Sausalito's entire ADU parking rule — one off-street space, the six situations in which none is required, and the no-replacement sentence — sits inside one subsection of the city's ADU section, which opens by saying it does not apply to one of the two ADU classes the same section creates. Which class a unit belongs to is decided by which state statute approves it. So the parking question is settled before the parking rule is read. On the class the rule does reach, one space is a state ceiling, not a figure the city chooses. Which class a given unit is approved under is a determination for the design professional and the City.
Key numbers
| Figure | Governs | Section |
|---|---|---|
| One space per ADU or bedroom, whichever is less | Local requirement; state ceiling | Sausalito § 10.44.080(G)(7)(a); Gov. Code § 66314(d)(10)(A) |
| Six | Ordinance situations; statute instances | Sausalito § 10.44.080(G)(7)(b); Gov. Code § 66322(a) |
| One-half mile walking distance | Transit exception | Sausalito § 10.44.080(G)(7)(b) |
| Four-foot side and rear yard setbacks | Ministerial route's unit | Gov. Code § 66323(a)(2) |
| 800 square feet of livable space | Condition a city may impose | Gov. Code § 66323(a)(2)(A) |
Which statute approved the unit
Sausalito Municipal Code § 10.44.080(E) sorts the city's ADUs into two classes and names the statute approving each: "Class 1: Statutorily Regulated. Class 1 ADUs and JADUs are approved under Cal. Gov't. Code § 66323." and "Class 2: Locally Regulated. Class 2 ADUs are approved under Cal. Gov't. Code §§ 66314 through 66322."
The next sentence says what the sorting does: "Except for Class 1 ADUs approved under subsection E.1 of this section, all ADUs are subject to the standards set forth in subsections F and G of this section." The sorting decides which local standards a unit is read against.
Where Sausalito keeps its ADU parking rule
Sausalito Municipal Code § 10.44.080(G) states its reach before any requirement: "The following requirements apply only to Class 2 ADUs approved under subsection E.2 of this section." The sentence after it is the one the chain turns on.
This subsection G does not apply to Class 1 ADUs or JADUs approved under subsection E.1 of this section.
The parking provision sits at G.7, and its requirement is flat: "One off-street parking space is required for each ADU or bedroom, whichever is less." Six exceptions follow at G.7.b, the first an ADU "located within one-half mile walking distance of public transit". G.7.c adds that demolished or converted parking spaces "are not required to be replaced."
Requirement, exceptions and no-replacement sentence all sit in one compartment, so for a Class 1 unit none is reached.
Whether one space is a floor or a ceiling
Gov. Code § 66314 sets the outer bound. Subparagraph (d)(10)(A) reads: "Parking requirements for accessory dwelling units shall not exceed one parking space per accessory dwelling unit or per bedroom, whichever is less." That caps the requirement rather than naming a quantity a project supplies, and § 66314(b)(2) runs the same way: "a local agency may reduce or eliminate parking requirements". What it does not do is set a minimum. The ordinance prints its number flat, without either sentence.
What the state section takes away from the city
Gov. Code § 66322 is written to the city, not to the project. Subdivision (a) states that "A local agency shall not impose any parking standards for an accessory dwelling unit" in six named instances.
Sausalito's list at § 10.44.080(G)(7)(b) covers the same ground, but they are not the same kind of sentence: the state text removes a power from the agency; the local text states an outcome for a project — "No parking under subsection G.7.a of this section is required in the following situations" — inside the subsection that excludes Class 1.
Where the cheaper lane is, and what it costs
Gov. Code § 66323 is the statute the ordinance names for Class 1, and it opens outside the sections carrying the parking rules: "Notwithstanding Sections 66314 to 66322, inclusive, a local agency shall ministerially approve" a building permit application for the units listed. The unit § 66323(a)(2) describes, on a single-family lot, is "One detached, new construction, accessory dwelling unit that does not exceed four-foot side and rear yard setbacks", and the price is in the same paragraph: a local agency "may impose the following conditions", the first being "A total floor area limitation of not more than 800 square feet of livable space."
Subdivision (b) keeps the route from filling back up: "A local agency shall not impose any objective development or design standard that is not authorized by this section."
What this looks like on the drawing
The route that never reaches subsection G is bought with an envelope, and it is drawn. The four-foot side and rear yard setbacks are an offset dimensioned on the site plan; the 800 square feet of livable space is a number the floor plan holds or does not. Both are written as ceilings — "does not exceed" and "not more than". Detached and new construction are drawn too, so a converted or attached unit, or a larger footprint, is not the unit that paragraph describes.
Currency
Gov. Code § 66314 (AB 1170) and § 66323 (SB 543) were both amended effective January 1, 2026 — inside the last two years. § 66322 was added by SB 477, effective March 25, 2024, the one outside that window. Their document is stamped 2026 edition, updated 2026-09-22. Sausalito Municipal Code § 10.44.080 runs from Ord. 1205, 2012 to Ord. 12-2025, 12/2/2025, with two amendments inside that window; its document is stamped Sausalito Zoning Code, 2026-10 edition, updated 2026-10-04.
That history is recorded for the section as a whole; the research behind this article did not establish which ordinance amended subsection E or G, so no amendment date is claimed for either alone. An edition stamp is not an effective date — confirm each section's effective date before relying on it.
Frequently asked questions
Does a transit stop within half a mile remove the parking space?
The six exceptions are at § 10.44.080(G)(7)(b), the first an ADU "located within one-half mile walking distance of public transit". They sit inside subsection G, which applies only to Class 2 ADUs and says it does not apply to Class 1. For a Class 1 unit the requirement at G.7.a is not reached, and neither is its exception.
Is one off-street space simply the city's requirement?
The ordinance prints it flat at G.7.a: "One off-street parking space is required for each ADU or bedroom, whichever is less." Gov. Code § 66314(d)(10)(A) gives the direction: parking requirements "shall not exceed one parking space per accessory dwelling unit or per bedroom, whichever is less". And § 66314(b)(2) lets a local agency "reduce or eliminate parking requirements".
Which class does a detached, new-construction unit fall into?
That is a determination for the design professional and the City. § 66323(a) requires a local agency to "ministerially approve an application for a building permit within a residential or mixed-use zone", and § 66323(a)(2) describes "One detached, new construction, accessory dwelling unit". Read them against the drawing and confirm with Sausalito Community Development.
Sources
- Sausalito Municipal Code § 10.44.080 — Accessory dwelling units: https://gocodebook.com/library/us/ca/sausalito-zoning/title-10/division-iii-land-use-requirements/chapter-10.44-specific-use-requirements#10.44.080
- California Government Code § 66314: https://gocodebook.com/library/us/ca/ca-gov-66310-adu-jadu-law/title-7.-planning-and-land-use-65000-66499.58/division-1.-planning-and-zoning-65000-66345.4/chapter-13.-accessory-dwelling-units-66310-66342/article-2.-accessory-dwelling-unit-approvals-66314-66331/66314#66314
- California Government Code § 66322: https://gocodebook.com/library/us/ca/ca-gov-66310-adu-jadu-law/title-7.-planning-and-land-use-65000-66499.58/division-1.-planning-and-zoning-65000-66345.4/chapter-13.-accessory-dwelling-units-66310-66342/article-2.-accessory-dwelling-unit-approvals-66314-66331/66322#66322
- California Government Code § 66323: https://gocodebook.com/library/us/ca/ca-gov-66310-adu-jadu-law/title-7.-planning-and-land-use-65000-66499.58/division-1.-planning-and-zoning-65000-66345.4/chapter-13.-accessory-dwelling-units-66310-66342/article-2.-accessory-dwelling-unit-approvals-66314-66331/66323#66323
Related reading: ADU Parking Requirements in California, Explained: https://gocodebook.com/blog/adu-parking-requirements-california
Code text quoted as published in GoCodebook's library on 2026-09-13 and re-checked against the library on 2026-10-18. This article does not replace permit review or professional judgment.
