Junior ADUs in Berkeley, CA
A junior ADU is the smallest and often the simplest unit, built inside walls you already have. A licensed contractor scopes it.
What a junior ADU is in Berkeley
The city's information sheet says a junior ADU must be contained entirely within an existing or proposed single-family home, including an attached garage, and have no more than 500 square feet of interior living space. It needs its own separate exterior entrance and, at minimum, an efficiency kitchen. It may share a bathroom with the main home, and if it does, there must be an interior entry to the main home.
A junior ADU cannot have a separate address, and it is not eligible for the ADU condominium program. If a junior ADU shares a bathroom with the main home, the owner must live in either the main home or the junior ADU.
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Junior ADU questions
Does a junior ADU need a building permit?
Yes. The city says all ADUs and junior ADUs require a building permit and a recorded deed restriction.
What is an efficiency kitchen?
The city defines it as a cooking facility with appliances such as a microwave, toaster oven or hot plate, plus food preparation counter space and cabinets, where the space and the power supply are permanent.
Ask a licensed ADU contractor to follow up
Send a request with your address and whether you are thinking of a detached unit, a garage conversion, or a junior ADU. We pass your request to one independent licensed contractor who serves Berkeley, CA, if one is available.
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