House Plans and Custom Drafting Across California
Service Areas / California
California rewrote residential permitting in the homeowner's favor. Since 2020, cities must review ADU applications ministerially and act within 60 days, and starting in 2026, a city that misses that clock has approved your project by default. Apex Drafting Services puts that leverage to work with custom house plans, ADU plans, and permit-ready drawings for projects in every corner of the state, delivered 100% remotely.
The Most Permissive ADU Framework in the Country, and It Keeps Getting Stronger
Most states leave ADU rules to each city. California did the opposite. State law now requires every city and county to process ADU applications without hearings or discretionary review, on a hard 60-day clock, and the legislature has tightened the framework almost every year since 2020. For anyone drawing plans in this state, the law rewards one thing above all: a complete, code-ready submittal the first time.
AB 68 / AB 881 / SB 13 (2020)
Made ADU approval ministerial statewide. Cities must approve or deny a complete application within 60 days and must allow ADUs of at least 850 square feet.
SB 897 (2023)
Established statewide minimum height allowances for ADUs, limiting how far cities can restrict unit height.
AB 976 (2023)
Permanently eliminated the owner-occupancy requirement. You no longer need to live on the property to add an ADU.
AB 1033 (2024)
Gave cities the option to let ADUs be sold separately as condos. San Jose, Santa Monica, and both the City and County of San Diego have adopted it.
AB 2533 (2025)
Created an amnesty path to legalize unpermitted ADUs built before 2020, which starts with documenting the structure as it exists.
SB 543 (2026)
Cities now have 15 business days to confirm an application is complete, and a project is automatically deemed approved if the city misses the 60-day clock.
Every one of these bills shifts leverage toward the applicant, but only if the plan set holds up. A drawing package that matches your city's checklist keeps the 60-day clock running in your favor instead of restarting it with correction cycles. That is the job we do.
California Metros We Serve
Our drafting work is fully remote, so we serve every California city and county. We maintain dedicated pages for nine major metros below, and you can browse the full national map on our service areas page.
Los Angeles
ADUs, hillside remodels, and additions across the state's largest city and its dense infill lots.
San Diego
Both the city and the county have adopted AB 1033, opening the door to ADUs sold as standalone condos.
Sacramento
Drafting for ADUs, additions, and infill projects in the capital region, where the state writes the rules it lives under.
Riverside / Inland Empire
Larger lots across the Inland Empire leave room for detached ADUs, garages, and ground-up custom homes.
Fresno
Central Valley lots with space for detached ADUs, additions, and new custom builds.
San Jose
The first California city to let homeowners sell ADUs as condos under AB 1033, in a market with a $1.46M average home value (Zillow).
Bakersfield
The fastest-growing of California's 10 largest cities (+1.2% in 2025 per the CA Department of Finance), with 1,765 housing units added in 2024 and a $397K average home value (Zillow).
Anaheim
With Orange County's typical home at $1.04M (Zillow) and nearly 9,000 units permitted countywide in 2024, a backyard ADU renting for $2,000 to $3,000 a month changes the math for owners.
Stockton
A roughly $429K average home value (Zillow), about a third of Silicon Valley's, keeps drawing Bay Area buyers who then add value through additions and city pre-approved ADU plans.
Where California Demand Concentrates
The state's legal posture shapes what gets drafted here. When approval is ministerial and the clock is guaranteed, ADU projects pencil out in ways they cannot in states where each city sets its own rules.
ADU Plans & Design
The natural first request in California. State law removed most local discretion, so a well-prepared ADU plan set moves through a predictable 60-day window instead of an open-ended review.
Permit-Ready Drawings & As-Builts
AB 2533 amnesty starts with documenting what exists. We produce as-built drawings for unpermitted pre-2020 ADUs and permit-ready sets matched to your city's submittal checklist.
Home Additions & Remodel Drafting
In coastal metros where typical homes run seven figures, expanding the home you own is often the more realistic move than buying the next one.
Custom House Plans
Ground-up plans for growth markets like Bakersfield and the Central Valley. For straightforward builds, stock house plans start at $799.
Every set is drafted remotely and delivered digitally, with revisions handled over email and screen share. Turnaround depends on the scope of your project and your jurisdiction's requirements, and we set expectations for both before work begins.
California Drafting FAQs
How long does ADU plan approval take in California?
State law requires cities to review ADU applications ministerially and act on a complete application within 60 days. As of 2026, SB 543 also gives cities 15 business days to tell you whether your application is complete, and if a city misses the 60-day deadline, the project is automatically deemed approved. The practical takeaway is that a complete, code-ready plan set is what starts and protects that clock.
Can I legalize an ADU that was built without permits?
In many cases, yes. AB 2533, effective 2025, created an amnesty path for unpermitted ADUs built before 2020. The process typically begins with as-built drawings that document the structure exactly as it exists so the city can evaluate it. Our Permit-Ready Drawings & As-Builts service handles that documentation remotely.
Can I sell my California ADU separately from my main house?
Only in cities that have opted in. AB 1033, effective 2024, lets local governments allow ADUs to be sold separately as condominiums. San Jose, Santa Monica, and both the City and County of San Diego have adopted it so far. Everywhere else in California, the ADU remains part of the primary property.
Do you need to be located in California to draft my plans?
No. Drafting is a fully digital service. We prepare plan sets to your specific city or county's submittal requirements, deliver files electronically, and handle revisions and plan-check corrections remotely. If your project calls for locally licensed engineering or other stamped work, the drawings are prepared so those professionals can review and build on them.
Get a Free Quote for Your California Project
Tell us what you're building and we'll scope it, confirm the timeline, and give you a firm number before any drafting starts. Every plan set is drafted to your local jurisdiction's documentation standards.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (435) 668-1095.
Put California's ADU Clock to Work
Tell us about your lot, your city, and what you want to build. We will scope the drawing set, flag what your jurisdiction requires, and give you a clear quote. Stock house plans start at $799, and every project starts with a free quote.