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LotlineADU permit guides

Standards

Editorial policy

Every page on Lotline is written by the Lotline Editorial Team. This page sets out how we research, check and correct that work, so you can judge how far to rely on it.

Last updated November 10, 2026.

Who we are

Lotline is an independent publication about accessory dwelling unit permits. Our pages are produced by the Lotline Editorial Team, a small group with practical experience of preparing permit submittals and working applications through government review. We publish as a team rather than under individual names, and the team as a whole is responsible for every page.

We are not a government agency, a law firm, or a licensed architect, engineer or contractor. Nothing we publish is legal advice. The full terms are in our disclaimer.

The sources we use

We build pages from primary documents, meaning the material that actually governs an application:

  • State law. The text of the California Government Code as published by California Legislative Information, including the notes showing when each section was last amended.
  • City and county material. The permitting agency's own submittal checklists, application packets, information bulletins, frequently asked questions and staff memos.

We do not use other websites' summaries, builder marketing or forum posts as a source for any statement of fact. Where we mention research or news for context, we say so in the text, and it never stands in for the rule itself.

How a page is researched

  1. Collect. We obtain the current version of each document and keep a dated copy, so we can show what a page relied on even if the agency later changes or removes it.
  2. Note the source. For every rule we plan to mention, we write down exactly where it comes from: the page, the question number or the section of the code.
  3. Check the wording. Before a guide goes live, we check each statement against the original wording of its source. If we can't point to where a document says it, it comes out.
  4. Read it in context. A sentence can mean something different once you read the paragraph around it, so we do, and we make sure our simpler version doesn't say more than the original.
  5. Show our sources. The small numbers in each guide link to the document behind that statement, so you can read it for yourself.

Writing standards

  • Law, practice and our view are kept apart. We say when something is state law, when it is a city's published practice, and when it is our own commentary. Commentary appears in clearly marked sections such as “Our read”, and in tips and examples.
  • We attribute. Where we rely on a handout, we say what the handout says, rather than stating it as settled law.
  • We flag gaps and age. If a city document predates a change in state law, or a page leaves a topic out, we say so on the page.
  • We do not predict outcomes. We explain rules and procedures. We do not say how a particular reviewer will decide a particular application.
  • Examples are labelled. Worked figures that use invented numbers say so.

Which cities we cover

A city or county gets its own page only when we hold enough of its current material to say something specific about it. We would rather cover fewer places properly than publish thin pages for every city in the state. If your city is missing, that is the reason, and it may be added as its documents are reviewed.

Dates and updates

Every page shows the date it was last reviewed, and its reference list shows when each document was read and, where the document has one, its own date. Facts more than 6 months old must be re-checked before a page can be published again. We also revisit pages when the law changes.

Independence and money

Our guides are free to read and are not paid for by builders, lenders, designers or any public agency. We do not sell or share reader details. Lotline earns money from one product of its own, the ADU Permit Playbook. Free pages may mention it, but we do not hold back information a reader needs in order to sell it.

Corrections

If you think something on a page is wrong or out of date, tell us which page and which statement. We check every report against the document the statement relies on. If we were wrong, or the document has changed, we correct the page and update its review date. Write to support@lotlinepermits.com.