# Getting an ADU plan preapproved in Pleasanton

> Pleasanton's preapproval program is aimed at the people who draw ADUs, not the people who order them. A designer gets a plan cleared once, and later clients build from it.

Source: https://www.lotlinepermits.com/california/pleasanton/
Publisher: Lotline
Last reviewed: 2026-11-10

## Key points

- The program preapproves detached ADU plans submitted by design professionals and builders. [1]
- Plans need a fillable cover sheet with blank fields for each site. [1]
- A screening note is required for ADUs within 10 feet of a property line. [1]
- Wildland-urban interface details are optional, and decide where the plan can be used. [1]

## Who this is for

The city preapproves plans for detached ADUs that are submitted by designers, architects, builders and other qualified professionals. [1] Its checklist is written for a professional seeking approval of a design on its own, independent of any site-specific application. [1]

If you are a homeowner, the takeaway is different: ask a designer whether they hold a Pleasanton-preapproved plan, because your own application would then be site-specific work on top of a design the city has already reviewed.

The checklist we read is marked as revised in April 2024. [1] Confirm with the Building Division that it is still the current version.

## How to submit

The package is uploaded through the city's Accela Citizen Access system. [1] Two instructions are easy to miss: apply under "Residential - addition", and put "Preapproved ADU plan submittal" in the project description so staff can tell it apart from an ordinary permit. [1] A preapproved ADU request form goes in with it. [1]

## What makes a preapproval set different

A preapproved plan has to work on lots the designer hasn't seen yet. The checklist handles that with blanks.

- **Title block on every sheet,** with space to add the property address and the owner's name, address and phone number later. [1]
- **A fillable cover sheet.** The city requires it so that the right notes are on the plans for each use. [1]
- **Hazard zones.** The cover sheet has fields for wildland-urban interface, flood zone, liquefaction and seismic hazard zone. [1]
- **Lot coverage and deferred submittals.** Both have their own fields. [1]

## The screening note

This is the most Pleasanton-specific item on the list. Plans must carry a note showing how they will meet Municipal Code Section 18.106: a solid fence at least six feet high, together with screening plants of a species that matures to at least 10 feet, along the interior side and rear property lines next to the ADU. [1] The requirement applies where the ADU sits less than 10 feet from the respective property line. [1]

> **Watch for:** Since state law lets an ADU sit as close as four feet to the side and rear lines [2], most backyard units will fall inside that 10-foot band. Budget for the fence and planting, and show them on the site plan.

## Wildland-urban interface

WUI construction details are optional. They are needed only if you want the plan preapproved for use in the WUI. [1] Leaving them out is a commercial decision as much as a technical one, since it narrows the lots your plan can serve.

## Engineering and energy

The structural set includes a truss submittal and the required special inspections. [1] On the electrical side, the city asks for a load calculation worksheet with main and sub-panel sizes. [1]

Energy paperwork has to be on the drawings themselves: Form CF-1R with all signatures, incorporated with the energy calculations [1], and the city's own CalGreen Residential Mandatory Measures Checklist. [1]

## Our read

For a designer, the cover sheet is where preapprovals succeed or fail. Every blank you leave for site data is a place the city expects a later applicant to fill in, so the sheet has to make sense with nothing in it. For a homeowner, a preapproved plan shortens the design review and leaves the site questions, such as screening, hazard zones and lot coverage, still to be answered for your lot.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a homeowner apply for plan preapproval in Pleasanton?

The checklist is written for design professionals who want a plan preapproved independent of any particular site. [1] A homeowner would normally use a plan a designer has already had preapproved.

### Do I need a fence around an ADU in Pleasanton?

Where the ADU is less than 10 feet from a property line [1], plans must show a solid fence at least six feet high and screening plants along that line. [1]

### Can a preapproved plan be used in a wildfire area?

Only if the designer included wildland-urban interface construction details when the plan was preapproved. [1] Long Beach runs a comparable program; see [its pre-approved plan route](https://www.lotlinepermits.com/california/long-beach/#the-pre-approved-plan-route).

## References

1. ADU Preapproval Submittal Checklist. City of Pleasanton, Community Development Department, Building Division. https://cityofpleasantonca.gov/assets/our-government/community-development/permits-forms-fees/adu-preapproval-submittal-checklist.pdf (read 2026-11-10)
2. California Government Code, Title 7, Division 1, Chapter 13, Article 2 (Sections 66314 to 66331). California Legislative Information. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&division=1.&title=7.&part=&chapter=13.&article=2. (read 2026-11-10)

General information only, not legal advice. See https://www.lotlinepermits.com/disclaimer/