Building an ADU in Temple City. Rules, costs, timeline.

Up to two ADUs plus a junior ADU. TCMC § 9-1T-13(C)(2)(a) reads “one accessory dwelling unit or a junior accessory dwelling unit” for internal units, and that is narrower than state law. Under Gov. Code § 66323(a)(1)–(2), confirmed by the HCD ADU Handbook (March 2026, p. 17), a single-family lot must be allowed one ADU converted from existing space in the house or an accessory structure, one JADU of up to 500 square feet inside the house, and one new detached ADU of up to 800 square feet.

Gov. Code § 66316 makes the state standard control, and subsection (H) of the ordinance defers to mandatory state law by its own terms. The Handbook adds at p. 18 that a city must also allow at least one ordinance ADU under Gov. Code § 66314 — the larger unit subsection (E)(3) sizes.

Per TCMC § 9-1T-13.E as amended by Ordinance No. 26-1087, measured in interior livable space: an ADU with one bedroom or less may be up to 850 square feet, an ADU with two or more bedrooms up to 1,000 square feet, and a junior ADU up to 500 square feet. The older text capped a studio at 600 square feet and a detached new-construction unit at 800 — both below the state floor. The August 2026 amendment removed them, and switched the measurement to interior livable space in line with SB 543.

Gov. Code § 66321(b)(2) bars a city from setting a maximum unit size below 850 square feet, or 1,000 square feet for an ADU with more than one bedroom, and the HCD ADU Handbook states that rule at p. 38. The ordinance’s own minimum is 220 square feet (subsection (E)(2)), a JADU is capped at 500 square feet (Gov. Code § 66313(d)), and a conversion of existing permitted space carries no square-foot cap at all (Gov. Code § 66323(a)(1)).

16 feet is the base cap under TCMC § 9-1T-13.E.5 as amended by Ordinance No. 26-1087 — but the amendment wrote in the tiers the older text left out, and they matter.

A conversion of existing floor area carries no additional height limit so long as the unit stays inside the existing building envelope. A detached unit on a lot with a multistory multifamily dwelling gets 18 feet. And a transit-oriented detached unit — on single-family or multifamily property within a half-mile walking distance of a major transit stop or high-quality transit corridor — may reach 25 feet, plus up to 2 more feet where needed to align the roof pitch with the primary dwelling. Read the catch on that tier: in no case may a detached ADU exceed one story, so the extra height buys volume, ceiling and roof form rather than a second floor.

An ADU attached to an existing single-family dwelling may reach 25 feet, but never more than the allowable height of the zoning district — the “whichever is lower” structure of Gov. Code § 66321(b)(4)(D).

Often not. Per TCMC § 9-1T-13(E)(10), one open space is required only for a newly built detached ADU with at least one bedroom, and it may sit in tandem on the existing driveway. Subsection (E)(10)(e) then waives parking entirely in five situations that mirror Gov. Code § 66322: within half a mile of public transit, inside an architecturally and historically significant historic district, where the ADU is part of the proposed or existing primary residence or an accessory structure, where on-street permits are required but not offered to the occupant, and where a car-share vehicle sits within one block.

Demolishing or converting a garage, carport or covered parking structure for the ADU never triggers replacement parking (subsection (E)(10)(c); Gov. Code § 66314(d)(11)), and a city may not require parking for a JADU at all (Gov. Code § 66334(a)).

Not for an ADU. Gov. Code § 66315 bars a city from requiring it, and the ordinance imposes none.

For a junior ADU, Ordinance No. 26-1087 brought Temple City into line with AB 1154: amended § 9-1T-13.C.1.b requires owner-occupancy only where the JADU shares a bathroom or kitchen with the main dwelling, which is the test Gov. Code § 66333(b) has applied since January 1, 2026. Where it does apply, a natural person holding legal or equitable title must live in either the main house or the junior unit as their legal domicile and permanent residence — and it does not apply at all to a JADU owned by a governmental agency, land trust or housing organization. Give the junior unit its own bathroom and kitchen and no owner-occupancy condition attaches.

One drafting wrinkle worth knowing about. The definition of “junior accessory dwelling unit” in TCMC § 9-1A-12 still says a property with a JADU “must require owner-occupancy,” without repeating the shared-sanitation qualifier — in the same definition that allows a JADU to have separate sanitation facilities. The operative standard in § 9-1T-13.C.1.b governs, and § 66333(b) preempts any broader reading. Raise it early if a plan checker cites the definition.

Fewer than before. Ordinance No. 26-1087 rewrote TCMC § 9-1T-13.F down to eight numbered standards, and they apply only “if feasible” — a standard is infeasible if implementing it would physically prohibit creating an ADU of at least 800 square feet with four-foot side and rear yard setbacks — a concrete buildable-envelope test the older text did not spell out. The surviving list: the unit’s door should not be visible from the public right-of-way, and where the unit sits on the second floor of the main dwelling the stairs should be internal; a converted garage’s door must be removed and sealed in material matching the adjoining wall; the unit needs a covered front porch or recessed entry at least 3 feet deep; no rooms inaccessible to occupants, no bedrooms with exit doors, no wet bars in bedrooms or common living areas; the unit may hold a kitchen, bedrooms and one living room, family room, den or office; no passageway may be required; bedrooms are reached from a hallway or common area rather than through another bedroom; and the exterior matches the main dwelling’s architectural style. Ordinance No. 26-1087 deleted the 6-foot view-obscuring wall, the 15-gallon privacy hedges and the 400 square feet of directly accessible open space.

Two backstops limit them. Subsection (E)(4) bars floor-area ratio, lot coverage, the 50-percent-of-primary rule and open space from precluding an ADU of at least 800 square feet, matching Gov. Code § 66321(b)(3). And a unit built under Gov. Code § 66323 is subject only to that section’s own standards (Gov. Code § 66323(b); HCD ADU Handbook, pp. 16 and 19), which the Handbook confirms at p. 39 excludes local open-space and landscaping requirements.

No. TCMC § 9-1T-13(G)(1) prohibits rentals of less than a month for the ADU, the junior ADU, and the primary residential dwelling associated with either — a broader ban than most LA-area cities write, because it reaches the main house too.

That is not a local choice at the ADU end: Gov. Code § 66323(e) requires a local agency to impose a rental term longer than 30 days on a § 66323 unit, and Gov. Code § 66333(g) does the same for JADUs. The HCD ADU Handbook states the rule at p. 19. Month-to-month and annual leases are unaffected, and a furnished mid-term tenancy of 30 days or longer is compliant.

No. Selling an ADU separately as a condominium is possible only where a city has opted in under AB 1033, codified at Gov. Code § 66342, and Temple City’s municipal code contains no opt-in ordinance. For a junior ADU the prohibition is explicit: TCMC § 9-1T-13(C)(1)(h) requires a recorded deed restriction barring sale of the JADU separately from the single-family residence, enforceable against future purchasers.

Among LA-area cities only a handful have opted in — Santa Monica (SMMC § 9.31.026, 2025) and Culver City (CCMC § 17.400.096, 2026) among them. Build here for rental income, family housing or long-term value, not for a condominium exit.

Yes, and it is usually the shortest path. Per TCMC § 9-1T-13(C)(2), an ADU or JADU created within the existing space of a single-family dwelling or an accessory structure may expand up to 150 square feet purely to accommodate ingress and egress, and subsection (E)(5) lets the structure keep its existing side, street-side and rear setbacks.

The garage door must be removed and sealed with material matching the adjoining wall (subsection (F)(2)), and no replacement parking may be required for the stalls you lose (subsection (E)(10)(c); Gov. Code § 66314(d)(11)). A conversion carried out under Gov. Code § 66323(a)(1) has no square-foot cap at all.

Raise it with us before you assume the answer is no. TCMC § 9-1T-13(G)(2) says a garage or carport constructed after January 1, 2020 cannot be converted to an ADU or JADU unless the site is modified to meet the off-street parking requirement and the floor-area ratio.

That local condition sits in real tension with two state rules: Gov. Code § 66323(a)(1) gives a conversion within the existing space of an accessory structure a ministerial right of approval subject only to § 66323’s own standards, and Gov. Code § 66314(d)(11) bars a city from requiring replacement parking when a garage is converted. Where a local provision is narrower than state law, Gov. Code § 66316 makes the state standard control. It is a design and filing question, not a closed door.

The City must approve or deny a complete ADU or JADU application within 60 days, and the review is ministerial — no hearing, no discretionary design review, no neighbor sign-off (TCMC § 9-1T-13(B)(1)–(2); Gov. Code § 66317). Under SB 543, effective January 1, 2026, the City must also determine completeness and notify you in writing within 15 business days (Gov. Code § 66317(a)(2)(A)). One local wrinkle: subsection (B)(2)(b) lets the City defer acting on the ADU application if it is filed alongside a permit application for a new single-family dwelling, until that dwelling is approved.

On a pre-engineered Signature plan, expect roughly 2 weeks of plan preparation, a permit cycle measured in weeks rather than months, then 4 to 6 months of construction — about 6 to 9 months start to finish. Custom designs run longer on both ends.

Signature plan fees are fixed at $7,490 to $12,990, which includes architectural design and full permit processing. Building the unit is estimated at roughly $180K–$420K across the lineup, depending on size.

City fees are separate: building-permit, plan-check and inspection charges come from the City of Temple City adopted Master Fees and Fines Schedule, which is published on the City’s website and should be checked for the fiscal year you file in. One local line item is set by the ordinance itself — an ADU of 750 square feet or more is subject to park construction fees, assessed in proportion to the square footage of the primary dwelling (TCMC § 9-1T-13(E)(7)).

Not below 750 square feet. An ADU containing 750 square feet or less of interior livable space pays no development impact fees anywhere in California (Gov. Code § 66311.5(c)(1)), and a JADU of 500 square feet or less is exempt as well. Above 750 square feet, impact fees must be charged proportionally to the square footage of the primary dwelling rather than flat per unit — which is exactly how TCMC § 9-1T-13(E)(7) writes the City’s park construction fee, triggered at 750 square feet and assessed in proportion to the main house.

An ADU or JADU under 500 square feet is not subject to school impact fees (Gov. Code § 66311.5(c)(3)). Keeping a unit under 750 square feet is the single cleanest way to hold fees down here.

Yes. The City publishes a Pre-Approved ADU Plans page listing plans it has already reviewed, with the designer’s contact details for each one, and it sets out the steps for submitting an application using a pre-approved standard plan. That program is the local answer to the statewide mandate in AB 1332, codified at Gov. Code § 65852.27, which required every local agency to have a pre-approved ADU plan program running by January 1, 2025.

A pre-approved plan moves quickly but is built as filed. CALI ADU does not participate in the program: our Signature plans are individually permitted on your lot and adapted to its setbacks, orientation, and the design standards in TCMC § 9-1T-13(F).