JADU vs ADU in Whittier: Which One Fits Your Home?

A JADU, or junior accessory dwelling unit, is a unit of no more than 500 square feet inside your existing single-family home. An ADU is a full second dwelling that can be attached, detached, or converted from space like a garage. A detached ADU can reach 1,200 square feet. Same lot, very different projects.

Size is the obvious difference. A JADU tops out at 500 square feet and has to be created within the home. An ADU has more room to work with, and it can live in a new structure in the backyard. The rules diverge from there. A JADU must have its own entrance, and the owner has to live on the property, in either the main home or the JADU. California's ADU rules don't carry that owner-occupancy requirement for a standard ADU, though a city or county can attach local conditions, so check yours. Both types share one rule on rentals: terms must run longer than 30 days.

This is where the two get confused, because a garage can become either one. Convert a garage to an ADU, and the agency can't require you to replace the parking. Convert an attached garage to a JADU, and the answer depends on where you live, so ask the office that permits your address before you draw anything. Also confirm which office that is. Some Whittier addresses fall under the City of Whittier. Others can fall under unincorporated LA County.

You have a spare suite or finished space inside the house, and a family member needs privacy but not distance. A JADU works inside walls you already have, and you plan to keep living on the property, which the owner-occupancy rule requires anyway. You want a separate structure, or you have a garage that isn't earning its keep. That points to an ADU: a garage conversion, or a free-standing unit if your lot has the room. Thinking bigger than one unit? G3 also builds multi-unit ADUs, and how many units a lot can hold depends on your city or county. We won't call one type cheaper or faster without seeing your property. Any number quoted before a site visit is a guess.

Which agency permits my address, the city or the county? Does my lot allow a JADU, an ADU, or both? If I use the garage, what does that agency require for parking? Will I live on the property? Those four answers narrow the project faster than any floor plan.

G3 General Contractors, Inc. is a licensed general contractor, CSLB #1145796. We build junior ADUs, garage conversions, free-standing ADUs and multi-unit ADUs. Estimates are free and we don't pressure anyone. Call or text (714) 747-1912, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.