Sunnyvale / Garage conversions
Garage Conversion in Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale lists conversion ADUs with the projects that need a building permit and do not need a planning permit. A small expansion just for the entry is still a conversion. A larger expansion is treated as new construction. Call (650) 562-6324.
Conversions stay on the streamlined list
The City’s ADU page (opens in a new tab) puts conversion ADUs in the streamlined group: building permit only, no planning permit. A new detached unit over 800 square feet on a single-family lot is the case that needs a Miscellaneous Plan Permit first. A garage conversion is not that case unless the work grows past what the City still calls a conversion.
Chapter 19.79 (opens in a new tab) of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code allows a conversion inside an existing accessory structure to expand by not more than 150 square feet, and only to create ingress and egress. The code says an expansion larger than 150 square feet is a new construction ADU. That can change the permit path if the new unit is over 800 square feet on a single-family lot. The minimum area stated for an accessory dwelling unit in that chapter is 150 square feet.
Setbacks and floor area from the city brochure
The City’s ADU brochure (opens in a new tab) shows a 4-foot minimum side and rear setback for new construction ADUs, and it says up to 800 square feet of each ADU is excluded from floor area and lot coverage. Read those lines next to Chapter 19.79. They are city standards to confirm, not a promise that every garage already meets them.
Sunnyvale projects use our Cupertino office phone, (650) 562-6324, at 10080 N Wolfe Road, Suite SW3-200, Cupertino, CA 95014.
Questions homeowners ask
Does a Sunnyvale garage conversion need a Miscellaneous Plan Permit?
Conversion ADUs are listed under streamlined review, which is a building permit without a planning permit. Confirm the scope with the City if you expand beyond the conversion limits.
Official sources
City rules change. The links below are the pages and documents these notes were checked against. Your address can still differ.
Talk with R&B
R&B Master Construction Inc. · CSLB #1158657. Email info@rbmasterconstruction.com. Headquarters: 84 W Santa Clara St, Suite 700, San Jose, CA 95113. Hours: Monday–Sunday, 7:00 AM–5:00 PM Pacific Time.