This section provides more details on the permitting process. Copies of the submittal checklists and forms are available here.

There is a clear path from ADU permit application submission to ADU construction and occupancy. The ADU permit application process includes submission of two separate applications: The Certificate of Zoning Compliance and the Building Permits. The application process for each permit is described in this section.

Certificate of Zoning Compliance

Upon submission of a Zoning and Land Use Application for a Certificate of Zoning Compliance, the Planning, Building, and Engineering Divisions of the Development Services Department, as well as the Public Safety Department have 60 days to review and provide comments on the proposal. Only after all comments have been adequately addressed will the City review your Certificate of Zoning Compliance application for an ADU in full. After determining your property can support an ADU, applications for a Certificate of Zoning Compliance are given a ministerial review within 60 days of receiving a complete application.

Planning Division Requirements for the Certificate of Zoning Compliance

The Planning Division will review the Certificate of Zoning Compliance application for compliance with the following:

Building Division Requirements for the Certificate of Zoning Compliance

The Building Division will review the Certificate of Zoning Compliance application for compliance with the following:

  • ADU Development Standards. You can also find these standards in Municipal Code Sections 17.10.060 and 17.07.020.X.
  • Fire-resistant construction standards required by the California Residential Code (CRC) Section 302.3-302.14 for attached ADUs or internal conversions and Section 302.1 for detached ADUs.
  • Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm installation in accordance with National Fire Protection Association 72 and 720. For attached ADUs and internal conversions, installation is also required within the primary dwelling.
  • Water-conserving plumbing fixture installation in accordance with California State Law (Section 1101.1-1101.8 Civil Code). For attached ADUs and internal conversions, installation is also required within the primary dwelling.
  • All main electrical service panels manufactured by Federal Pacific or Zinsco must be replaced.
  • New metering installation if utilities will be billed to the ADU separately from the primary dwelling.
  • Illustration of egress/entry exist from the ADU.

Engineering Division Requirements for the Certificate of Zoning Compliance

The Engineering Division will review the Certificate of Zoning Compliance application for compliance with the following:

  • New water line lateral and water meter installation, if applicable. Check out the City’s water meter handout for the required configuration information. An encroachment permit will be required for this work.
  • Additional sewer cleanouts installation on existing sewer lateral to service the newly added ADU, if applicable. The new sewer line from the ADUs should tie into the existing sewer lateral before it enters the structure. An encroachment permit may be required if modifications to the sewer lateral are located within the public right-of-way.
  • Illustration of all utility connections and locations. This includes showing the existing water lateral and sewer lateral route and sizes to the existing home. Also, show the proposed new water and sewer line routing and sizing to the ADU.
  • Broken, cracked, or depressed sidewalk along the project frontage shall be repaired and an encroachment permit will be required.

Public Safety Requirements for the Certificate of Zoning Compliance

The Public Safety Department will review the Certificate of Zoning Compliance application for compliance with the following:

Issuance of Certificate of Zoning Compliance

After all comments have been adequately addressed and Planning has approved, the City will approve a Certificate of Zoning Compliance. After such approval, the applicant will be able to apply for any required Building Permits with the Building Division.

Building Permit

The Building Division will review the Building Permit application for application completeness. Once deemed complete, the Building Permit application will be given a ministerial review within 30 days of receiving a complete application. Any additional submittals thereafter will take 20 days for review.

The Building Division will review all construction drawings, energy documentation, structural calculations, soils reports, CALGreen checklist, special inspections, and any other required documents for verification of compliance with local and California codes. Refer to Single-Family and Multifamily Checklists for Certificate of Zoning Compliance and Building Permit Applications for a detailed list of Building Permit application requirements. Many projects are also reviewed by the Fire, Engineering, and Planning Division as well as outside agencies for conformance to those state and local regulations that they administer. The Building Division will route plans for plan check, if applicable, to the following divisions: Building, Planning, Engineering, Fire, Santa Rosa Industrial Waste, Public Works, Public Safety, and Rohnert Park Disposal.

The applicant will also need to file a deed restriction and have it recorded at the County Clerk’s Office prior to issuance of building permit.

Issuance of Building Permits

After all comments have been adequately addressed, the City will approve the necessary Building Permits. After such approval, the applicant will receive an address assignment for the ADU.

Construction and Inspections

Ask friends, family, neighbors, your architect/designer, and other Rohnert Park homeowners for recommendations of local contractors. While the contractors do not need to have experience with ADU construction, it should be preferred, and residential construction experience should be required. Reach out to a few contractors with your construction drawings to request a bid on your project, using the exact specifications in your drawings. Compare the bids received to decide upon and hire a contractor.

Once your contractor has been secured via contract, your contractor will lead the construction process to build your ADU on the agreed-upon schedule. Traditional non-pre-fabricated construction can take six months to one year, based on project specifications. As the ADU owner, you will be responsible for monitoring the process, communicating with the contractor, deciding on details, adjusting minor construction details as needed through change orders, and ensuring inspections are conducted with the City.

Once a permit is issued, the Building Division will require you and/or your contractor to schedule inspections at specific milestones/phases of construction. These inspections allow the Building Division to verify conformance with approved plans, specifications, and calculations as well as California Building Standards Codes and other agency requirements. All permitted construction must be accessible and exposed for inspection purposes until approved by the building inspector. The building inspector will sign off on each inspection or indicate corrections to be made, with a re-inspection required when corrections are completed.

Completion and Occupancy

Once construction is complete and the ADU has passed its inspections, the City will issue the certificate of occupancy and the property owner can lease the ADU to tenants.


ADU Navigation Links

Planning Division

City of Rohnert Park Development Services – Planning Division
130 Avram Ave.
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Phone: (707) 588-2231
Email: [email protected]


Building Division

City of Rohnert Park Development Services – Building Division
130 Avram Ave.
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Phone: (707) 588-2240
Email: [email protected]