ADU Permit Timeline
State law puts a clock on your city, and it is shorter than most homeowners expect. Once your application is complete, the agency has 60 days to approve or deny it, and if it does neither the application is deemed approved. The catch is in the word complete.
California ADU law was renumbered by SB 477 in March 2024. The sections cited here are the current ones, Gov. Code 66310 to 66342. Local overlays still apply to your parcel, so confirm your specifics with your city building department or San Diego County before finalising plans.
What the rules actually say
- The permitting agency must "either approve or deny the application to create or serve an accessory dwelling unit within 60 days from the date the permitting agency receives a completed application" (Gov. Code 66317)
- If the agency has not approved or denied a completed application within 60 days, "the application shall be deemed approved"
- If the applicant requests a delay, "the 60-day time period shall be tolled for the period of the delay"
- The clock runs from a COMPLETE application, not from first submittal. An incomplete package does not start it
- Sixty days is the decision window on the permit. It is not construction time, and it is not a promise about how fast any particular city actually moves
Common questions
How long does an ADU permit take in San Diego?
State law requires a decision within 60 days of a completed application, and treats the application as deemed approved if the agency misses that (Gov. Code 66317). What varies in practice is how long it takes to get the application to complete: plan check corrections, missing structural calculations, and Title 24 documentation are the usual causes of delay.
Does the 60 days start when I submit?
Only if what you submitted was complete. The statute ties the clock to "a completed application", so a package that comes back for corrections has not started it. This is the single biggest reason real timelines run longer than 60 days.
Can I start work before the permit is issued?
No. Starting before approval risks a stop-work order and complications closing the permit out later, and unpermitted work has to be disclosed when you sell. The City of San Diego is explicit that a building permit is required to create an ADU or JADU and that there are no exemptions.
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