Pros and Cons ADU vs JADU in California after 2020 new ordinance

[Jeff Cliff]

Hello,

I am looking to convert an existing area into attached ADU in California. In my current proposed plans, the size of this existing room with the addition of new bathroom and new closet turns out to be around 564 sqft. So essentially, I am just over 65 sqft more than Junior ADU (JADU). Currently, I don't have budget to make this Attached ADU bigger. However, the lot size is huge and in future, it maybe possible to put a detached 1200 sqft ADU in the backyard.

I am trying to figure out pros and cons of converting this existing space with the addition of bathroom & closet into a JADU vs attached ADU.

My understanding is if you have JADU you can add another detached ADU. However, not sure if I can have an attached 564 sqft ADU (not JADU) and another detached ADU in future. Moreover, I am not sure if I would need to separate service lines if I go with 564 sqft attached ADU. Is it worth to have 65 sqft more now and possibly not be able to build detached ADU in the future? Not sure what other things I should consider if any?
Thanks in advance.

[Christian Nielsen]

@Jeff Cliff a single family residence can only have one ADU. But you are allowed an ADU and JADU. So, if you plan to add an ADU in the future, I would recommend just creating the JADU now. If you don't want to reduce the size of your current JADU, see if you can allocate any of that square footage to the main residence. For example, the JADU is allowed to share a bathroom with the main residence. Maybe you can consider the bathroom as part of the main house if it has door access to the house or access through a common hall. In reality you would keep the door locked from the house to maintain privacy.

Another thing to consider with the JADU is that it requires owner occupancy on the property. This is different from the ADU which does not require owner occupancy. If you plan to move out and rent the property, you will not be able to have a JADU.