ADU fees in Redwood City: $5,170 in modeled fees for 1,000 sq ft, plus valuation-based permits
Redwood City charges ADUs no park impact fee (exempt until April 1, 2027) and no transportation impact fee. Its building fee estimate for a new ADU runs from $3,999.53 (up to 400 sq ft, or a garage conversion) to $5,321.71 (601 to 800 sq ft), with valuation-based fees on top. The Sequoia Union High School District's fee starts at 500 sq ft.
4 fee lines · 3 official sources · checked Oct 18, 2026 · Sources · Calculator
Totals leave out new adu base building fee at some sizes.
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
Building permit & plan check
New ADU base building fee (City estimate)1The City's estimate by size, up to 800 sq ft; it doesn't publish one for larger ADUs. Valuation-based, administrative, maintenance and miscellaneous fees are added case by case.
Est.$4,661
Est.$5,322
Needs valuation
Needs valuation
Impact fees
Park impact fee (ADUs exempt until April 1, 2027)2
School impact fee (Sequoia Union High School District)3$5.17 per sq ft for residential construction adding 500 sq ft or more, as listed on the City's impact fee sheet (that page is marked revised July 22, 2024). Confirm the current rate with the district.
Exempt
$3,878
$5,170
$6,204
Modeled total
$4,661
$9,199
$5,170
$6,204
Rules
What you can build in Redwood City
Maximum size
Up to 850 sq ft for a one-bedroom ADU, or 1,000 sq ft with more than one bedroom. 1
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.4
Setbacks
State limit: no more than 4 ft side and rear. Local rule not captured yet.4
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.4
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.4
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.4
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
Redwood City issued 63 ADU building permits in 2025
489 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.
The City's base-fee estimate stops at 800 sq ft, so larger ADUs show as not modeled for that line.
Valuation-based, administrative and maintenance fees and the water and sewer capacity fees (which the City says apply to ADUs) are in the Master Fee Schedule and aren't modeled yet.
A fire flow test is required for new detached ADUs; its fee isn't included.
Local 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 Redwood City’s official fee schedules comes to $9,199 at 750 sq ft and $5,170 at 1,000 sq ft. These totals leave out new adu base building fee at some sizes. Ranges show fees that may or may not apply to your project.
Does Redwood City 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.
How big can an ADU be in Redwood City?
Up to 850 sq ft for a one-bedroom ADU, or 1,000 sq ft with more than one bedroom.
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