ADU fees in Fremont: $1,153–$8,533 in modeled fees for 1,000 sq ft, plus valuation-based permits
Fremont waives its development impact fees for ADUs and JADUs, so permit costs are mostly building plan check and inspection fees, which come from a valuation table. Planning review of an ADU is a $1,000 deposit, and the City's preapproved ADU plans come with a flat $1,000 plan review fee.
9 fee lines · 3 official sources · checked Oct 18, 2026 · Sources · Calculator
Totals leave out valuation-based building fees and community planning fee, permitting technology fee at some sizes. Enter a construction valuation in the calculator to include them.
Modeled fees by ADU size
Detached ADU, 2,000 sq ft main home (example assumption), law in force today. Bars: solid = fees that apply, hatched = fees that may apply.
Each fee with its official source (numbers link to the source list). Est. = computed by us from the official rate; May apply = high total only; Up to = statewide cap, district may charge less.
Fee
499 sq ft
750 sq ft
1,000 sq ft
1,200 sq ft
Planning & zoning
Planning conformance plan check, ADU/JADU (deposit)1A $1,000 job-cost deposit: billed against staff time, so the final charge can differ.
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
Limited design review, new ADU/JADU (deposit)1A $2,000 job-cost deposit, if your ADU needs design review.
Building plan check (valuation table)1Base fee for the valuation band plus a set amount for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof (FY 2026-27). Fremont sets a minimum valuation from building valuation data, so enter your valuation in the calculator.
Needs valuation
Needs valuation
Needs valuation
Needs valuation
Building inspection/permit (same valuation table)1The schedule lists plan check and inspection/permit fees under one valuation table, with separate minimums ($147 plan check, $133 inspection). It doesn't say whether the table is charged once or for each, so we count this second charge in the high total only.
Permitting technology fee (3% of plan review and inspection)1
Needs valuation
Needs valuation
Needs valuation
Needs valuation
Impact fees
Development impact fees (waived for ADUs)2Fremont's Housing Element states the City waives development impact fees for ADUs and JADUs.
Exempt
Exempt
$0
$0
School district fee
School fee (Fremont Unified; statewide cap shown)4
Exempt
Up to$4,035
Up to$5,380
Up to$6,456
Modeled total
$1,153–$3,153
$1,153–$7,188
$1,153–$8,533
$1,153–$9,609
Water & sewer
Water is from Alameda County Water District. Fremont's Housing Element notes a separate water line for an ADU carried an $8,556 connection fee in its prototype; most ADUs don't install one. 2
Rules
What you can build in Fremont
Maximum size
State floor: cities must allow at least 850 sq ft (1,000 sq ft with 2+ bedrooms); detached ADUs can be capped at 1,200 sq ft. Local rule not captured yet.5
Height
State floor: 16 ft detached (18 ft near transit or on a multifamily lot, +2 ft for roof pitch); 25 ft attached. Local rule not captured yet.5
Setbacks
State limit: no more than 4 ft side and rear. Local rule not captured yet.5
Parking
State limit: at most 1 space per ADU or bedroom, and none within ½ mile of transit and in other cases. Local rule not captured yet.5
Owner occupancy
State law: cities can't require the owner to live on site for an ADU (JADUs: owner on site if sanitation is shared). Local rule not captured yet.5
Pre-approved plans
State law: every city must run a program to pre-approve ADU plans (Gov. Code 65852.27). Local rule not captured yet.5
State law
Why a 750 sq ft ADU pays no impact fees
California bars impact fees on ADUs of 750 sq ft or less of interior livable space. Above that, they must be proportional to the main home’s size; we assume 2,000 sq ft unless you enter yours. School fees start at 500 sq ft. From January 1, 2027, SB 1117 limits impact fees to the area over 750 sq ft. How the state rules work →
ADU permits issued
Fremont issued 188 ADU building permits in 2025
786 from 2018 to 2025, as the jurisdiction reported to the state in its Housing Element Annual Progress Reports (Table A2, ADU rows; may include JADUs). “–” means no ADU rows were reported that year.
Plan check and inspection fees use a valuation table; Fremont's minimum valuation comes from building valuation data it doesn't publish per sq ft in the schedule, so modeled totals leave them out. Enter a valuation in the calculator.
Trade plan review (25% of the building plan check fee, minimum $292 per trade), electrical, plumbing, mechanical and green building inspections, state SMIP/BSASRF fees and records retention aren't included.
Fremont's construction tax ($3,137 per new single-family dwelling, $1.00 per sq ft for additions) doesn't say how it applies to ADUs, so it isn't included.
School district rate not captured; shown at the statewide cap.
Local size, height and parking rules not captured yet; the state minimums apply.
The Governor approved SB 1117 (Chapter 809, Statutes of 2026) on September 29, 2026. It amends Gov. Code 66311.5: on lots with up to two ADUs, impact fees on an ADU over 750 sq ft must still be proportional to the primary home, and may only be charged on the area over 750 sq ft. Regular 2026 statutes take effect January 1, 2027. Until then, fees on a larger ADU are figured on its full size. Our calculator has a 2027 setting that shows the difference.
The Department of Housing and Community Development updated its ADU Handbook to reflect the laws that took effect January 1, 2026. Its proportional-fee example: a 1,000 sq ft ADU next to a 2,000 sq ft home pays 50% of the fee a new home would pay. Our models use 2,000 sq ft as the example primary-home size unless you enter your own.
On January 28, 2026 the State Allocation Board raised the statewide maximum Level 1 developer fee for residential construction from $5.17 to $5.38 per sq ft (+4.06%). School districts collect it on ADUs of 500 sq ft or more, at their own adopted rate up to this cap (higher Level 2/3 fees need extra findings). Where we haven't confirmed a district's rate, we use $5.38 as the upper bound.
SB 543 (Chapter 520, Statutes of 2025) took effect January 1, 2026. It restates the impact-fee rule in Gov. Code 66311.5: no impact fees on an ADU of 750 sq ft of interior livable space or less, or a JADU of 500 sq ft or less; above that, fees must be proportional to the primary home. It also caps JADUs at 500 sq ft of interior livable space. Many city documents still cite the older section numbers (65852.2 or 66324).
For a detached ADU with a 2,000 sq ft main home (an example assumption), our model of Fremont’s official fee schedules comes to $1,153–$7,188 at 750 sq ft and $1,153–$8,533 at 1,000 sq ft. These totals leave out valuation-based building fees and community planning fee, permitting technology fee at some sizes. Ranges show fees that may or may not apply to your project.
Does Fremont charge impact fees on a 750 sq ft ADU?
No. California Government Code section 66311.5 bars impact fees on an ADU of 750 sq ft of interior livable space or less (500 sq ft or less for a JADU). Above 750 sq ft, impact fees must be proportional to the size of the main home.
Do school fees apply to an ADU?
Only at 500 sq ft or more. School districts charge their adopted developer fee per sq ft, capped at the State Allocation Board’s Level 1 maximum ($5.38 per sq ft since January 28, 2026) unless they qualify for higher levels.
A local agency, special district, or water corporation shall not impose any impact fee upon the development of an accessory dwelling unit that has 750 square feet of interior livable space or less