Make Big ADUs More Affordable
California Assembly
Tell the Assembly: Support SB 1117
Make Bigger ADUs More Affordable and More Plentiful
End California's ADU Impact Fee Cliff
Right now, California law creates a bizarre incentive.
An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) that's 749 square feet gets charged $0 in local impact fees. But make that same home just a few square feet larger, and the owner can suddenly owe thousands of dollars in fees.
That arbitrary cliff discourages homeowners from building family-sized ADUs between 750 sq ft and 850 sq ft, and it makes housing more expensive.
SB 1117 fixes the problem
Instead of charging impact fees on the entire ADU once it exceeds 750 square feet, SB 1117 would allow fees to be charged only on the square footage above 750 square feet.
That means:
More homeowners can build the ADUs they actually need
More family-sized homes get built
Housing costs come down
Local governments can still collect impact fees—without creating a penalty that stops projects from being built in the first place
This is a commonsense reform that removes an unnecessary barrier to housing while preserving the ability of local governments to collect proportional impact fees.
Add your name today and urge your representatives to vote YES on SB 1117.
Every message helps demonstrate that Californians support practical solutions that make it easier to build more homes.
Petition by
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Sponsored by
To:
California Assembly
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Assembly Member,
I urge you to support SB 1117, a commonsense bill that fixes an arbitrary barrier to building more affordable accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in California.
Under current law, ADUs under 750 square feet are generally exempt from local impact fees. But if an ADU is just one square foot larger, local governments disproportionately charge impact fees on the entire unit. That creates a sudden cost increase of thousands of dollars simply for building a slightly larger home.
This "fee cliff" discourages homeowners from building ADUs that better meet the needs of families, seniors, caregivers, and people with disabilities. It also makes it more difficult to build the additional housing California desperately needs.
SB 1117 provides a simple, fair solution. Rather than having impact fees to apply to the entire ADU once it exceeds 750 square feet, the bill would allow fees only on the square footage above that threshold. This preserves the ability of local governments to collect impact fees while eliminating an arbitrary penalty that discourages housing production.
California's legislature has made tremendous progress in removing unnecessary barriers to ADU construction. SB 1117 continues that work by fixing an unintended consequence of current law and making it easier for homeowners to build the homes that Californians need.
Please vote YES on SB 1117.
Thank you for your consideration.