Skip to content
LotlineADU permit guides

City notesRiverside County, California

Permitting an attached or converted ADU in Moreno Valley

In Moreno Valley the drawings are only half the job. The city's checklist ends with a page of acknowledgements, and most of them describe something another office has to sign off before your permit can be issued.

At a glance

1 PDF
all plan sheets merged into a single file1
June 2025
the checklist's latest revision1

Key points

  • Get the ADU's new city address before you submit; the approval letter is part of the upload.1
  • All plan sheets go into SimpliCITY as one merged PDF.1
  • A covenant with the city must be completed before the permit is issued.1
  • A panel or meter upgrade is a separate permit under the house address.1

Which checklist this is

Moreno Valley's "Minimum Plan Submittal Requirements" checklist covers ADUs that are attached to the house or garage, or made by remodeling the inside of the house or garage.1 It carries a revision date of June 5, 2025.1 SB 9 projects are sent to a different checklist run by the Planning Division.1

If you are building a separate detached unit, confirm with Building and Safety which checklist applies before relying on this page.

Before you upload anything

The first box on the list isn't a drawing. You need a valid new city address for the ADU, and the city-approved address letter is one of the required attachments.1 Request the address early, because the title sheet has to show it too.

How the upload works

Submittal is through the city's SimpliCITY portal, and the checklist is particular about it:

  • All plan sheets are merged into one PDF file.1
  • Each upload has to be given the correct document type.1
  • Sheets should follow the city's standard order and numbering. If they don't, SimpliCITY sorts them automatically, and your approved set will come back in a different order from the one you drew.1
  • The completed checklist and its acknowledgement pages are uploaded with the application.1

Drawing details that are easy to miss

  • Title 24 energy calculations need the required signed sheets printed onto the plan sheets, not attached loose.1
  • Truss calculations can't be deferred when the roof isn't conventionally framed.1
  • Exterior elevations show where the illuminated address numbers will go.1
  • The site plan shows drainage with arrows running away from the foundation.1
  • If solar is required, it is a separate plan and permit, yet the proposed panel layout must still be drawn on the building plans.1

The five things due before issuance

Plan approval and permit issuance are different moments in Moreno Valley. The acknowledgement page lists what stands between them:

  1. Covenant. A covenant agreement between the owner and the city must be completed.1
  2. Special Financing Districts. Separate fees are required for any new dwelling unit.1
  3. School district. Fees and certification from the applicable school district.1
  4. Water and sewer. The owner contacts the purveyor and completes its requirements.1
  5. Septic, where it applies. Approved health plans from Riverside County Environmental Health are forwarded to the city.1

State law bars impact fees on ADUs of 750 square feet of interior livable space or less.2 Whether a particular district charge falls within that rule is a question to put to the district in writing; this page doesn't answer it.

Work that needs its own permit

Two items are routinely folded into ADU drawings and bounced back:

  • A dual meter or main panel upgrade replacing the house's meter needs a separate electrical-only permit, filed under the house address.1
  • Exterior work on the existing house, such as walls, patio covers or decks, needs a separate plan and permit.1

Our read

Start the outside clearances the week you submit, not the week your plans are approved. The covenant, the school district certification and the water and sewer release each run on someone else's timetable, and any one of them can hold a permit that is otherwise ready.

Common questions

Do I need an address for the ADU before I apply in Moreno Valley?

Yes. A valid new city address is on the checklist, and the city-approved address letter is one of the required uploads.1

Can a panel upgrade go on the same permit as the ADU?

No. A dual meter or main panel upgrade that replaces the house's meter needs a separate electrical-only permit under the house address.1

Does Moreno Valley charge fees on a small ADU?

State law bars impact fees on ADUs of 750 square feet or less.2 The city's checklist separately lists Special Financing District fees for any new dwelling unit.1 Which charges count as impact fees is covered under what isn't an impact fee.

Keep reading

About this page

Written by
The Lotline Editorial Team. Editorial policy
Where it comes from
We wrote this from material published by City of Moreno Valley and California Legislative Information. You'll find each document, and the part we used, under References below.
How it was checked
Before publishing, we checked each statement against the original wording of its source. How we work
Last reviewed
. Rules and city procedures change, so confirm current requirements with your permitting agency.
Corrections
Email support@lotlinepermits.com. We check every report against the document and fix what is wrong.

References

  1. 1Attached / Converted Space Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Minimum Plan Submittal RequirementsCity of Moreno Valley, Building and Safety. Dated June 5, 2025. Read on November 10, 2026. The PDF was no longer at its original address on November 15, 2026, and the city's own link to it was not working. The link goes to the city's attached ADU page.Cited: page 1; page 3, Acknowledgements; page 1, header; page 4; page 2; page 3.
  2. 2California Government Code, Title 7, Division 1, Chapter 13, Article 1 (Sections 66310 to 66313.5)California Legislative Information. Read on November 10, 2026.Cited: § 66311.5(c)(1).

General information, not legal advice. Read the disclaimer.