Placerville planning commission recommends ADU ordinance changes to comply with new state rules
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Summary
The commission voted 3–1 to forward zoning code edits aligning ADU/JADU rules with state law, striking owner-occupancy and parking-replacement requirements and asking staff to draft objective design standards for historic areas before final council action.
The Placerville Planning Commission on Jan. 6 recommended that the City Council adopt amendments to Title 10, Chapter 4 of the municipal code to bring accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and junior ADU (JADU) regulations into conformance with recent state law and guidance from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
Carol Kendrick, development services director, described the draft ordinance and HCD’s January 2026 ADU handbook addendum, noting changes such as a 15-day application completeness review and steps to avoid preempted local deed restrictions. "These updates support our general plan goal H-1 for affordable housing," Kendrick said, and staff recommended the commission determine the CEQA exemption and forward a recommendation to city council.
Commissioners probed technical details including parking, owner-occupancy, processing times and protections for historic resources. Several commissioners and staff agreed that portions of the draft conflicted with state guidance; staff recommended striking local owner-occupancy requirements and provisions that would require replacing on-site parking lost through garage conversions because state law now prohibits mandatory replacement in most cases. The building official clarified that an accessory-structure conversion may include a limited 150-square-foot addition to allow ingress/egress without triggering additional zoning setbacks, while the commission’s 1,200-square-foot ADU maximum remains a local limit.
Public speakers urged clearer notice and more time to review the technical packet; staff noted HCD had been urging communities to update ordinances and offered a January 13 city council timeline. The planning commission voted on a recommendation that included staff edits: strike the parking-replacement language, remove owner-occupancy requirements not allowed by state law, and request that City Council fund and direct staff to prepare objective design standards for ADUs in locally designated historic districts so such standards can be submitted to HCD for review. The motion passed with three ayes (Commissioners Stratton, Sylvester and Chair Keeney) and one no vote (Commissioner Smith).
Next steps: The commission's recommendation and staff edits will be forwarded to Placerville City Council for consideration; staff will revise the draft ordinance to address noted inconsistencies with HCD guidance before council review.
