Permit guides

ADU Permits in Pittsburg: a Homeowner's Guide

Pittsburg (no “h” — that's the official spelling) gives homeowners a free ADU guidebook and a free permit-ready plan set. Here's how to use them, and what the permit takes.

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

Who handles your permit

ADUs run through the Community & Economic Development Department, Planning Division — (925) 252-4920 — City Hall at 65 Civic Avenue, Pittsburg, CA 94565. Permits are filed through the city's online Accela portal, and compliant applications are processed ministerially — no discretionary hearings.

What you can build

California state law sets the baseline:

1,200 sq ftMax for a detached ADU

50% / 1,200Max for an attached ADU (50% of the main home, up to 1,200 sq ft)

500 sq ftMax for a Junior ADU, carved from existing space

16 ftHeight limit for most detached ADUs (18 ft near major transit or above a garage)

4 ftMinimum rear and side setbacks for detached ADUs

1 + 1One ADU plus one JADU allowed per single-family lot

Units under 750 square feet are exempt from certain impact and school fees under state law — which is why the city's own plan set stays under 750. The ADU must match the primary dwelling in materials, colors, finishes, and style. JADUs require owner occupancy of one unit plus a deed restriction recorded with the Contra Costa County recorder.

The free guidebook and permit-ready plan set

Pittsburg published a free ADU Guidebook (November 2024) — a step-by-step of the application process — and a free permit-ready ADU plan set by Opticos Design, Inc.: a two-bedroom unit under 750 square feet and under 16 feet tall, with the bedrooms on non-adjacent walls and the entry on the side for privacy. To use the city's plans you sign an indemnification form, then submit the set with your site-specific information for building permit review.

Permit-ready doesn't mean permit-free. Reviewers still verify your site's zoning, setbacks, easements, foundation conditions, and utility connections — the plans skip the design work, not the review.

What goes into the submittal

Site plan with placement, setbacks, and lot coverage; floor plans and exterior elevations.
Foundation and framing details, structural calculations, Title 24 energy forms.
Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical layouts plus utility connection plans.
Using the city's plans: the indemnification form plus your site-specific package; JADUs: the city-prepared deed restriction form.

Where applications usually get stuck

Delta waterfront and floodplain. Pittsburg sits on the south shore of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — confirm your flood designation before siting the unit.
City-owned utilities. Pittsburg runs its own water and power divisions (Pittsburg Water and Pittsburg Power Company), so capacity and connection reviews go through the city — bring them in early.
Compatibility comments. The code requires the ADU to match the primary dwelling's materials, colors, finishes, and style — a mismatch gets corrections, not a waiver.
Missing site information. Even with permit-ready plans, reviewers need your zoning, setbacks, easements, and utility tie-ins — incomplete site data is the most common delay.

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