Pre-Approved ADU Plans

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Under the Pre-Approved ADU Plans Program, plans are designed by vendors, who are either ADU builders, designers or private licensed architects/engineers. Vendors submit plans for different ADU types, styles and sizes under this program for review. The City of Santa Clara – Building Division then reviews and pre-approves the plans if they follow the Building, Residential, Green, Energy and Reach Codes. Vendors then make pre-approved ADU plan sets available to the public for purchasing.

When the applicant selects an approved ADU plan set for their project, the applicant must contact the prospective designer and prepare a site-specific submittal plan set to apply for a building permit for their project. City staff will review site-specific factors for your property, including compliance with the Zoning Code and solar requirements. The use of pre-approved plans reduces the time required for plan reviews, resulting in faster permit issuance.

This webpage lists the ADU builders and/or design professionals who have secured pre-approved ADU plans. You’ll still need to submit a site-specific plan set that shows the proposed location of the pre-approved ADU, and site-specific utilities, which is something the ADU builder/contractor usually handles.

Homeowners - How to Get a Pre-Approved ADU

I want to use pre-approved ADU plans. How do I proceed?
Homeowners select a pre-approved ADU plan and then work directly with vendors to purchase and submit the plans for City review and permitting. You may wish to contact several vendors and learn about their options, pricing, and installation approach. Be sure to confirm the vendor's role in submitting the plans and securing the building permit. It is highly advised that you have the vendor or contractor obtain the permits. This keeps the liability for the work with the professional service.

Do I need an architect if I use a pre-approved plan?
While you are not required to have an architect design and stamp your ADU plans, you will need to have a designer produce the site-specific submittal plan set that includes the site plan, utility plan, Energy reports (if required), and Solar PV plans (if required).

What are the requirements to use the pre-approved ADU plans?
To use pre-approved plans, the project must meet all of the following criteria:

Lot must be zoned residential and have an existing single-family home or duplex.
Lot must NOT be in a flood zone.
The project must NOT be on a historic property.

Please fill out the Pre-Approved ADU Checklist to see if your property is qualified for using pre-approved ADU plans program.

What is the review time for a building permit using the pre-approved ADU plans?
If the site-specific plan set and related documents are accurate and complete, plan review be done within 10 business days of the City receiving required fee payment, and five business days for subsequent rounds.

Can I make changes to the pre-approved plans?
Room for customization is limited with a pre-approved ADU plan, and it is dependent on the options included in the pre-approved ADU plan set. You may change windows and door types, sizes and colors, and also rotate floor plans, at the discretion of the plan review manager. Minimal changes will allow you to maintain the pre-approved status, but larger changes to the floor plan are usually not permitted. Making changes to a pre-approved plan may disqualify it as a pre-approved ADU and expedited review cannot be provided.

After the building permit is issued for your ADU project, you can submit revision plans to make changes to your project, but revision plan review is not part of the expedited review of the Pre-Approved ADU Program. It is done per the regular review time.

Pre-Approved ADU Designs

The City of Santa Clara is a participant in the Santa Clara County ADU program, a project of the Santa Clara County Planning Collaborative. The program offers resources to support residents through the process of building an ADU in the Silicon Valley region. As ADU designs get approved, information and floor plan layouts are made available in the City of Santa Clara ADU Plans Gallery.

Pre-Approved ADU vendors include:

Designer: Basically Homes LLC, powered by VitalizeBuild Construction

Configuration: Site-built, detached ADU, 1 story, 499 sf, 1 bed, 1 bath
Email: info@vitalizebuild.com
Phone: 408-545-8066

Designer: Framework First, Inc.

Configuration: Prefabricated, detached ADU, 1 story, 660 sf, 2 bed, 1 bath
Email: mail@frameworkfirst.com
Phone: 831-596-5969

Site-Specific Submittal

The site-specific submittal includes a combined plan set of site-specific plans and a pre-approved ADU plan set. It must be submitted as part of an ADU building permit application. Read and complete the Pre-Approved ADU Checklist to identify if the project or site is qualified for using pre-approved ADU plans, and to make sure the project concept complies with the City Zoning Code. The lot must not be in a flood zone or be a historic property.

For projects with no changes to the pre-approved plans: For projects staying with the pre-approved plan without any changes, prepare a complete and accurate Pre-Approved ADU Site-Specific Submittal Package according to the Pre-Approved ADU Plans Program. Then apply for permits and pay fees via the Permitting Online Portal.
For projects with changes to the pre-approved plans: Making changes to a pre-approved plan will disqualify it as a Pre-approved ADU and expedited review cannot be provided.
The site-specific submittal cover sheet includes a copy of the pre-approved ADU plan cover sheet without the previous review stamp, along with the completed site-specific information. The pre-approved ADU plan set with review stamp should be placed at the end of the combined plan set.

Note: The plan review manager has discretion to direct that the plans be submitted for regular plan review service if changes exceed what the City considers as minor.

Definitions

Pre-approved ADU plan set: A set of plans for a detached ADU that was reviewed and stamped by the City to confirm compliance with applicable codes that are not site-specific. Stamped, pre-approved ADU plans cannot be altered.
Site-specific plan set: Plans that are required to complete a permit submittal in addition to the pre-approved ADU plan set. These are usually designs associated with the individual site and cannot be completed for review when the pre-approved ADU plan set is under review.

Vendors - How to Apply for Pre-Approved Plans

Prepare plans.

Create ADU plans that are not site-specific and include architectural plans, electrical and structural drawings and calculations. Follow the instructions and requirements outlined in the Pre-Approved ADU Plans Program. Please use the City address, 1500 Warburton Avenue, as the project site address.

IMPORTANT: You’ll need to update and resubmit your plans when the City adopts new building codes, building policies, or zoning changes that apply to the plans.

Submit plans and pay fees.

Apply for permits, submit plan documents, check status, and pay fees via the Permitting Online Portal. See the Permitting Online Portal User Guide for instructions.

Schedule an appointment for Building, Planning and Public Works staff to answer general questions or assist with submitting applications related to development.

Plan review time.

The plan review timeframes are approximately four weeks for the first submittal and two weeks for following submittals. These timeframes are based on submitting complete and accurate plans.

Fees

Refer to the Municipal Fee Schedule and look at Community Development / Building Fees.

Get a listing on this webpage.

Once your plans have been approved, your business name, contact information, and brief description of the size/type of approved ADU plan will be listed on this webpage.

Last Updated:

10-22-2025