ADUs and utilities question East Bay California

[Garrett Tjoe]

Hi Community, 

Requesting help form all East Bay, California builder/investors experienced with an ADU (Additional dwelling Unit) build. I am self-managing my ADU build in Oakland, CA and have come across a few snags. The most pressing, and i cant seem to find a true answer from the the building department OR the utility companies is if I need to have separate meters (Electrical, gas, water) for my ADU and main home. It seems like rules/guideslines are changing by the day concerning ADUs, so would appreciate some real world experience in the matter.

My preference is to actually have to separated as cost efficiently as possible, but also wouldnt mind the ADU and main house shared meters as this would save me costs on my initial construction.

Any thoughts would benefit me greatly!  thanks!

[Christian Nielsen]

@Garrett Tjoe

My understanding is that you do not need separate utilities if the ADU is added to a lot with an existing Single Family Residence (SFR). New utilities may be required if the ADU is built in conjunction with a new SFR.

Here is text taken from the HOUSABLE website for Oakland:

Utility Connections

Category One: No new or separate utility connection shall be required.

Category Two: A new or separate utility connection may be required, but the connection fee or capacity charge shall be proportionate to the burden of ADU on the water or sewer system.

Here are definitions of the ADU categories from the City of Oakland website:

• CATEGORY ONE ADU: Involves either conversion of space within an existing Single-Family Dwelling, or conversion or rebuild of an existing accessory structure; includes no expansion of the existing building envelope other than up to 150 sq. ft. for purposes of accommodating ADU access and egress only.
• CATEGORY TWO ADU: Involves construction of a new detached or attached structure, including an exterior addition to an existing structure to accommodate the ADU, in conjunction with a proposed or existing Single-Family dwelling.

It seems that Oakland is making things confusing with the language they are using, but I still believe that my original interpretation is correct based on the State Assembly Bill. 

Here is the specific language from Assembly Bill No. 68:

a local agency, special district, or water corporation shall not require the applicant to install a new or separate utility connection directly between the accessory dwelling unit and the utility or impose a related connection fee or capacity charge, unless the accessory dwelling unit was constructed with a new single-family home.

If the Planning Department is telling you that you need separate utilities and you're adding an ADU to a lot with an existing SFR, refer them to the above language from AB 68. Good luck and let me know how it goes. If I'm wrong, please let me know so I can learn more about it.

Best,