SB 679: ADUs without the owner-occupancy trap
The owner-occupancy rule is the quiet thing that kills backyard units. SB 679 goes after it.
SB 679 would stop California cities from forcing a property owner to live on-site in order to build or rent out an accessory dwelling unit. It sounds like a technicality. It isn't.
The owner-occupancy requirement is how a lot of cities quietly throttle ADUs without banning them outright: build the unit, sure, but only if you promise to live in the main house — which kills the math for investors, out-of-area owners, and anyone who wants to move and keep the property as a rental. Remove the rule and the backyard-unit calculation opens up for a much wider set of owners.
A rule you can't see is still a rule. Owner-occupancy never showed up in the 'we welcome ADUs' press release.
If you own a property with room out back and were told you'd have to occupy it to add a unit, this is the bill to watch. As always, it's pending — confirm where it stands before you draw up plans.