADUs, impact-fee exemptions for smaller ADUs and processing timelines for permit reviews.
Santos said the draft ordinance would "ensure the city is fully compliant with recent changes in California ADU law that took effect on 01/01/2026," noting that staff already added restrictions on short-term rentals of JADUs and language to preserve local ADU standards where permitted by state law. He told the council the Planning Commission recommended adoption at its Dec. 4 meeting and that no public comments were received at the commission hearing.
Staff recommended the council find the ordinance statutorily exempt from CEQA under the Public Resources Code provision that applies to ordinances implementing state ADU law and to introduce the ordinance for first reading so the city remains in compliance. After brief clarifying questions about the CEQA exemption, a council member moved the item and the motion passed "4 0 with council member Voigt absent," as read by the clerk.
The ordinance’s text, effective mechanics (first reading versus adoption), fees and any implementation timelines were not provided on the record and were not specified during the hearing. Staff said the city must submit the adopted ADU ordinance to the California Department of Housing and Community Development within 60 days of adoption to avoid voiding under recently amended state law.
Next steps: the council introduced the ordinance and approved the motion 4–0; staff indicated follow-up adoption steps and submission to state housing officials would occur according to state timelines.
