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Pre-Approved ADU Program

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Pre-Approved ADUs: Streamlined ADU Permitting in Sausalito

The City of Sausalito is now offering a faster and more cost-effective permitting process for adding detached Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

The Pre-Approved ADU Program offers standard construction plan sets designed by qualified professionals that are pre-approved by the City. This collaborative program between the City, design professionals, and homeowners make adding a new detached ADU to Sausalito properties easier and faster than ever before.

Benefits for Homeowners

  • Pre-approved ADU plans designed by qualified professionals will expedite the overall plan review time which reduces permitting costs.
  • Pre-approved plans that meet City building codes will save time and reduce design uncertainty.
  • Access to a network of pre-approved design professionals for more affordable construction.

Benefits for Qualified Professionals (Architects, Builders, and Designers)

  • As a pre-approved vendor, you gain a competitive edge by showcasing your expertise in the development of streamlined ADUs.
  • Reduced project timelines with pre-approved plans.
  • Pre-approved ADU plans and expedited permitting affords you more time to take on more projects.

Legalizing Unpermitted Units 

State law provides an amnesty program for those J/ADUs built before January 2020 that were illegally constructed or include unpermitted work (Government Code Section 66332). Units that qualify for this program must comply with health and safety standards to legalize the J/ADU (Health and Safety Code Section 17920.3). Before submitting an application for a permit, the homeowner may obtain a confidential third-party code inspection from a licensed contractor to determine the unit’s existing condition or potential scope of building improvements before submitting an application for a building permit. 

Pre-Approved Detached ADUs General Information 

The City of Sausalito has developed a process to expedite the review process for new detached Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) in accordance with State Law (Assembly Bill 1332). Qualified design professionals can now apply to have their detached ADU designs and plans pre-approved (detached ADU structure only not tied to a specific site) and featured on this website. Design professionals may also submit their detached ADU plans tied to a specific site to be pre-approved for future use on other properties through the pre-approval process. 

Homeowners may review pre-approved plans online and contact design professionals to purchase pre-approved plans for detached ADU structures. Design professionals will then work with the homeowner to submit site-specific information as part of a building permit application to construct the unit. See details below.  

  • This program is for detached, new construction ADUs only.
  • Pre-approved ADU plans cannot be revised and must be permitted as designed, with the exception of modifying the orientation of the building concepts to relate to a piece of property and/or flipping the floor plans. 
  • Qualified professionals may submit plans directly to the City of Sausalito for pre-approval with no site or address. This should not include site specific materials such as foundation plans and utility connections. Utilities are required to be underground to an approved utility connection location pursuant to Sausalito Municipal Code (SMC) 18.08.
  • When qualified professionals submit plans for pre-approval tied to a site, the City/Town will not post the site specific plans for re-use, only the structure.
  • Qualified professionals may submit plans for pre-approval and opt not be included on the website, please see the submittal checklist to opt out. 

Homeowners: Is a pre-approved ADU right for your property? 

Pre-approved ADU plans designed by qualified professionals can expedite the overall plan review time which saves time and reduces permitting costs and design uncertainty. Below are important pieces of information needed to determine if a pre-approved ADU building concept is right for your property.  

  • Lot must be zoned residential and have an existing single-family home or duplex. 
  • New ADUs may not be rented out on a short-term basis (less than 30-days).  
  • A separate address and separate utilities (water and sewer) are required for detached units.    
  • A building permit is required once a pre-approved plan is purchased to use.
  • Applicants utilizing pre-approved plans are responsible for preparing and providing a valid site plan and site-specific information for the building permit such as allowable setbacks, foundation work, fire safety, tree removals, etc.
  • See Submittal checklist for building permit requirements. Applicable fees and outside agency approvals (fire and sanitary), building inspections and obtaining a final sign off and establishing a deed restriction for the building permit is required prior to occupancy.  

Note to Homeowners: It is important to consider various characteristics of your parcel to determine if the actual structure can be successfully built on your site.  

  • Properties located in a special flood hazard area (AE,AO, Floodway) will require the structure to be raised to satisfy FEMA requirements, therefore ADU height is important to consider.  Those properties in the FEMA Floodway will require a no net rise certificate to build in the Floodway.  To determine if your property is in a “Flood Zone” go to marinmap.org (link).  
  • Properties located in the Very High Fire Severity Zone areas may require fire mitigations and may limit the location of the proposed structure in order to adequately comply with the Fire Code.
  • Additional WUI Requirements may apply if your property is in a Wildfire Urban Interface Zone. 
  • Properties located in highly forested areas or on parcels with heritage trees should consider tree removal process and consult with the Planning Department and/or local arborist.  
  • Properties located in hillsides should review allowable height limits to determine if the ADU can be built at the required height limit and consider added costs of such construction in the hillside, including grading and/or staging of construction equipment (including cranes) to build or assemble the unit.
  • Adequacy/availability of services including electrical, gas, phone, cable tv, internet, water, and sewer should be reviewed in the site planning/pre-design selection. 

Tips:  

  1. ADUMarin offers one-hour free consultations for homeowners in Marin, and can provide guidance on site considerations, construction, financing and rental options as part of considering if an ADU is right for you on your property. Please visit www.adumarin.org for more information regarding ADUs.

      2. Consider the following steps as part of utilizing and building a pre-approved ADU:  

  • Step 1: Review the pre-approved building concepts  
  • Step 2: Review plans and buildable areas (consider budget, plan size, lot layout) 
  • Step 3: Select a building concept 
  • Step 4: Contact designer/architect with plans 
  • Step 5: Prepare plans to incorporate site-specific information (see checklist)  
  • Step 6: Apply for building permit  
  • Step 7: Pay fees, clear permit conditions, and obtain a building permit to construct your ADU 
  • Step 8: Final the permit and consider rental options   

Access to Pre-approved Plans:

To access Pre-Approved Detached ADU Plans, please click here to visit the City of Sausalito's Pre-Approved ADU Plans Gallery.

Qualified Professionals – How to Submit for Pre-Approval 

Architects, Builders, and Designers may submit your detached ADU designs for review and approval of the building concept as a pre-approved building permit with or without a site.  This can give a firm or design professional a competitive edge and can also showcase your expertise in building ADUs. Pre-approved ADU plans allow for expedited permitting and can reduce time and costs for both the design professional as well as the homeowner.

Please contact the Planning Division at cdd@sausalito.gov or at (415) 289-4128 for more information regarding how to submit Pre-Approved ADU plans.

To Apply, Submit for a “ADU Master Plan”  

  • Review the Pre-Approved ADU Master Plan Submittal Checklist for submittal requirements. 
  • Prepare Plans.  
  • Submit a building permit application and fees online.  “Project Address and Description” shall be input as “Pre-approved ADU Master Plan – (Company Name) – (ADU Model Plan Name)”. Note that each model plan shall be submitted as a separate application with separate fees. 
  • The actual time is relative to the requirements of each project and the completeness of the submittal. Once a building permit application is complete and accurate, the City shall process the Master Plan ADU permit application with 60 days.   
  • The Master Plan ADU fees are based on the Sausalito Fee Schedule: 
    • 2 Project types to consider with fees: 
      • Plan Approved Without Project
      • Plan Approved With Project 

*The City is in the process of conducting a Comprehensive Fee Study and will establish fees for this program once the 2025 Sausalito Fee Schedule has been adopted.* 

  • Once the review is approved, a brief description of the size/type of pre-approved ADU plans and vendor contact information will be featured on this webpage. The designer may also agree to post the pre-approved ADU floorplans on the website for residents to view.  
  • The construction plans must meet all the 2022 California Residential Code requirements and is only valid through the 2022 California Building Code cycle (through 2025).   
  • Preapproved ADU Master Plan must submit new applications once the City adopts new California Building Codes (update anticipated in  January 2026).  
  • Any proposed updates or modifications to the pre-approved plans shall be re-submitted as a new application for a pre-approved Master ADU Plan. 
  • Site specific building permits are required once the pre-approved ADU Master plan is approved.  

Pre-approved Detached ADUs and Vendor List 

Pre-approved ADU plans does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any specific designer, contractor, or other design professional by the City of Sausalito. 

Listed in alphabetical order, the following vendors offer ADU plans that the City has preapproved: 

*Pre-Approved ADU Vendor List Coming Soon!*

Pre-Approved ADU Submittal Checklists

Please refer to the following checklists below: