Permit guides

ADU Permits in Hayward: a Homeowner's Guide

Hayward screens ADUs for zoning compliance before you ever file a building permit. Plan for two steps, not one.

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

Who handles your permit

ADU permits in Hayward come from the Development Services Department (777 B Street, Hayward, CA 94541) — and the process has two gates. First, the Planning Division runs a Zoning Conformance Permit: an eligibility screening with its own application, checklist, and a $328 planning review fee. Only after zoning conformance clears do you file the building permit application.

What you can build

What the zoning conformance checklist measures:

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

$328Zoning conformance review fee

60 daysDeadline to act on a complete application

Attached ADUs in Hayward may not have doors connecting to the main house. Multifamily properties follow a separate checklist, and JADUs aren't allowed on multifamily lots.

The two-step process

Hayward's Zoning Conformance Permit is an eligibility worksheet: you fill in the development standards and circle "yes" or "no" for each. All yeses means ministerial staff review; any no means further review for compliance. It's designed to catch problems before you've paid for full construction documents.

The city is also particular about drafting: plans go on standard architectural sheets (18"×24" or 24"×36", all the same size), with Title 24 energy forms scanned onto the sheets. Non-conforming sheet sizes are a classic first-round rejection.

Do zoning first. Spending money on full structural plans before the $328 zoning conformance clears is the most expensive mistake in Hayward.

What goes into the submittal

For the zoning conformance step, Hayward asks for:

Development Permit Application (signed by applicant and property owner)
$328 payment
ADU Checklist with the eligibility worksheet completed
Plans drawn to scale: site plan, floor plan, elevations (existing and proposed)
For JADUs: copy of the property legal description from the title report or grant deed

Where applications usually get stuck

Zoning conformance surprises. Setback, height, or coverage misses surface here — fix them before paying for engineering.
Sheet formatting. Wrong sheet sizes or missing scanned Title 24 forms bounce the submittal.
Utility coordination. Water, sewer, and electrical tie-ins need early confirmation with the providers.
Address assignment. A separate Address Request Application is part of the package — don't forget it.

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