Building in San Jose

San Jose runs the largest ADU program in the county, including a preapproved-plan track with a review team dedicated to it. The requirement that most often catches people out is electrical, and it is worth being precise about who imposes it: PG&E now requires an ADU to carry its own utility meter, which the city states plainly is the utility's policy and not the city's. On our San Jose detached-ADU projects that means the unit gets its own electrical service rather than a sub-feed off the house, we budget $10,000 all in for it, and it goes into the number from the first estimate rather than after plan check. What that actually buys, and what the city legally cannot charge you for.

A job we did here. The ADU another builder walked away from — a San Jose ADU left unfinished by the original contractor. We took over the open permit, cleared every outstanding inspection and got the final sign-off.

We work throughout San Jose — whether you're in Willow Glen, Almaden Valley, Rose Garden, Evergreen, Berryessa, or Downtown San José, the build is the same standard.

Permits. Work in San Jose is permitted through the City of San José Development Services Permit Center. We carry the submittal and the plan-check corrections — that is our job, not yours.

San José publishes an ADU Universal Checklist that establishes whether a property qualifies before anything is drawn, and takes plan submittals through its SJePlans portal. It also staffs a dedicated ADU review team, and preapproved plans run on a faster track than a site-specific set.

Pre-approved ADU plans. San Jose publishes a gallery of pre-approved ADU plans that homeowners can build from. Since AB 1332 took effect on January 1, 2025, California cities have had to run a pre-approved ADU plan program and post the approved plans publicly. Where a usable plan exists it can take real time and design cost out of a project, because the design has already been reviewed and only the site-specific work is left.