South Lake Tahoe City Council votes to update ADU codes that hope to ease housing crunch

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As regulations change around Lake Tahoe and start to allow more accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to help ease the housing crunch, the South Lake Tahoe City Council updated its ADU codes. During their Tuesday meeting, the Council unanimously voted to amend its current code.

In 2021, the City of South Lake Tahoe adopted an ADU ordinance, and changes at the state level on January 1 required the City to follow with amendments to its code,

The update to the code now allows more flexibility in height, expanded options for structures that can be converted to ADUs, removal of the limited detached ADU category, and setback exemptions to accommodate ADUs. The code had only allowed two units of living per single-family home lot, and that number is now three. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) code still has the two units and they will have to adjust to meet state requirements.

An existing primary home can now be converted to an ADU while a new home is added to the lot where coverage allows. Each ADU with less than two bedrooms cannot exceed 850 square feet and 1,000 square feet each for ADU with two or more bedrooms.

Preapproved Design

ADUs offer housing supplies to the community, and the City is developing a program for the preapproval of ADU plans. It will be required by a new state law in 2025, and the City is looking to go beyond that.

Permit Ready ADU plans can provide pre-approved, code-compliant ADU construction plans that can be obtained online and would not have to go
through the plan check process, reducing time frames and fees.

The Council voted to direct staff to go out for bids for a provider (through an RFP-request for proposal) that would create three sets of preapproved design plans for different-sized units - 2 bedroom, 1 bedroom, studio, above detached garage units, and assessment of modular options.

Possibly coming next is the consideration of preapproved products.

South Tahoe High School's construction class is currently finishing its first ADU/tiny home, and funding and materials are already in place for the next one. On the school district's cut list is the instructor for that program so it is uncertain if the second one will be built at this time.