AB 1033 in San Diego: How the New ADU Condo Law Works in the City and Unincorporated County Short answer: As of 2026, AB 1033 is live in both the City of San Diego (effective August 22, 2025) and the unincorporated areas of San Diego County (effective April 4, 2026). Qualifying homeowners can now subdivide
Between 2020 and 2024, Encinitas climbed into the top five jurisdictions in San Diego County for both ADU permits issued and ADUs completed. The city's Pre-Approved ADU (PRADU) program has issued 21 plan-ready permits since 2020. Coastal Zone permit timelines were cut roughly in half by AB 462. And the median home value sits north
I'm Daniel Dechner, Lead Project Manager at IL Total Design & Build. La Jolla is the most lucrative neighborhood in San Diego to build an ADU — and the most complicated. Lot values are the highest in the county. Rental rates for a well-built one-bedroom ADU can clear $3,500/month long-term. And almost every parcel west
I'm Daniel Dechner, Lead Project Manager at IL Total Design & Build. If you own a home anywhere west of I-5 in San Diego County and you've been thinking about an ADU, this is the most important year in a decade to make that decision. Until October 2025, building an ADU within the Coastal Zone
I'm Daniel Dechner, Lead Project Manager at IL Total Design & Build, and the question I hear most from homeowners before they commit to a project is some version of this: "How long is this actually going to take?" It's the right question — and it deserves a straight answer, not a vague "it depends."
ADU Financing in San Diego: Every Loan Option Explained (2026) Building an ADU in San Diego is one of the smartest investments a homeowner can make right now. Rental demand is high, property values are strong, and new state laws have made permitting easier than ever. But the question we hear most often isn't about
