Building an ADU in Orange County is now easier than ever with Ready Set Orange

Community & Services

Looking to build a Mother-in-Law suite in your backyard for an aging family member? Or maybe you want to put a long-term rental unit behind your house for an extra source of income?

A new Orange County program called Ready Set Orange is here to make it easier than ever to construct an Accessory Dwelling Unit on your property.

As part of the County’s ongoing effort to address the housing affordability crisis, Ready Set Orange allows homeowners in unincorporated Orange County to choose from four pre-designed ADU floorplan models. Customers are provided with step-by-step instructions on how to receive the floorplans free of charge and how to obtain final construction permits.

The program is designed to help homeowners save time and money.

Orange County’s Chief Planner Carter Gresham said there has been tremendous interest and momentum behind ADUs since the county began allowing them in 2019. However, since they are a fairly new concept, there has also been confusion surrounding how they work.

“There have been a lot of questions regarding where to start, how the process of building one begins” Gresham said. “Ready Set Orange is here to really kick this process into high gear.”

An ADU is a smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a stand-alone, detached single-family home. ADUs provide living space for family members of homeowners or can be rented out by tenants for a period of more than 180 days.

However, the program is not just for ADUs. The program also offers four pre-designed floorplans for small single-family homes, perfect for newlywed couples looking to build a starter home.

Orange County needs more housing products like these.

“The intent of this program is to provide greater attainable housing opportunities for residents by eliminating barriers in the process,” said Olan Hill, Assistant Manager of the County’s Planning Division. “Our current residential market is heavy on the single-family detached, and heavy on multi-family attached, with very little supply of everything in between.”

Four of the “Ready Set Orange” floorplans available are for ADUs, ranging in size from 531 square feet to 708 square feet. The other four floorplans are for single-family homes, ranging in size from 1,150 square feet to 1,483 square feet

For more information, visit Ready Set Orange.

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