Adding On To Your Newport Beach Home? You're Permitted

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Homeowners who wish to expand their homes with an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit will get a break in the cost of permit fees, the city says.

This week, the Newport Beach City Council agreed to waive all city permit fees, according to city information manager John Pope. Typically those fees begin at about $1,000 and can increase up to $5,000.

The ADU is a secondary house or structure on one property, and each has its own kitchen, dining area, bath and entrance.

"These are stand-alone guest houses, converted garages, or apartments above garages," Pope says.

The ADU and JADU are a key part of the city's plan to meet state housing mandates. In the city, the plan exists to add 4,845 new housing units over the next 8 years, Pope says.

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"ADUs tend to be small and more affordable, which helps the city meet the state's lower-income housing goals," he said.

A counterpart to the ADU is the junior ADU. These are secondary apartments inside a home and not a separate structure.

Mayor Brad Avery spoke on the temporary delay in charging permit fees.

The fee waiver will apply to:

construction of new, detached ADUs on developed lots.
construction of new, ADUs and JADUs attached to an existing residence, conversion of an existing space to ADU and JADU

legalization of existing units that meet building and fire code requirements. The fee waiver does not apply to ADUs or JADUs that are part of a new development project.

For example, a new single-family development that incorporates a JADU would not be eligible for the fee waiver.

“We really want to encourage property owners with existing, illegal ADUs to reach out and work with our staff to obtain the necessary permits to bring the units into
compliance,”Avery said. “We also expect that property owners who are
considering ADU construction or conversion will use this opportunity to save money on City permitting costs.”

Property owners are invited to call the City’s Community Development Department at949-644-3200 with questions, or for more information.