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Building an ADU in Saratoga, CA

Checked against the city's ADU pages on Oct 18, 2026.

Can I build one?
Yes, up to 1,200 sq ft Detached ADUs can be 1,200 sq ft of living area, or 1,000 sq ft inside the required setbacks. You need 1 uncovered parking space unless you're near transit.[1]
What will the city charge?
7 fee lines The city doesn't publish a total for an ADU, so we list each charge. See every fee[2]
Who builds here?
12 licensed builders Each lists Saratoga on its own site and holds an active CSLB license. See the list
See 12 builders Get quotes

Licensed ADU builders in Saratoga

Ranked by a public score anyone can check: license, years licensed, ADU types and cities shown on their own sites, a local office, and published prices. Nobody pays to move up. Quote requests go to our team with the builder you picked. How we rank

What Saratoga allows

  • Detached ADU, max size[1]

    1,200 sq ft of living area (garage not counted); 1,000 sq ft inside the required setbacks; 800 sq ft in the front setback

  • Attached ADU, max size[1]

    1,200 sq ft and no more than 50% of the main home's living area

  • Junior ADU (inside the house)[1]

    Up to 500 sq ft

  • Height[1]

    Detached: 16 ft inside the required setbacks; 18 ft outside them or within 1/2 mile of transit. Attached: 25 ft or the main home's limit, whichever is lower

  • Side and rear setbacks[1]

    4 ft side and rear. A detached ADU under 800 sq ft can go in the front setback

  • Floor area and lot coverage[1]

    The ADU counts, but the limits can't block an 800 sq ft ADU. Lots of 10,000 sq ft and up get a one-time 10% bonus for a below-market deed-restricted ADU

  • Units on a single-family lot[1]

    1 attached ADU + 2 attached JADUs + 1 detached ADU

  • Parking[1]

    1 uncovered space; none for a JADU, an ADU inside the house or an accessory building, or within 1/2 mile of transit. A demolished garage doesn't need replacing

  • Owner must live on site[1]

    No for an ADU; yes for a JADU

  • Permit path[1][3]

    Planning checks your plans, then you file a building permit. Over 18 ft or an added story needs design review
  • All planning, building and engineering fees are waived for an ADU or JADU deed-restricted to below-market renters.[2]
ADU rules in Saratoga drawn on a typical lot Detached ADU: up to 1,200 square feet, 4 feet from side and rear lot lines, 16 feet tall. Parking: 1 uncovered space, waived near transit. Rear lot line Street Main house ADU up to 1,200 sq ft 16 ft tall 4 ft 4 ft Parking: 1 uncovered space, waived near transit
Detached ADU. Not to scale.

City fees for an ADU in Saratoga

Fee lines for an ADU in Saratoga
Building permit, by valuation $1,693 for the first $100,000, plus $9.60 per $1,000 up to $500,000[2] Valuation is the ICC table × 2.9. Fee schedule effective July 1, 2026.
Plan check and surcharges Plan check 66% of the permit fee; 8.10% technology surcharge; General Plan fee 0.285% of valuation; $170 address processing[2]
Park development fee $0 up to 750 sq ft; above that, a share of $56,845 scaled to the main home[2][1][3] The city's 2024 handout says ADUs under 700 sq ft are exempt; the newer web page says 750.
Below-market rent fee waiver All planning, building and engineering fees waived[2] Only for an ADU or JADU deed-restricted to below-market renters.
School fees Saratoga Union SD $0.70 + Los Gatos-Saratoga Union HSD $1.66 per sq ft[4][5][6] Saratoga Union SD charges nothing under 500 sq ft. Campbell Union HSD also lists Saratoga, and Cupertino Union, Fremont Union HSD and Moreland may serve some parcels. Check yours.
Sewer connection (West Valley Sanitation District) $6,727 max connection + $1,024 max treatment plant capacity[3][7] The city lists West Valley Sanitation as the sewer contact. Smaller ADUs pay $511.16 and $73.53 per drainage fixture unit.
Water No published ADU fee[3][8] The city says some ADUs need a new water or sewer connection. San Jose Water quotes new service costs case by case.
School fee rates for districts in Saratoga (6)

District lines in Saratoga were not checked against a boundary map. You pay both your elementary and high school district.[4][5][6]

  • Saratoga Union School District[4]No fee on ADUs under 500 sq ft. $0.70/sq ft
  • Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District[5] $1.66/sq ft
  • Campbell Union High School District[6] $1.61/sq ft
  • Cupertino Union School District[9] $3.23/sq ft
  • Fremont Union High School District[10]500 sq ft or less is exempt. $2.15/sq ft
  • Moreland School District[11] $3.35/sq ft
Total cost in Saratoga, fees plus building

How the permit works

  1. 1

    Check the standards

    Read the city's ADU page for sizes, heights and setbacks.[1]

  2. 2

    Planning check

    Planning reviews your plans against its standards. Over 18 ft or an added story needs a design review application.[1][3]

  3. 3

    File the building permit

    Email your building permit submittal to building@saratoga.ca.us.[1]

  4. 4

    Get feedback

    The city's handout says you'll get application feedback within 15 days.[3]

  5. 5

    Build and pass inspections

    Book inspections on the city's online portal. You can move in after the final inspection.[1]

Review time: The city's 2024 handout says you'll get application feedback within 15 days.[3]

State deadline: State law gives the city 15 business days to say if your application is complete and 60 days to approve or deny a complete one.[12]

Preapproved plans

Saratoga accepts designer plans for pre-approval under AB 1332. No list of approved plans was found.[13]

No approved plans or prices are published yet.

Common questions

What are the Saratoga ADU requirements?

A detached ADU can be 1,200 sq ft of living area with 4 ft side and rear setbacks. It can be 16 ft tall inside the required setbacks or 18 ft outside them. You need 1 uncovered parking space unless an exemption applies.[1]

How big can an ADU be in Saratoga?

1,200 sq ft, or 1,000 sq ft if it sits inside the required setbacks and 800 sq ft in the front setback. An attached ADU is also capped at half the main home. A junior ADU is up to 500 sq ft.[1]

Do I need parking for an ADU in Saratoga?

Usually 1 uncovered space. You need none within 1/2 mile of transit, for a JADU, or for an ADU inside the house or an accessory building.[1]

How much is the Saratoga ADU permit cost?

The city publishes no total. The building permit comes from valuation, plus 66% for plan check and an 8.10% technology surcharge. ADUs up to 750 sq ft pay no park fee, and all fees are waived for a below-market deed-restricted ADU.[2][1]

How many ADUs can I build in Saratoga?

A single-family lot can have 1 attached ADU, 1 detached ADU and 2 attached junior ADUs.[1]

Nearby cities

What we couldn't confirm

  • No list of pre-approved plans found.
  • No ADU fee estimator or published total.
  • Moreland SD's share of Saratoga and exact school district lines not confirmed.
  • Whether parts of Saratoga are served by Cupertino Sanitary District instead of West Valley Sanitation not verified.
  • San Jose Water ADU charges not published.
  • The 2024 handout (under 700 sq ft) and web page (750 sq ft) disagree on the impact-fee threshold.

Sources

Every fact on this page links to one of these. We read each one on the date shown.

  1. 1. City of Saratoga Standards, process, impact-fee rule (750 sq ft), waivers Checked Oct 18, 2026
  2. 2. City of Saratoga Building valuation x2.9, plan check 66%, tech 8.10%, GP 0.285%, park dev fee $56,845/SFR, deed-restricted ADU Checked Oct 18, 2026
  3. 3. City of Saratoga 15-day feedback Checked Oct 18, 2026
  4. 4. Saratoga Union SD $0.70/sq ft Checked Oct 18, 2026
  5. 5. Los Gatos-Saratoga Union HSD $1.66/sq ft as of June 15, 2026 Checked Oct 18, 2026
  6. 6. Campbell Union HSD $1.61/sq ft eff Checked Oct 18, 2026
  7. 7. West Valley Sanitation District ADU connection $6,727 max/$511.16 per DFU Checked Oct 18, 2026
  8. 8. San Jose Water Water Services Department works with homeowners on new service Checked Oct 18, 2026
  9. 9. Cupertino Union SD $3.23/sq ft residential eff Checked Oct 18, 2026
  10. 10. Fremont Union HSD $2.15 (Cupertino area) / $2.06 (Sunnyvale area) eff Checked Oct 18, 2026
  11. 11. Moreland School District Residential $3.35/sf Checked Oct 18, 2026
  12. 12. California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) All state ADU/JADU rules used in state_baseline.md (sizes, heights, setbacks, parking, owner-occupancy, JADU, Checked Oct 18, 2026
  13. 13. City of Saratoga AB1332 program for designers Checked Oct 18, 2026