General Requirements for Private Property & ADUs

When placing a manufactured house on a piece of land, it is important to consider factors such as grading, house position, access for delivering the home, utilities (water, sewer, electric, gas, etc.), and permitting. Also, professional reports and studies will be required as part of the project. When deciding to buy land or assessing your budget, these reports will help you understand the feasibility and estimated costs before you get very far into the project.

If you are a prospective or new owner of the property, it is worth checking if you can obtain any reports that may have already been completed by the previous owner of your property.

Below is list of typical permitting requirements. Actual requirements and time to complete them may vary. All permitting fees are to be paid by owner. We recommend hiring a permit processing professional to ensure the permits for your project are handled in a timely and efficient manner.

1. Discuss requirements for project with Planning Department.
2. Owner to hire soil/geological engineer to prepare soil and percolation reports and seismic, earthquake, or slope stability test (if applicable).
3. Owner to hire civil engineer for grading permit (if applicable).
4. Owner to hire draftsperson or architect to prepare plot plan.
5. Obtain zoning clearance from Planning Department for proposed project.
6. Apply for Fire Department review and conditions of approval for project.
7. Submit application for sewage disposal system (if applicable) to Environmental Health.
8. Public Works – seek grading exemption, soils waiver, or grading permit application if required.
9. Flood Control – check if property in a flood zone and if additional conditions will apply.
10. Submit all the above to Building and Safety for plan check.
11. Upon project approval from all agencies, pay the remainder of all required fees (acreage assessment, water, schools, and fire). A list of fees to be provided at time of plan check submittal.
12. Obtain a “Will Serve Letter” from the water purveyor and/or the sanitary district (if new constructions).
13. Obtain Building Permit, and notify contractor that permit is approved and ready for issuance.

WARNING: Manufactured homes and Modular/Prefab/Factory Built homes are not the same. Ensure when obtaining permits, you are getting permits for a Manufactured Home, not Modular/Prefab/Factory built which follow a different building code. For further detail on the differences between those types of pre built homes, read our explanation by clicking here. ”