Permit guides

ADU Permits in Albany: a Homeowner's Guide

Albany has the simplest ADU path in this batch: a building permit, no separate Planning approval, filed by email.

Last updated October 2026. Rules change; always confirm current requirements with the city before you build.

Who handles your permit

In Albany, all ADUs require a building permit — and no separate Planning approval. You complete the Building Permit Application and the ADU Submittal Checklist and email everything with supporting documents to permits@albanyca.org. For a small built-out city, it's a refreshingly short process.

What you can build

Albany's essentials:

1,200 sq ftMax for a detached ADU

16 ftHeight limit for most detached ADUs

4 ftMinimum rear and side setbacks

1 + 1One ADU plus one Junior ADU per single-family lot

EmailSubmittal to permits@albanyca.org

PV requiredNew detached ADUs need photovoltaics

The city doesn't require separate utility meters or connections for ADUs — though PG&E and EBMUD may impose their own requirements. Albany strongly encourages all-electric construction.

Simple process, precise details

Albany's ADU handout is unusually candid about construction details. Two stand out: newly constructed detached ADUs must include photovoltaics per the California Energy Code, and any detached ADU proposed closer than 4 feet to a property line needs a form certification by a licensed surveyor before the foundation pour.

Fire sprinklers follow the main house: no sprinklers required in the ADU unless they're required in the primary dwelling. And building an ADU doesn't trigger a sprinkler retrofit of the existing home.

Line up the surveyor early. Tight-lot Albany projects often sit near the 4-foot line — the pre-pour certification can't be an afterthought.

What goes into the submittal

Albany's email submittal:

Building Permit Application (completed)
ADU Submittal Checklist (completed)
Supporting documents: site plan, floor plans, elevations, structural, Title 24
Licensed surveyor engagement if within 4 ft of a property line
Everything emailed to permits@albanyca.org

Where applications usually get stuck

Surveyor timing. The pre-pour form certification has to be scheduled before concrete, not after.
PV requirement. New detached ADUs need solar — budget and roof-plan for it.
Utility providers. The city won't demand separate meters, but PG&E/EBMUD might.
Property tax. The ADU increases assessed value — the city flags this upfront.

Not sure where to start? That's the part we do. We look at your property, map the requirements, coordinate the plans and specialists, and manage the submittal and corrections — one point of contact.

Tell us what you need help with.

Not sure where to start? That's what we're here for.

Send your project

Erik — (916) 540-8960 · Vall — (916) 956-8106
office@pcg-engineering.pro