Marin OKs Lower Fees To Build ADUs In Unincorporated Areas

SAN RAFAEL, CA — Marin supervisors moved this week to remove some roadblocks and cost hurdles for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on their property. Often called "mother-in-law cottages," county officials said building more ADUs is one way to address the housing crisis and increase the availability of more affordable places to live.

"Homeowners thinking about second units are often going through a life transition — seniors transitioning to a fixed income, first-time homeowners looking for a way to afford a home, adults becoming empty nesters, looking for a solution to an overcrowded household, or seeking to create affordable housing for friends and family," the county wrote in a news release Tuesday. "An ADU can generate new rental income, help someone age in place, help a financially strapped college student or recently discharged military veteran, or just provide a community benefit of a new home for anyone in need.

The resolution adopted Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors will waive or reduce certain fees associated with building ADUs in unincorporated Marin through the end of next year.

Supervisors estimate the change will save property owners thousands of dollars typically owed for permits and impact fees, with the highest benefits available for units that will qualify as affordable housing.

"The high cost of housing in Marin, considered a crisis by the Board, is regularly displacing people who have been priced out and preventing people who have jobs in Marin from living close to their workplaces," county officials said. "According to the most recent LEHD data, with 64% of its workers commuting in, Marin County has the second highest rate of out-of-county commutes in the Bay Area, only surpassed by San Mateo County."

The latest reductions build on the county's fee waiver program that launched in 2017, and work on the state level, which helped garner more interest in building ADUs. The county said permit interest peaked at 154 in 2021, compared to 81 applications last year, prompting the Board to consider additional incentives. Marin County's stated goal is to add 280 ADUs by 2031.