Under California Government Code section 66317, a permitting agency must decide whether an accessory dwelling unit application is complete within 15 business days and must approve or deny a complete application within 60 days, or the application is deemed approved; a denial must come with a full set of comments explaining how to fix it.
This page summarizes the statute for agency staff. It is not legal advice. Read the statute and consult your agency’s counsel.
What does Gov. Code 66317 require?
| Step | Deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Decide whether the application is complete and notify the applicant in writing | 15 business days after receiving the application | §66317(a)(2)(A) |
| If incomplete, give a list of incomplete items and how to make the application complete | With the 15-business-day notice | §66317(a)(2)(B) |
| Review of a resubmittal | Same 15 business days; the agency may not ask for items that were not on the original list | §66317(a)(2)(D), (E) |
| If no timely completeness determination | Application is deemed complete | §66317(a)(2)(F) |
| Approve or deny a complete application (existing dwelling on the lot) | 60 days from receipt of the complete application | §66317(a)(3) |
| If not approved or denied in 60 days | Application is deemed approved | §66317(a)(3) |
| If denied | Return in writing a full set of comments listing defective or deficient items and how to remedy them, within the same 60 days | §66317(b) |
| Appeal of an incompleteness or denial | Final written determination within 60 business days of the written appeal | §66317(d) |
The 60-day period can be tolled if the applicant requests a delay. When the ADU is submitted together with a new primary dwelling, the agency may delay acting on the ADU until it acts on the new dwelling. ADU applications must be considered ministerially, without discretionary review or a hearing (§66317(a)(1), (a)(3)).
The section was last amended by SB 543 (Stats. 2025, ch. 520), effective January 1, 2026.
What makes the 60 days hard to meet?
Two parts of the statute do most of the work. The completeness notice has to list every missing item at once, because a resubmittal cannot be held to new items. And a denial has to come with a full set of comments, not a partial one. Both require a careful read of the whole package, under time pressure, for every ADU that comes in.
How can a review tool help staff meet the timeline?
A review tool does not make an agency compliant, and it does not decide anything. It can shorten the parts of the work that are reading and drafting:
- Completeness in hours, not days. CrossBeam Permits compares the package with the agency’s own submittal list and drafts the notice of what is missing, with links to the agency’s forms. Staff review and send it.
- A full set of comments in one pass. It reads the full plan set against state code, the agency’s ADU ordinance and local amendments, and drafts findings that each cite a code section and a sheet. Staff decide which become comments.
- Backchecks limited to the prior list. On resubmittal, it checks each prior item and reports which appear resolved, which supports the rule that a resubmittal is reviewed against the original list.
- Applicant pre-check. An agency can offer applicants a pre-check before they submit, so fewer incomplete packages start the clock. The City of Buena Park funds one for its applicants.
Staff make every determination, and the agency remains responsible for meeting the deadline.
Which agencies does this apply to?
Section 66317 applies to every California city and county reviewing ADU and junior ADU applications. CrossBeam Permits is available to every California city and county, and most already have their local rules loaded, so a California agency can start on its own ADU ordinance without waiting for setup of the state layer.
We work with agencies anywhere
CrossBeam Permits works with cities, counties and agencies anywhere in the country, under whatever timelines their state sets. See also California post-entitlement permits and Washington SB 5290.
Sources
Facts and sources checked October 30, 2026.
- California Government Code §66317 (as amended by Stats. 2025, ch. 520, SB 543, effective January 1, 2026) (accessed 2026-10-30)
- City of Buena Park, “Buena Park Plan PreCheck” program page (accessed 2026-10-30)
CrossBeam Permits is operated by Onboard Dot AI LLC, Huntington Beach, California. Not affiliated with Crossbeam, the partner-ecosystem software company at crossbeam.com.