ADU Service Areas Across the Santa Clarita Valley

ADU Areas Inside the City of Santa Clarita

The city was formed in December 1987 from four communities: Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus and Valencia. Those names still describe where people live, and each has its own housing pattern. Valencia is the master-planned set of villages. Saugus mixes 1960s tracts with newer subdivisions. Newhall holds the city's oldest homes. Canyon Country runs from older flat tracts to hillside neighborhoods above 2,000 feet.

Inside those communities are neighborhoods with their own ADU considerations: the Cape Cod homes of Bridgeport, the equestrian lots of Sand Canyon and Placerita Canyon with their Special Standards Districts, and the planned tracts of Fair Oaks Ranch. All of them are permitted by the city's Planning Division and Building & Safety.

Recently Annexed Santa Clarita Neighborhoods

The city has grown largely by annexation. Plum Canyon, Skyline Ranch and North Sand Canyon joined on November 15, 2018. Tesoro del Valle joined on November 14, 2022, as the city's 41st annexation. In those neighborhoods, ADU permits that once went to the county now go to the city.

Original permits for homes in annexed areas were issued by Los Angeles County. Any ADU that ties into the existing house, a converted garage for instance, may need those county records to confirm what was legally built. We look them up as part of the site review.

Unincorporated LA County Communities We Serve

Several communities around the city are not part of it. Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Val Verde and Agua Dulce are unincorporated Los Angeles County, as is the part of Valencia west of Interstate 5 that includes FivePoint Valencia and Newhall Ranch. In all of them, the county permits ADUs: Regional Planning first, through EPIC-LA, then Public Works Building & Safety.

These areas range widely. Stevenson Ranch is a master-planned foothill community with HOAs. Castaic mixes newer tracts with rural lots by the lake. Val Verde is a small, older foothill community. Agua Dulce is rural acreage at about 2,500 feet with septic systems, wells and its own county Community Standards District.

• Stevenson Ranch
• Castaic
• Val Verde
• Agua Dulce
• Unincorporated Valencia west of I-5

Check Your Parcel Before Planning an ADU

A Santa Clarita or Valencia mailing address does not mean a parcel is inside city limits. The city's Residency Status Verification Tool shows whether a property is in the city. That one answer determines which ADU rules apply, which forms to file and which fees to expect.

We confirm jurisdiction for every project before design, along with fire hazard zone, oak trees, slopes and HOA rules. Pick your area below to see what shapes ADU projects there. Each page covers the permitting agency, the common lot and home types, and the ADU types that tend to fit, so you can arrive at the consultation with better questions.