What is a DADU?
A DADU — Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit — is a fully separate backyard home on the same lot as your primary residence.
Unlike an attached ADU or a junior unit inside the main home, a DADU is its own standalone structure with its own footprint. That physical independence is exactly what makes it eligible for separate ownership under California law.
What is AB 1033?
AB 1033 is the California law that made separate ownership possible. It allows cities to create a local pathway for homeowners to convert a DADU into its own independently owned home through an ADU condominium conversion — without splitting the lot. Cities across the state are adopting it now, and more are on the way.
A new door just opened for California homeowners
A detached ADU is more than a backyard rental — it's a fully separate structure on your lot, and that distinction matters more than ever now. California's AB 1033 allows cities to let homeowners convert a detached ADU into its own independently owned home through an ADU condominium conversion. Your lot stays intact. What changes is that your backyard home gets its own title — and can be sold separately from the main house.
Since taking effect, AB 1033 has already been adopted by cities across California, with more on the way.
For most homeowners, two questions come first: Has my city adopted it? And does my ADU qualify? We help you answer both — and if the answer is yes, we handle everything it takes to move forward.
See which California cities have adopted AB 1033
Adoption of detached ADU ownership in California under AB 1033 is local — and it’s moving fast. Here’s where things stand:
✓ San Jose
✓ Berkeley
✓ Santa Cruz
✓ San Francisco
✓ Sebastopol
✓ San Diego
✓ Santa Monica
Don’t see your city? It may still be on the way.
Verified February 2026
How the process works
We guide you step by step. You’ll always know what’s happening, what we need from you, and what comes next.
1) Quick Eligibility Review
We check your city’s adoption status and review your DADU basics — giving you a clear picture of where things stand before anything else moves forward.
2) Mapping and Documentation
We coordinate the professionals, organize the paperwork, and prepare the condominium mapping needed to legally separate the units.
3) City Review and Approvals
We manage every submission, stay on top of the city’s review process, and keep you informed at every stage.
4) Legal Separation
Once approved, your DADU becomes its own condominium unit with its own title — ready to be kept, transferred, or sold.
Our Condo Conversion Kit
Before a DADU can be sold, transferred, or held as its own asset, it needs to be legally separated. Our Condo Conversion Kit is how we get it there — a complete, managed process that takes your DADU from eligible property to independently titled home.
No sale required. Some homeowners use the Kit purely for estate planning or long-term flexibility. Others use it as the first step toward listing.
Keep it
Hold it as a long-term rental or a home for the people you care about.
What happens after separation?
Once your detached ADU has its own title under California AB 1033, it's fully independent from the main home. What you do with it from there is entirely up to you.
There's no pressure to decide any of this upfront. A lot of that conversation happens naturally as we work through the process together.
Transfer it
Pass it on independently as its own piece of your estate.
Sell it
List it as its own home and unlock the equity you've already built.
Ready to find out what's possible for your property?
Most homeowners come to us not knowing whether this is even an option for them. That's exactly what the first conversation is for — understanding your property, your city, and what an ADU condominium conversion could mean for you.
No pressure. No overwhelm. Just a clear path forward.
We handle the complexity. You stay in control.