ADU Constructionin Camarillo, CA
ADU construction in Camarillo starts with state law, which protects four kinds of unit, including an 800 square foot detached ADU, and bars the City from adding other standards to them. The City's ADU page lists a $174.46 zone clearance fee, and Building & Safety quotes the building fees by square footage. Confirm both with the City before drawing.
Camarillo is a city of single-family lots inside a line voters drew. The Census Bureau's 2024 one-year estimates count 14,481 detached houses among 27,476 homes, and the median owner-occupied value is $871,300. Voters renewed the Camarillo Urban Restriction Boundary through December 31, 2050 with Measure J on November 8, 2016, which holds the city's footprint fixed and makes the lot you already own the main place to add a home.
The order here follows a real project. State law comes first because it sets the floor, then the City's own ADU page and Chapter 19.56, then the size and parking numbers, soils and fire, and finally Old Town, Leisure Village and associations. We read the chapter on GoCodebook, a third-party mirror that is not the official code, and we did not open the interactive ADU Navigator the City links. Price ranges and phases are on our ADU construction page.
Camarillo rules that apply to ADU construction
Where adu construction permits come from in Camarillo: City of Camarillo Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division.
- Camarillo's ADU chapter (19.56, last amended by Ordinance 2039 on June 10, 2026 for JADUs) approves an ADU that meets its standards ministerially with an administrative zone clearance and no public hearing, and the City must approve or return a full list of deficiencies within 60 days of a complete application when a dwelling already exists.
- ADUs are allowed in any district where single-family or multifamily homes are a permitted use. A single-family lot can have one internal or attached ADU or one JADU, or one detached ADU, which can be combined only with a JADU (Sections 19.56.040 and 19.56.050).
- Size limits: attached ADUs 850 square feet for one bedroom or less, 1,000 square feet for more than one bedroom (1,200 on a lot of one acre or more); detached ADUs follow the same limits and 800 square feet when combined with a JADU; a JADU is capped at 500 square feet inside the home (Sections 19.56.060 and 19.56.100).
- Height and setbacks: detached ADUs may be 16 feet tall (18 within a half mile of major transit, plus 2 feet for roof pitch), attached ADUs up to 25 feet and never more than two stories, and ADUs need at least 4-foot side and rear setbacks, with no setback needed for a conversion of existing space or a rebuild in the same footprint and an 800 square foot ADU allowed despite coverage or front setback limits (Section 19.56.060).
- Parking: one space per attached or detached ADU, but none if the ADU is within a half mile walking distance of public transit (the ordinance defines transit to include the Camarillo Metrolink station), is in a historic district, is part of or converted from existing space, or a car-share vehicle is within one block; replacing a converted garage's parking is not required (Section 19.56.080).
- Design standard: the ADU roof color, slope and material and the wall color and material must match the primary home, an attached or internal ADU needs a separate entrance on the side or rear, and a historic-resource addition must be inset or joined by a connector offset at least 18 inches (Sections 19.56.060 to 19.56.070).
- No variance from the ADU chapter is accepted at the counter (a request goes to the Planning Commission under Chapter 19.66), rentals must be for terms longer than 30 days, an ADU is not required to have fire sprinklers if the main home does not, and a JADU requires a recorded deed restriction including owner occupancy with listed exceptions (Sections 19.56.030, 19.56.060, 19.56.090 and 19.56.100).
- The City's ADU page says ADUs follow a streamlined Zone Clearance filed in OpenGov (the Planning fee listed there is $174.46, which equals the $135 base zone clearance plus the 17.89 and 11.34 percent surcharges), that a complete package may be approved within a few days, that building permits are required and must be prepared by a professional, and that Building & Safety quotes ADU fees by square footage at 805-388-5395.
What does California law let you build as an ADU in Camarillo?
California sets a floor that a city cannot lower. Government Code Section 66323 makes a city approve any mix of four protected types: an ADU plus a junior ADU converted inside a house or existing accessory building, with up to 150 square feet added only for an entrance; one new detached ADU of up to 800 square feet with 4 foot side and rear setbacks; conversions of non-livable space in multifamily buildings; and up to eight detached units beside an existing multifamily building. No other objective standard may be stacked on those, and a rental must run longer than 30 days.
Fees follow Section 66311.5. An ADU of 750 square feet or less pays no impact fee, while utility connection charges are separate. SB 543, effective January 1, 2026, added a 15 business day completeness check and a 60 day decision on a complete application, with a deemed approval if the agency stays silent, and it renumbered several sections. Old web copy that cites Sections 66324 or 66332 is out of date. The HCD ADU handbook has the current text.
How do you build an ADU in Camarillo, and what does the City's page list?
The City's ADU page describes a streamlined zone clearance filed in the OpenGov portal and says a complete package may be approved within a few days. The only Planning fee it lists is $174.46, which equals the $135 base zone clearance plus the 17.89 and 11.34 percent surcharges. It adds that building permits are required and must be prepared by a professional, and that Building & Safety quotes ADU fees by square footage at 805-388-5395. We found no published table for building, plan check, Public Works, school or utility charges, so none is printed here.
Chapter 19.56, last amended by Ordinance 2039 on June 10, 2026 for junior ADUs, approves a unit that meets its standards ministerially, with an administrative zone clearance and no public hearing. When a house already stands on the lot the City must approve or return a full list of deficiencies within 60 days of a complete application. Section 19.48.010 still requires the zone clearance before the building permit, and Section 19.56.030 says no variance is taken at the counter.
The code text comes from a third-party mirror. Treat the City's own page and Planning at 805-388-5360 as the last word.
How big can an ADU be in Camarillo, and how tall and how close to the fence?
Under Chapter 19.56, an attached ADU may reach 850 square feet with one bedroom or fewer and 1,000 with more than one bedroom, or 1,200 on a lot of one acre or more. Detached units follow the same limits, dropping to 800 when combined with a junior ADU, and a junior ADU is capped at 500 square feet inside the home. A single-family lot gets one internal or attached ADU or one junior ADU, or one detached ADU that can be paired only with a junior ADU.
Detached units may be 16 feet tall, 18 within a half mile of major transit, plus 2 feet to match a roof pitch. Attached units may rise to 25 feet and never beyond two stories. Side and rear setbacks are at least 4 feet, with none for a conversion or a rebuild in the same footprint, and an 800 square foot unit is allowed despite lot coverage or front setback limits. The roof and wall colors and materials must match the main house, and an attached or internal ADU needs its own side or rear entrance.
Can you convert a Camarillo garage into an ADU, and do you replace the parking?
Yes, and the parking worry mostly disappears. Section 19.56.080 asks for one space per ADU, but none when the unit is within a half mile walking distance of public transit, which the ordinance defines to include the Camarillo Metrolink station, or sits in a historic district, or is part of or converted from existing space, or has a car-share vehicle within a block. Replacing the parking of a converted garage is not required.
A conversion is lighter than a new building, yet it is not paperwork only. The slab, the old door opening, egress, a bathroom and a separate panel all land in the plan set, and we did not find a Camarillo conversion checklist, so ask Building & Safety what it expects. An unpermitted garage unit is a separate case. Chapter 19.56 processes previously unpermitted units under Government Code Section 66332, which the state has since renumbered 66311.7, and the Safety Element warns that backyard units and converted garages without permits are among the structures most likely to be damaged in strong shaking.
Do expansive soils, faults or flood zones stop an ADU in Camarillo?
They can slow one or decide whether it works at all. The City's ADU page warns that flood hazards, soils or geotechnical issues, fault zones and special flood hazard areas can delay approval, and it tells owners to ask Public Works at 805-388-5340 whether their lot is affected. Public Works may also require right-of-way dedication, public improvements, sewer or water connections, grading plans or a soils report.
Soils get specific attention here. Section 16.04.075 requires an expansion index test for each building site, and where the index is above 50, Section 16.04.095 sends roof water to yards and planted areas, not to the street through yard drains. The Safety Element records expansive-soil damage in the Camarillo Heights area and on the west side, and says the east side along Santa Rosa Road is highly expansive too. It also puts much of the western half of the city in a state liquefaction zone. A foundation engineer reading your lot's report is part of the budget.
Does Camarillo's fire hazard zone or sprinkler rule change an ADU?
No chapter of the ADU code bans units in fire zones. Chapter 19.56 asks for side and rear setbacks sufficient for fire and safety on state-law ADUs, and it does not require sprinklers in the ADU if the main house has none. The City's page is a little softer and says sprinklers are typically required for the ADU when the main home has them, so ask which line applies to your house. Access and defensible space come through the building code and Ventura County Fire.
The City's September 2025 Safety Element puts the northern and eastern hills in CAL FIRE's Very High, High and Moderate zones and the Camarillo Springs neighborhood in the Very High and High zones. Ventura County Fire's Standard 515 treats the first 5 feet around a building as Zone 0: no wood mulch, no artificial grass, no vegetation under decks and noncombustible fencing next to the wall. A new detached ADU must also install a solar electric system, according to the City's page.
ADUs in Old Town, Leisure Village and HOA neighborhoods: what is different?
Old Town is its own zone. The COT zone, enacted in 1998 to preserve the older business area along Ventura Boulevard, requires a planned development permit for new development and allows dwelling units only as part of a commercial use under a conditional use permit. The ADU chapter applies where a single-family or multifamily home is a permitted use, so an Old Town parcel is a call to Planning, not an assumption.
Leisure Village holds 2,136 attached senior units, and the Housing Element also lists The Springs and four mobile home parks. We did not read any of their governing documents, so we cannot say what they allow. On associations in general, HCD says state law voids covenants that effectively prohibit an ADU, and a 2025 amendment keeps reasonable association rules from carrying fees or financial requirements. Read your documents and ask the board before you hire a draftsperson.
ADU photos from Camarillo and nearby homes
ADU scenes tied to Camarillo and the Ventura County communities around it, from garage conversions and backyard cottages to utility trenches and slab work. Tap a photo to enlarge it.
What adu construction costs around Camarillo
Our planning range for a Camarillo garage conversion to a studio or one bedroom is $100,000 to $200,000, and for a new detached unit of 400 to 800 square feet it is $200,000 to $400,000; the method sits on our ADU construction page. Three outside studies stand behind those figures. UC Berkeley researchers surveyed owners who finished or applied for an ADU in 2018 and 2019 and found a Los Angeles County median of $100,000, the Terner Center estimated Los Angeles near $148,000 in 2020, and Remodeling magazine's 2025 Cost vs. Value report lists $178,536 for a Los Angeles ADU, with 39.9 percent recovered at sale. None is a Camarillo bid, and Ventura County costs may differ. A sewer run, a utility upgrade, a soils report or a larger foundation can each add a line, and permit and plan check charges appear separately in a written proposal. MDG Builders, CSLB #1040337, serves as the design-build general contractor, drawing the plans, filing them and sequencing the licensed trades who pour, frame and wire the unit. The ADU cost guide shows how the ranges were built, the ADU versus JADU guide explains the junior unit, and the room addition versus ADU guide helps when you are choosing between the two. Nearby pages cover Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Ventura, Simi Valley and Los Angeles. In the same city we also handle bathroom remodeling, the room addition and windows, and the Camarillo overview lists every trade.
| What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Garage conversion to a studio or one bedroom | $100,000 to $200,000 |
| New detached ADU, 400 to 800 sq ft | $200,000 to $400,000 |
| UC Berkeley survey, Los Angeles County median, 2018 and 2019 projects | $100,000 overall. $90,000 garage. $180,000 detached. |
| Terner Center and Berkeley CCI, 2020 | $148,000 Los Angeles estimate. $167,000 statewide average. |
| Remodeling Cost vs. Value 2025, Los Angeles | $178,536 job cost |
| Electrical and plumbing, Angi Los Angeles, January 2026 | Electrical $2,600 to $7,800. plumbing $3,900 to $10,400. |
| City permit and plan check fees | Not priced here |
Camarillo ADU questions, answered
How do I build an ADU in Camarillo?
Check the lot against Chapter 19.56 and the City's ADU page, file the zone clearance through the OpenGov portal, then submit professionally prepared building plans to Building & Safety. Public Works may add sewer, grading or soils requirements. Planning, at 805-388-5360, can confirm current standards before you pay for drawings.
How big can an ADU be in Camarillo?
Chapter 19.56 allows an attached or detached ADU of 850 square feet with one bedroom or fewer and 1,000 with more than one bedroom, or 1,200 on a lot of one acre or more. Combined with a junior ADU, a detached unit is 800. State law also protects an 800 square foot detached ADU.
How much does it cost to build an ADU in California?
For a Camarillo garage turned into a studio or one bedroom we budget $100,000 to $200,000, and for a new detached unit of 400 to 800 square feet, $200,000 to $400,000. Those planning ranges rest on Los Angeles and statewide studies, not local bids, so a site visit and a written proposal set your actual price.
How much are ADU permits in Camarillo?
The City's ADU page lists a $174.46 Planning fee for the streamlined zone clearance, which is the $135 base fee plus the 17.89 and 11.34 percent surcharges. Building and plan check fees are quoted by square footage, so call Building & Safety at 805-388-5395. School fees apply to ADUs of 500 square feet or more.
Do I need to provide parking for my ADU?
Often not. Section 19.56.080 requires one space per ADU, but none within a half mile walk of public transit, including the Camarillo Metrolink station, or in a historic district, or when the unit is converted from existing space. A converted garage's lost parking does not have to be replaced.
What is the difference between an ADU and a JADU?
An ADU is a complete second home that may be detached, attached or converted, while a junior ADU is a unit of 500 square feet or less carved out of the main house, with an efficiency kitchen. Camarillo requires a recorded deed restriction for a junior ADU, including owner occupancy with listed exceptions.
Do I have to live on the property to rent an ADU?
Not for a full ADU, because state law bars owner-occupancy rules for ADUs, though a city may require rentals longer than 30 days and Camarillo does. A junior ADU is different: the City's deed restriction includes owner occupancy, with exceptions listed in Section 19.56.100. Confirm which version applies with Planning.
Can I convert my garage into an ADU in Camarillo?
Yes. State law lets a garage be converted with up to 150 square feet added for an entrance, no setback applies to a conversion, and the parking does not have to be replaced. Expect to document the slab, the old door opening, egress, a bathroom and a panel, and ask Building & Safety for its checklist.
How long does it take to get an ADU permit in Camarillo?
When a house already stands on the lot, Chapter 19.56 requires the City to approve or return a full deficiency list within 60 days of a complete application, and state law adds a 15 business day completeness check. The City's page says a complete zone clearance package may clear in days. Plan check for the building permit is separate.
Can my HOA stop me from building an ADU?
Not by banning it. HCD says state law voids covenants that effectively prohibit or unreasonably restrict an ADU on a single-family lot, and a 2025 amendment bars reasonable restrictions from including fees. Design rules in your documents may still apply, and we did not read any Camarillo association's documents.
Tell us about your Camarillo ADU
Tell us the neighborhood, whether you are weighing the garage or the back yard, whether the lot slopes or sits near a creek, and whether the house has a homeowners association, and the first visit starts with the state-law path and the City's clearance list.