You may be considering a Paramount home with an ADU, planning to add one, or preparing to sell a property where an existing unit raises questions. Ordinance No. 1220 would revise the city’s ADU and junior accessory dwelling unit rules, but it was still pending as of November 6, 2026.
The proposal follows a state review that found Paramount’s current ordinance did not entirely comply with State ADU Laws. It would change rules involving entrances, height, structure separation, windows, permitted ADU combinations and older unpermitted units.
This is general information and not legal advice. For the basic distinctions between these housing types, start with California ADU rules.
Why is Paramount changing its ADU rules?
Paramount is proposing these changes because the California Department of Housing and Community Development found that the city’s existing ADU ordinance failed to comply with State ADU Laws in the ways identified in its letter.
Paramount adopted Ordinance No. 1191 on January 14, 2025, and HCD received it January 25 after the Planning and Building Department submitted it for the required compliance review.
HCD issued formal findings on July 1, 2026. Its letter identified 13 items and gave the city until July 31, 2026, to respond with a plan. Paramount could amend the ordinance or retain it with findings explaining why the city believed it complied.
If the city did neither or HCD found a new ordinance still out of compliance, HCD said it must notify the city and may notify the California Office of the Attorney General. The sources do not say Paramount was fined or referred there.
City staff then prepared Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment No. 44 and Ordinance No. 1220. Staff said compliance protects the city from statutory penalties and supports continued local oversight of housing and development decisions.
What parts of Paramount’s code would change?
The proposal would amend multiple provisions within Chapter 17.104 of the Paramount Municipal Code, which covers accessory dwelling units.
The staff report identifies Sections 17.104.010, 17.104.020, 17.104.070, 17.104.090(a) and (b), 17.104.120(a)(1) and (a)(2), 17.104.130, 17.104.140(d)(2) and (d)(3), 17.104.150(a)(5), 17.104.210(e), 17.104.220, including (a)(2), (c) and (f), and 17.104.230(a).
The proposal also updates statutory references. HCD explained that older references to Government Code Sections 65852.2 and 65852.22 had been relocated to Sections 66310 through 66342. Proposed Section 17.104.010 cites that newer range.
The new text would also deem ADUs an accessory use or accessory building. It says they shall not be considered when applying a local ordinance, policy or program that limits residential growth.
How would entrances and ADU combinations change?
All attached ADUs and JADUs would need separate entrances under the proposed ordinance.
The entrance could face the front, side or rear yard. HCD’s letter said the old language, under which an attached ADU “may” have a separate entrance, did not reflect the state requirement described in the letter. A JADU without its own bathroom would also need an interior entry to the primary dwelling.
The proposed code would recognize ADUs within or attached to a primary dwelling, including conversions of attached garages, storage areas or similar spaces. It would also cover accessory structures and detached units, including detached garages.
On a single-family lot, one detached new-construction ADU with four-foot side and rear setbacks could be combined with an ADU or JADU described in the section, or another combination required under state law. For a lot with an existing multifamily dwelling, the proposal allows no more than eight detached ADUs, and no more detached ADUs than existing units on the lot.
An owner asked us whether Paramount Ordinance No. 1220 meant his existing garage could automatically become an ADU. The proposal concerned ADU rules, but it did not replace the need to evaluate the structure and property. We checked the ordinance’s status and the site conditions before discussing a conversion.
Which site and design standards would be narrowed?
Several local site and design standards would no longer apply to ADUs created under Government Code Section 66323.
The existing code required at least six feet between a detached ADU and the primary dwelling or another accessory structure on the same lot. HCD said that minimum distance was not authorized for state-mandated ADUs under Section 66323. The proposal instead says detached ADUs constructed under Section 66314 must maintain the separation required by the local building code.
The code also required certain ADU windows within 10 feet of the front property line to be tempered triple-pane glass with a Sound Transmission Class rating of at least 29. The proposed text excludes ADUs constructed under Section 66323 from that rule.
A driveway vision-clearance rule would likewise exclude Section 66323 ADUs. The rule uses a diagonal line beginning 10 feet behind the front property line at 30 degrees, with nothing higher than 42 inches. Added language says it shall not prevent an ADU of up to 800 square feet with four-foot side and rear setbacks.
Architectural and design standards would apply only to ADUs reviewed under Section 66314, meaning newly constructed attached ADUs and detached ADUs larger than 800 square feet.
How could the height rules affect a project?
A qualifying detached ADU could potentially reach 20 feet under the proposed height provisions.
The existing 18-foot rule addressed a detached ADU on a lot with an existing or proposed multifamily, multistory dwelling whose roof slope is less than 3:12. The new text would limit that roof-slope provision to detached ADUs developed under Government Code Section 66314.
A detached ADU within one-half mile walking distance of a major transit stop or high-quality transit corridor would be allowed another two feet to accommodate a roof pitch matching the primary dwelling. The ordinance describes a potential maximum height of 20 feet for a qualifying detached ADU.
The documents do not identify which Paramount parcels meet that transit condition. Buyers, sellers and owners should ask the Planning and Building Department about a specific property rather than assuming it qualifies.
What changes for older unpermitted ADUs?
The proposal would move the relevant construction cutoff for certain unpermitted ADU applications from January 1, 2018, to January 1, 2020.
For an unpermitted ADU built before January 1, 2020, the application shall not be denied because of violations of building standards in Title 15 or failure to comply with Chapter 17.104, unless correction is necessary to protect the health and safety of the public or occupants under Health and Safety Code Section 17920.3.
That language is not a guarantee of approval. If no building permit exists, the application would be judged under the Building Code version in effect when the unit was determined to have been built. The Building Official or designee may determine the construction date and issue a retroactive building permit.
A property owner should gather available records and ask the city how it would evaluate the unit. Sellers should also distinguish possible legalization from their separate disclosure questions. The guide to unpermitted work disclosure in California explains that broader issue.
What is the ordinance’s current status?
Ordinance No. 1220 was scheduled for adoption, but adoption had not been confirmed as of November 6, 2026.
The Planning Commission voted on October 7, 2026, to recommend approval through Resolution No. 26:031. The City Attorney reviewed and approved the recommended changes. The staff report lists no fiscal impact and says the ordinance is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3).
The October 27, 2026 City Council agenda recommended introducing the ordinance and placing it on the November 10 agenda for adoption. Minutes from October 27 were not posted when checked, so the introduction vote itself is not verified here. Adoption on November 10 was scheduled, not confirmed.
If adopted, the ordinance would take effect thirty days after adoption. Check with the City Clerk and the city’s meeting agenda page for the latest record. The documents also do not say how the rules would apply to permitted projects, construction underway or applications in progress. Ask the Planning and Building Department about those situations.
Another city received a similar HCD letter, but Paramount’s proposal and record should be evaluated on their own terms.
The short version
Paramount’s proposed Ordinance No. 1220 would revise ADU and JADU rules after HCD found problems with the city’s existing ordinance.
The changes would require separate entrances for attached ADUs and JADUs, recognize more state-required unit combinations, narrow certain separation and window standards, revise height provisions and move the cutoff for specified unpermitted-ADU applications to January 1, 2020. HCD had not approved Ordinance No. 1220 in the documents reviewed, so full state compliance remains unconfirmed.
As of November 6, 2026, adoption was scheduled for November 10. Confirm the outcome through the City Clerk or the city’s agenda and minutes page before relying on the proposal.
For a starting estimate of what your Paramount property may be worth, use the home value tool.
Common questions
Has Paramount adopted Ordinance No. 1220?
As of November 6, 2026, adoption was scheduled for November 10 but had not been confirmed. The October 27 introduction vote also had not been verified.
When would Ordinance No. 1220 take effect?
If adopted, Ordinance No. 1220 would take effect thirty days after adoption.
Would every attached ADU and JADU need a separate entrance?
The proposed text says an attached ADU or JADU shall have a separate entrance, which may face the front, side or rear yard.
Does the proposal guarantee approval of an unpermitted ADU?
No. It limits denial for specified code violations involving an ADU built before January 1, 2020, but preserves an exception when correction is necessary to protect health and safety.
