ADU size rules that always fool homeowners

The way you measure the height of an ADU isn't necessarily the same as how you measure your height. It's not always from top to bottom.

Even though the state said your ADU can be up to 16 feet high, cities and counties are the ones who decide how to measure the height of the ADU!

I go through some examples from the city of San Mateo and reference some San Mateo County rules as well (they're different).

While you might expect that ADU height is measured from the base to the highest peak, that is not always how they are measured. In the city of San Mateo Building Code, they measure Building Height as the distance between grade and the tallest plate. In San Mateo County, there are different definitions depending on the style of roofline (mansard, gable, flat, etc.)

In the example illustration, a house with a 16 ft. building height is 24 feet from grade to peak.

Here's a link to the San Mateo survey: https://www.opentownhall.com/10551

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