Skip to content
LotlineADU permit guides

City notesAlameda County, California

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.

At a glance

Under 10 ft
from a property line triggers the screening rule1
6 ft
minimum height of the solid fence1
10 ft
mature height of the screening plants1

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

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 calculations1, 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.

Common 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 line1, 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.

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 Pleasanton 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. 1ADU Preapproval Submittal ChecklistCity of Pleasanton, Community Development Department, Building Division. Read on November 10, 2026.Cited: page 1; page 1, Fillable Cover Sheet; page 2, Architectural Plans; page 2, Structural Plans; page 1, footer; page 1, Instructions; page 1, Forms; page 1, Title Block; page 2, Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical Plans; page 2, Calculations.
  2. 2California Government Code, Title 7, Division 1, Chapter 13, Article 2 (Sections 66314 to 66331)California Legislative Information. Read on November 10, 2026.Cited: § 66314(d)(7).

General information, not legal advice. Read the disclaimer.