Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance Repeal
Summary
SCH Number
2026091190
Public Agency
Sacramento County
Document Title
Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance Repeal
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
9/28/2026
Document Description
The project consists of the repeal of the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance within the Sacramento County Zoning Code (SZC); an amendment to permit two detached agricultural accessory dwellings (AADs) as an accessory use permitted by right in the agricultural, agricultural-residential, and recreational zones; and an amendment to definitions related to classifying side street yards as a type of “front yard.”
Contact Information
Name
Julie Newton
Agency Name
County of Sacramento, Planning & Environmental Review
Job Title
Environmental Coordinator
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Sacramento County Planning & Environmental Review
Agency Name
Sacramento County Planning & Environmental Review
Job Title
Planner
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova, Rancho Murieta, Sacramento, Unincorporated
Counties
Sacramento
Regions
Countywide, Northern California
Parcel #
Various
Other Location Info
Countywide
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
General Rule exemption of Section 15061, subdivision (b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines.
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed amendments are covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
The repeal of the County’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance to defer to State law does not result in an increase in density nor intensification of land use because, regardless of whether a local agency adopts or repeals a local ADU Ordinance, State ADU allowances must be permitted. State ADU allowances remain permitted before and after this proposed amendment.
Amendments are also proposed to permit two detached agricultural accessory dwellings (AADs) as an accessory use permitted by right in the agricultural, agricultural-residential, and recreational zones on properties developed with a primary dwelling. Currently, in those specified zones on properties developed with a primary dwelling, two ADUs and one JADU are permitted by right. By deferring ADU allowances to State law, ADUs will become prohibited in the specified zones. The change to allow two AADs to replace repealed local ADU allowances does not result in an increase in density nor intensification of land use compared to current adopted provisions.
The amendment of definitions related to “front yards” and “side street yards,” along with other minor amendments, are administrative and regulatory amendments that do not result in an intensification of density or land use.
As all the proposed amendments do not result in any physical change to the environment, nor create a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical environmental effect, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed project may have a significant impact on the environment and is therefore exempt from the provisions of CEQA.
County Clerk
Sacramento
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.