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LotlineADU permit guides

City notesSanta Clara County, California

The ADU permit process in San José

San José lays its ADU process out in six steps and tells you, quite openly, which missing document holds up the most projects. It is worth taking the city at its word.

At a glance

$398 an hour
for a planner meeting, 30-minute minimum1
Form 313
the junior ADU deed restriction, wet-signed1

Key points

  • Start with the ADU Universal Checklist before any drawings.1
  • Get the water company's hydrant flow letter early; the city says its absence often delays projects.1
  • Incomplete or inaccurate plans are not processed.1
  • One named person, the ePlan Applicant, handles every upload and reply.1

Step one is eligibility, not design

The city's first step is its ADU Universal Checklist, which sets out project requirements according to the location and type of your property.1 One of the things it asks you to settle is whether you are building under the City allowance or the State allowance.1 That choice shapes the design, so make it before a designer starts.

ADUs on multifamily lots don't follow this route; the city asks those applicants to email its ADU Ally team.1

Getting advice before you submit

There are two levels. A planner will answer basic questions by phone or email, and that service doesn't include plan review.1 For feedback on your actual plans you can book a preliminary virtual meeting, which is invoiced at $398 an hour with a 30-minute minimum.1

The submittal package

Staff will not process inaccurate or incomplete plans, and the city says so in capitals.1 Alongside the building plans, the package includes:

  • A water company letter giving flow data at the hydrant closest to your lot.1 The city adds that projects are often delayed because applicants don't get it.1 Request it the day you decide to go ahead.
  • A geotechnical report, where applicable.1
  • Form 302 and Form 312, the address assignment request and the ADU property owner declaration.1
  • For a junior ADU, Form 313 instead of 312. It is a deed restriction agreement that needs a wet signature and goes in by post.1

Who does what in SJePlans

When you open the application you name an "ePlan Applicant". Only that person can upload documents and answer plan review comments.1 All review communication then runs through SJePlans, with notices going to that person's email.1

Three phases of review

  1. Prescreen. A permit specialist confirms the upload is ready and invoices the initial plan review fees; the project goes to a reviewer once they are paid.1
  2. Plan review. Comments and resubmittals, cycle by cycle, inside SJePlans.1
  3. Issuance review. Final invoices fall due, including residual plan review fees, inspection fees, school fees and parkland fees.1

Under state law the city has 15 business days to tell you in writing whether an application is complete.2 The city's page doesn't say how its prescreen maps onto that period, so keep a note of your upload date.

Inspections

Have the completed Bulletin 213 inspection checklist on site with the approved plans and the permit card.1 Before you book the final inspection, the Construction and Demolition Diversion review has to be signed off.1

Our read

San José's process is orderly, and two parts of it are in your hands: getting the hydrant flow letter early, which the city says often holds projects up, and paying the invoices at prescreen and issuance promptly.

Common questions

What is San José's ADU Universal Checklist?

It is the city's first step: a checklist that sets out project requirements according to the location and type of your property.1

What does it cost to meet a San José planner before applying?

Basic questions by phone or email are answered without plan review.1 A preliminary virtual meeting about your plans is invoiced at $398 an hour, with a 30-minute minimum.1

What most often delays ADU projects in San José?

The city singles out the water company's hydrant flow letter, saying projects are often delayed because applicants do not get it.1 If your upload is returned as incomplete, see how to answer the list.

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 San Jose 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 Project ProcessCity of San Jose, Planning, Building and Code Enforcement. Read on November 10, 2026.Cited: Step 1; Step 4; Step 1, Get Basic Feedback from a City Planner; introduction; Step 5, Plan Review; Step 5, Prescreen Review; Step 5, Issuance Review; Step 6; Step 6, Final Inspection.
  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: § 66317(a)(2)(A).

General information, not legal advice. Read the disclaimer.