Permit guides

ADU Permits in Rancho Cordova: a Homeowner's Guide

Local size caps, the city's published review targets, and how the submittal actually moves — in plain language.

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

Who handles your permit

In Rancho Cordova, ADU permits come from the city's Building and Safety Division at 2729 Prospect Park Drive — not from Sacramento County. Applications are submitted online through the city's portal, and the city publishes review targets specifically for ADU and JADU applications: 10 business days for the first planning review and 15 business days for the first building review. Those are targets for the first cycle, not the whole project — corrections still add rounds.

What you can build

Rancho Cordova sets local size ceilings that are tighter than the state maximum:

850 sq ftPublished max for a studio or one-bedroom ADU

1,000 sq ftPublished max for two or more bedrooms

16 ftHeight limit generally applied to detached ADUs

4 ftMinimum side and rear setbacks, detached ADUs

10 / 15 daysPublished first-review targets: planning / building

60 daysState deadline to act on a complete application

Your zone, lot dimensions, easements, and existing structures can all reduce what fits in practice — treat the published ceiling as the outer boundary, not the design target. Fire review runs through the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

What goes into the submittal

Building permit application through the city's online portal
Dimensioned site plan with setbacks, easements, and utility routing
Architectural plans: floor plans, elevations, sections
Structural plans and calculations, Title 24 energy documents
Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical layouts

Design to the local caps, not the state max. The most common Rancho Cordova correction is a plan drawn to 1,200 sq ft that has to shrink to the city's published limits. Confirm the ceiling for your bedroom count before anyone draws a line.

Where applications usually get stuck

Oversized designs. See above — the local 850/1,000 sq ft caps catch people who designed to state law.
Utility routing. Sewer connections, water routing, and electrical service capacity are parcel-specific and often underestimated.
Grading and drainage. Rancho Cordova lots with slope or drainage paths need real grading thought, not a note on the plan.
Incomplete first submittals. Missing structural details or energy forms restart the review clock on that cycle.

Not sure where to start? That's the part we do. We check your property against the city's 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