Does a JADU need its own kitchen, bathroom, and utility connections?

A JADU needs an efficiency kitchen, but it does not need its own bathroom or separate utility connections. State law treats a JADU as part of the existing home for water, sewer and power service, so a utility cannot treat it as a new dwelling unit for service or connection fees just because you added one.

Kitchen: an efficiency kitchen, narrowly defined

Government Code section 66333(f) requires an efficiency kitchen with a cooking facility with appliances, plus a food preparation counter and storage cabinets of reasonable size in relation to the size of the JADU. HCD's handbook says local agencies cannot be more restrictive than this definition, so requirements for specific counter or cabinet sizes, specified electrical or gas connections, or particular appliance types are not authorized by state JADU law. HCD specifically notes that 220-volt circuits are not required for an efficiency kitchen. Whatever appliances you do install still have to meet the electrical code.

Bathroom: optional, with trade-offs

• A JADU may have its own bathroom or share one with the main house.
• If it shares, the JADU must have an interior entry to the main living area as well as its separate entrance, and the owner must live in the home or the JADU.
• If it has its own bathroom, owner occupancy is not required, but you add plumbing fixtures, drainage and ventilation.

Utilities and fire protection

• Service connections. Section 66338 says a JADU is not a separate or new dwelling unit for purposes of water, sewer or power service, including connection fees. Section 66311.5 adds that for a JADU within existing space, no new or separate utility connection, or related connection fee or capacity charge, can be required unless it is built with a new single-family home.
• Uniform local rules. A local agency can still apply service or connection-fee rules that apply equally to all single-family homes, whether or not they contain a JADU.
• Fire sprinklers. A JADU is not a separate dwelling unit for fire and life protection ordinances, and sprinklers cannot be required in it if they are not required for the main residence.

What this means for your MEP plans and permit set

Because the JADU shares the home's electrical service, water heater and sewer connection, your plans should show how the new loads fit: a load calculation that includes the efficiency kitchen appliances and any new heating or cooling, a check of water heater capacity if a bathroom is added, and the drain routing for new fixtures. State law does not require separate meters for a JADU. Building code items such as smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, ventilation and egress still apply. See electrical load calculations, sharing plumbing with the main house, fire sprinkler rules, and California ADU requirements. Confirm local JADU standards with your building department.

Sources: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.