What ADU checklists ask the site plan to show
An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) site plan places the new unit on the lot and dimensions it against the lot lines and the house; the permit counter reads it against the city's own checklist. The fullest checklists, in Los Angeles and Pasadena, both ask for the property lines with their dimensions, the setbacks, the streets and the driveway [1, 2].
Los Angeles states the list most completely. The Department of Building and Safety's ADU checklist, dated 7.7.2023, asks for 9 plot plan items, every one drawn to scale, and they fall into three groups: the lot (property lines with dimensions, the adjacent streets and a north arrow), the buildings (the ADU's dimensions and area, the primary dwelling's footprint with its square footage, and the separation between the two), and the ground between them (front, side and rear setbacks, site drainage, and driveways and parking) [1].
The other checklists add items Los Angeles does not name. Pasadena ties a property line survey to new construction within 5 ft of a property line [2]. Phoenix makes the plot or site plan clear site planning approval before the residential submittal [3]. San Francisco wants the existing and the proposed site plan as separate sheets [4], and Redwood City wants the size and location of utilities [5]. The state rules behind each list are in the ADU laws by state guide; this page is about the drawing.
The items compared
Each row is one site plan item and the checklists that name it, in their own terms.
| Site plan item | Checklists that name it |
|---|---|
| Property lines | Los Angeles, with dimensions [1]; Pasadena, as dimensions to property lines [2]; Los Angeles County, as lot dimensions [6] |
| Setbacks | Los Angeles, front, side and rear [1]; Pasadena, 4 ft side and rear, 5 ft where walls have doors or windows [2]; Los Angeles County, yard setbacks [6] |
| Distance to the house | Los Angeles, separation between the ADU and the primary dwelling [1]; Los Angeles County, distance between buildings [6] |
| Every building on the lot | San Francisco, on separate existing and proposed site plans [4]; Pasadena, all structures labeled [2]; Los Angeles County, existing buildings to remain [6] |
| Drainage | Los Angeles, site drainage [1]; Phoenix requires no grading and drainage plan for an attached or detached ADU [3] |
| Streets, driveway and walks | Los Angeles, adjacent streets and driveways and parking [1]; Pasadena, streets, driveway, walkways and a paved pedestrian path from the sidewalk to both front doors [2] |
| Utilities and easements | Redwood City, size and location of utilities [5]; Los Angeles County, private sewage disposal location, utilities and easements [6] |
| Scale and north arrow | Los Angeles, every item to scale [1]; Phoenix, site plan and floor plan drawn to scale [7]; north arrows on the Los Angeles, Pasadena and Los Angeles County lists [1, 2, 6] |
| Areas | Los Angeles, the ADU's dimensions and area and the house footprint with its square footage [1]; San Francisco, the new ADU's location and square footage labeled [4] |
| Survey | Pasadena, a property line survey for new construction within 5 ft of a property line [2] |
| Equipment | Pasadena, mechanical equipment 5 ft from the property line and screened [2] |
| Transit | Pasadena, a vicinity map showing 1/2 mile walking distance to transit [2] |
On drainage, Los Angeles and Phoenix differ. Los Angeles puts site drainage on the plot plan itself [1], while Phoenix states that an attached or detached ADU needs no grading and drainage plan [3]. Where a city does want drainage or grading designed, that design is engineering, and it comes from the engineer of record.
What comes with the site plan, city by city
The checklists also say what travels with the site plan, and in what order.
- Los Angeles. The set opens with a title sheet carrying the APN, legal description, zone, lot area, fire sprinkler information and a placeholder for the ADU's address, on sheets of at least 11 x 17 in, and it is filed through ePlanLA [1]. A standard plan application carries a copy of the approved standard plan, the title sheet and the plot plan [8]; the lot-specific part is covered in site plans for pre-approved ADUs.
- Phoenix. Site planning approval of the plot or site plan comes before the residential submittal, and the city points applicants to its Prelog Checklist [3]. The beginner's guide asks the applicant to determine where on the lot the ADU is permitted and to legalize any unpermitted structure first [7]. Choosing a plan from the city's standard plan library does not remove the plot or site plan [9].
- San Francisco. Planning's checklist pairs the site plans with a plan set checklist and a required forms checklist, plus information sheets on egress and sprinklers [4].
- Redwood City. The completeness checklist asks for the ADU's placement on the lot where a pre-reviewed plan is used, a CALGreen checklist and a standard BMP plan, and the application goes in online through eTrakIt [5].
- San Antonio. Information Bulletin 402 has the General Information section of the application identify the ADU, reviews the plans against the IRC and UDC 35-371, and requires an owner occupancy covenant recorded with Bexar County [10].
- Austin. An additional dwelling unit goes through the Residential New Construction and Addition permit package [11], and the city says each new dwelling unit needs a unique address or building number obtained "before submitting the residential building permit application" [11].
- Charlotte. The applicant signs a declaration that the structure is or is not an ADU and that it complies with UDO 15.6 and 17.1.D and F; the cumulative square footage rules for accessory structures leave ADUs out (17.F) [12].
- Raleigh. The city's ADU permit pages put the weight on the building: separate HVAC for each unit (M-1602), separate branch circuits, and fire separation under the NC Residential Code [13, 14].
City context sits on the metro pages for Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Antonio, Austin, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham.
The state rule under the city list
In California and Arizona the statute itself fixes a line the site plan has to prove.
California caps what a city may demand at the side and rear lot lines at 4 ft (Gov. Code 66314(d)(7)), part of the ADU law now numbered 66310 to 66342 as read on October 10, 2026 [15, 16]. Pasadena's standard plans show the 4 ft lines, with a distance of 5 ft where a wall has doors or windows, on the same sheet [2]. How an 800 sq ft unit sits inside those lines is drawn in California ADU site fit, and the wider state rules are on the California site plan page.
Arizona's ARS 9-461.18(E) bars building an ADU on a public utility easement without the utility's consent, which makes the site plan the document that shows the easement clear [17]. The Arizona detail is on the Arizona site plan page.
Los Angeles County's plot plan item, verbatim
Outside the city, Los Angeles County Public Works checks one- and two-family dwellings and additions against its One- and Two-Family Dwelling Plan Review List, v2.0, dated 1-1-2023 [6]. Item 22 of that list, under Code 106.4.3, reads: "Lot dimensions / yard setbacks / street name(s) / north arrow / existing building(s) to remain / distance between buildings / location of private sewage disposal system... / utilities / easements." [6]
Drawing the ADU site plan
Who may prepare the drawings varies by sheet. Under the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety's stamped plans policy, the architectural plans for a two-story single-family dwelling may be prepared by an unlicensed person, and only the structural drawings that carry engineering details need a licensed signature [18]. The question is set out sheet by sheet in who can draw ADU plans.
The studio draws the site plan sheet: the lot lines, the house and the new unit with their dimensions and areas, the setbacks and separation, the driveway, walks and parking, and the items the city's own list adds. The plan is preliminary and carries no engineering layer; drainage, grading and utility design, and any sheet a city wants sealed, are by your engineer of record, who builds on it. A conversion of an existing garage follows the same lists with its own footprint, and the other residential plans are under permit site plans. For a developer laying ADUs across a subdivision, the single-family and townhome site plan hub covers the lotting plan.
To have the ADU site plan drawn for your lot, start a project and choose "Residential: ADU (accessory dwelling unit)" as the project type; attach one file, a survey or a sketch with measurements, and name the city's checklist under program and stage if it publishes one.
Frequently asked questions
What does an ADU site plan need to show?
In Los Angeles, a plot plan drawn to scale with 9 items: property lines with dimensions, front, side and rear setbacks, the separation from the house, site drainage, a north arrow, the ADU's dimensions and area, adjacent streets, the house footprint with its square footage, and driveways and parking [1]. Pasadena adds a paved path from the sidewalk to both front doors [2], and Redwood City adds the size and location of utilities [5].
Does an ADU site plan have to show utilities and easements?
Where the list asks for them. Redwood City's completeness checklist asks for the size and location of utilities [5], and Los Angeles County's dwelling list asks for utilities, easements and the location of a private sewage disposal system [6]. In Arizona, ARS 9-461.18(E) bars building an ADU on a public utility easement without the utility's consent [17].
When does Pasadena require a property line survey for an ADU?
When new construction comes within 5 ft of a property line, under the city's ADU Standard Plans Program [2].
Does Phoenix require a grading and drainage plan for an ADU?
No. Phoenix's ADU residential process (TRT/DOC/00192) states that attached or detached ADUs do not require a grading and drainage plan, while the plot or site plan still needs site planning approval before the residential submittal [3].
What sheet size does Los Angeles want for an ADU plan set?
Sheets of at least 11 x 17 in, opening with a title sheet that gives the APN, legal description, zone and lot area, filed through ePlanLA [1].
Does San Francisco want one site plan or two?
Two. San Francisco Planning's ADU checklist asks for separate existing and proposed site plans showing all buildings on the lot, with the location and square footage of the new ADU labeled [4].
Sources
- 1)ADU Standard Plan Building Permit Submittal Checklist (dated 7.7.2023), Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 2)ADU Standard Plans Program, City of Pasadena Planning and Community Development Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 3)Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Residential Process, TRT/DOC/00192, City of Phoenix Planning and Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 4)Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) checklist, San Francisco Planning Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 5)Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance and ADU Completeness Checklist, City of Redwood City, Community Development Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 6)One- and Two-Family Dwelling Plan Review List (v2.0, 1-1-2023), Los Angeles County Public Works, Building and Safety. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 7)Beginner's Guide to Accessory Dwelling Units, City of Phoenix Planning and Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 8)ADU Standard Plan Program: approved standard plans, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 9)Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), City of Phoenix Planning and Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 10)Information Bulletin 402, Accessory Dwelling Units, City of San Antonio Development Services Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 11)Additional Dwelling Units, City of Austin Development Services Department. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 12)Residential Accessory Structure or Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Declaration (UDO Article 15.6), City of Charlotte, North Carolina. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 13)Permitting an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), City of Raleigh, North Carolina. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 14)ADU FAQs, City of Raleigh, North Carolina. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 15)Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (update): Gov. Code 66310 to 66342, California Department of Housing and Community Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 16)ADU State Laws Summary and Checklist (dated 7.1.25), Association of Bay Area Governments (abag.ca.gov). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 17)Laws 2024, Chapter 196 (HB 2720): ARS 9-461.18, accessory dwelling units, Arizona State Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 18)Information Bulletin P/BC 2023-073, Policy 4, Stamped Plans, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 2026-10-10.
How these sources were chosen and when the page is reviewed: how we research.