Huntington Beach

Orange County portion

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ADU Pass helps homeowners in Huntington Beach, Orange County, California navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 4 ZIP codes.

4 ZIP codes

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ADU details

ADU legality: allowed

Stateallowed (California Government Code §§ 65852.2 / 65852.22 (ADU and JADU statewide preemption)) — California preempts most local ADU restrictions: ministerial 60-day approval, statewide minimum sizes, no owner-occupancy on ADUs, AB 670/3182 HOA preemption, SB 13 fee caps for sub-750 sqft units.

Countyallowed (Orange County Zoning Code (unincorporated areas only — does not govern within Huntington Beach city limits)) — Within HB city limits the city zoning + state law govern; the Coastal Zone overlay adds California Coastal Commission jurisdiction.

Cityallowed (Huntington Beach Zoning & Subdivision Ordinance § 230.10 (effectively superseded by state law since 2020-01-01); Coastal Zone Overlay Chapter 245 governs CDP) — HBZSO § 230.10 (the local ADU code) is no longer in force since California's 2020 ADU statute preempted local provisions. HB now provides ministerial review by direct application of state law. ADUs in the CZ Coastal Zone Overlay District require a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) under Chapter 245 unless exempt.

Huntington Beach is operating under direct state-law application after the California AG/HCD lawsuit (filed March 2023) forced the city to resume processing ADU and SB 9 applications on March 21, 2023. The lawsuit (People v. Huntington Beach) remains active over Housing Element compliance.

Cost scenarios

Scenario	Sq ft	Permit	Build	Total
minimum	150	$1,700	$71,250	$72,950
600	600	$1,700	$285,000	$286,700
midpoint	675	$1,700	$320,625	$322,325
maximum	1,200	$1,700	$570,000	$571,700

Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)

Plan review$600

Building permit$1,400

Total$2,000

Permitting process

Typical duration75 days

Backlog35 days

Viability (permitted uses)

Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of ADUs is explicitly permitted under state law, which HB applies directly. California's owner-occupancy preemption applies to ADUs (but not JADUs).
Short-term rental: with-restrictions Huntington Beach restricts STRs in residential zones outside the Downtown Specific Plan area. Coastal-Zone parcels face additional Coastal Commission policy preference for long-term housing.
Office rental: with-restrictions Renting an ADU as office space to outside tenants requires a home occupation permit; not outright permitted in residential zones.
Home office: yes Owner home-office use is permitted with limits on signage, customer traffic, and employees per HB home occupation rules.
Studio / workshop: yes Owner artist studio is a permitted accessory use in residential zones.
Agriculture: with-restrictions Limited urban agriculture is permitted; livestock highly restricted in the dense beach-city residential zoning.
Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU and JADU pathways are explicitly permitted. JADU still requires owner-occupancy on the property.

Incentives

Pre-approved plans Pre-approved plans

Contacts

DepartmentCity of Huntington Beach Community Development Department — Planning Division and Building Division (2000 Main Street, Huntington Beach, CA 92648)

Phone714-536-5511

Websitehttps://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/departments/community_development/planning_zoning/accessory_dwelling_units_(adus).php

Contractor directory (1)

Scope: city.

General Contractor (1)

ADU Homes Inc. ADU specialist
website

Utilities

Water: City of Huntington Beach Water Division (Public Works) · 21d connect · $4,500
Sewer: City of Huntington Beach (collection); Orange County Sanitation District (treatment) · 21d connect · $5,500
Electric: Southern California Edison (SCE) · 14d connect · $1,800
Gas: Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) · 21d connect · $1,500

Property values & taxes

Median value$1,185,000

Median tax$13,035/yr

Effective rate1.1%

Construction timeline

Detached build26 weeks

Conversion13 weeks

Contractor lead5 months

Realistic total: best 9mo · typical 14mo · worst 22mo

Modular pathway inspectors are novice with modular

Financing

Fannie Mae ADUeligible

State ADU loans:

CalHFA ADU Grant Program up to $40,000
HCD ADU Funding index

Insurance impact

Annual premium delta$720

Landlord policyrecommended

Umbrella threshold$1M umbrella when renting; consider $2M near coast or in tsunami zone

HOA prevalence & preemption

State HOA preemptionyes

California has the strongest statewide HOA-preemption regime in the US for accessory dwelling units. AB 670 (2019) voided ADU-prohibiting covenants on single-family residential lots; AB 3182 (2020) extended the preemption into the Davis-Stirling Act. Huntington Beach has higher HOA prevalence than typical OC cities because of its planned-community history (Huntington Harbour, SeaCliff, Holly Seacliff, Edwards Hill / Brightwater). HOAs in coastal subdivisions remain a friction point even with state preemption due to design-standards regimes.

Regulatory overlays (6)

coastal-commission
Huntington Beach has a CCC-certified Local Coastal Program (LCP), updated and re-certified February 4, 2026 with Sea Level Rise standards in floodplain ordinances. ADUs in the CZ Coastal Zone Overlay District require a Coastal Development Permit under HBZSO Chapter 245 unless exempt (some attached/conversion ADUs are exempt under CCC guidance).
wetland-overlay
Bolsa Chica Wetlands (~1,500 acres state-owned ecological reserve) buffer affects parcels in Bolsa Chica, Sunset Beach, and adjacent neighborhoods; ADU permitting near the wetlands requires CCC consultation.
flood-zone
Tsunami Inundation Zone covers a wide swath south of Pacific Coast Highway, downtown area, and Sunset Beach; FEMA Zone AE / VE applies along PCH corridor and near the Santa Ana River. The Feb 2026 LCP update explicitly added Sea Level Rise standards.
other
AES Huntington Beach Energy Plant (decommissioned natural gas/peaker) at 21730 Newland Street sits adjacent to the HB Wetlands; nearby parcels face residual industrial-adjacency considerations and the Poseidon desalination facility's planned construction.
historic-district
Downtown Specific Plan (DTSP) area around Main Street and the HB Pier carries historic-character requirements affecting ADU design where parcels lie within the DTSP boundary.
seismic-retrofit-zone
Seismic Design Category D2 per ASCE 7-22; the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone runs through HB and the city sits on Quaternary alluvium with significant liquefaction susceptibility, especially in low-lying areas.

Technical envelope (climate & building code)

Climate & energy code

IECC climate zone3B

Heating degree days1,100

Cooling degree days900

Design low / high42°F / 84°F

Wind design speed100 mph

Seismic design cat.D2

Annual rainfall12"

Wildfire exposurelow

Energy codeTitle 24

Version / adopted2025 / 2026

Solar requiredyes

EV-ready requiredyes

Building code

Base codeCRC

Version year2,025

Adopted2026

Fire sprinkleruniversal

Egress window5.7 sqft min

Min ceiling7 ft

Attic R-valueR-38 min

Wall R-valueR-13 min

Amendments:

Amendment
Amendment

Legal history (timeline)

Current ordinance: HBZSO § 230.10 (effectively superseded since 2020) + Chapter 245 (Coastal Development Permit) — ADUs governed by direct application of California state law, adopted 2017-01-01, last amended 2020-01-01

2017-01-01 — HBZSO § 230.10 (original local ADU section) (city-ordinance)
Huntington Beach adopted HBZSO § 230.10 to govern second/granny units before the 2020 California overhaul.
Effect: Provided the local-code framework that was preempted in 2020 by AB 68/881.
2020-01-01 — AB 68/881/SB 13 effective — HBZSO § 230.10 effectively superseded (state-law)
Huntington Beach declares HBZSO § 230.10 'no longer in effect' and applies state law directly.
Effect: Per HB's own ADU summary: 'upon adoption of new ADU and JADU laws by the California Legislature effective January 1, 2020, the HBZSO Section 230.10 is no longer in effect.' City processes by direct state-law application.
2023-02-21 — HCD issues Notice of Potential Violation to Huntington Beach for ADU/SB 9 ban (state-law)
HCD's Housing Accountability Unit issues NOPV citing HB's refusal to process ADU and SB 9 applications.
Effect: First formal state action; preceded the AG lawsuit by 2 weeks.
2023-03-08 — California Attorney General sues Huntington Beach (People v. Huntington Beach) (state-law)
Attorney General Bonta files suit alleging HB's ADU/SB 9 ban violates the HAA, ADU law, SB 9, and Housing Crisis Act.
Effect: Legal pressure forced HB to reverse its ban within 2 weeks.
2023-03-21 — HB City Council reverses ADU/SB 9 ban — resumes processing applications (city-ordinance)
City Council vote rescinds the previous ban on ADU and SB 9 application processing.
Effect: Restored intake of ADU permit applications. The amended state lawsuit continues separately on Housing Element non-compliance.
2024-04-01 — HB Pre-Approved ADU Plan launched (AB 1332 conformance) (city-ordinance)
Huntington Beach publishes one city pre-approved ADU plan: 1-story detached, 490 square feet.
Effect: Bare-minimum AB 1332 compliance — only one plan, modifications prohibited. HB has the smallest pre-approved plan catalog of any major OC city.
2026-02-04 — California Coastal Commission certifies HB Local Coastal Program (LCP) update (city-ordinance)
CCC certifies HB's updated Land Use Plan (LUP) and Implementation Plan (IP) integrating Sea Level Rise (SLR) standards into floodplain ordinances.
Effect: ADUs in the Coastal Zone now subject to the updated SLR-aware floodplain requirements; CDP process tightens for parcels in or adjacent to projected SLR inundation areas.

Known issues (4)

pending-litigation — Amended state complaint seeks suspension of HB's permitting authority until Housing Element compliance is achieved. ADU intake currently functioning, but procedural risk remains.
policy-review — City applies state law directly with no local clarifications, leaving developers to navigate ambiguities (esp. Coastal Zone) without local-code guidance. Can lead to additional plan-check cycles.
other — ADUs in the CZ Coastal Zone Overlay District require a separate CDP under Chapter 245; appealable to CCC. Adds 2-3 months to typical permit duration.
other — Parcels south of PCH and in Sunset Beach have elevated insurance costs and may face elevated foundation requirements per the Feb 2026 LCP SLR amendment.

Orange County — county ADU rules and overlays

County ADU ordinance

California state — ADU law and programs

State ADU law

California has the most aggressive statewide ADU preemption regime in the US, built from ~15 bills passed 2019-2025 and enforced by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The 2026 HCD ADU Handbook addendum (in effect with the 2025 Title 24 code cycle) is the operative state-level reference. The regime does four things at once: (1) preempts local zoning that would ban or unreasonably restrict ADUs; (2) imposes by-right ministerial approval with short statutory deadlines; (3) caps fees and utility-connection charges; and (4) empowers HCD to void non-compliant local ordinances.

State HOA preemption

California has the strongest statewide HOA-preemption regime in the US for accessory dwelling units, built from two bills: AB 670 (2019) voided ADU-prohibiting covenants on single-family residential lots, and AB 3182 (2020) extended and codified the preemption into the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act (Civil Code §§ 4740 / 4741). The combination prohibits common-interest communities from banning ADUs, restricting rentals below 25% of separate interests, or treating ADUs as separate HOA interests. Limits remain: HOAs retain authority over reasonable design standards and statutory height limits, and the 2026 Carlsbad case (CalMatters coverage) established that an HOA's documented design-standards regime can effectively delay or constrain ADU approval short of outright prohibition.

State financing programs

California's flagship state-level ADU financing program — the CalHFA ADU Grant Program — is paused and has not been refunded since the original $100 million allocation was fully deployed 2023-12-28. The program provided up to $40,000 per qualifying homeowner for pre-construction and non-recurring closing costs and financed approximately 2,500 ADUs in two rounds. As of 2026-04, no new funding round has been announced in the state budget. CalHFA continues to publish anti-scam warnings because bad actors actively solicit homeowners claiming access to grant funds that no longer exist. State-level financing activity has shifted to local pilot programs (San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego) and private financing products (Fannie Mae ADU mortgage, HELOC, construction-to-permanent).

CalHFA ADU Grant Program
HCD ADU Funding index

State housing programs

California's state-level ADU programs are concentrated at HCD (technical guidance, ordinance review, enforcement) and the paused CalHFA grant pipeline (covered under stateFinancing). The state does not operate a central pre-approved ADU plan library — instead, AB 1332 (2024) created a preemption framework for local pre-approved plans with a 30-day ministerial-approval deadline, and major cities (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, Berkeley) have rolled out their own plan catalogs. The California YIMBY coalition and other housing-policy organizations play an influential role in bill drafting; they are not state agencies but effectively drive much of the ADU legislative agenda. The Title 24 code cycle (now 2025, in effect for 2026 permits) is the authoritative building-code baseline.

Federal (United States) — ADU-relevant rules and programs

Federal ADU law

The United States has no federal statute that directly regulates accessory dwelling unit entitlement or design. Land-use authority over ADUs resides with states and local governments under the traditional police power. Federal engagement is limited to financing (Fannie/Freddie/FHA/VA/USDA), flood insurance (FEMA/NFIP), and discretionary housing programs (HUD), which are recorded in sibling sections of this file.

Federal financing programs

Federal housing-finance agencies and GSEs set nationwide underwriting rules that govern whether an ADU can be financed, appraised, and counted toward mortgage qualifying income. The relevant actors are Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA (HUD), VA, and USDA Rural Development.

Federal tax credits

There is no ADU-specific federal tax credit. ADUs may incidentally qualify for existing federal energy-efficiency and clean-energy tax credits when the ADU construction includes qualifying measures.

Federal housing programs

HUD administers several discretionary programs that can fund ADU-related activity at the grantee's election, but none is an ADU-specific program.