No phone call. No "schedule a consultation." Just the answer.
Run a free ADU Reality Check — find out in 2 minutes if your California property qualifies
The ADU Reality Check is a free, two-minute tool that answers the first question every California homeowner asks: "Can I actually build an ADU on my property?" We pull your county parcel data and run your specific lot against current California state ADU law (Gov Code §65852.2) plus your city's local rules. You get a one-page answer with the types allowed, maximum size, realistic 2026 cost band, and a quick risk register. No commitment. No follow-up call unless you ask for one. And if your lot does not pencil, the report tells you that. Sometimes the right answer is not to build, and we say so clearly.
Three steps. Under 90 seconds. We don't sell your data and we don't add you to a marketing list without explicit opt-in.
Step 1 · Address
Step 2 · Your situation
Step 3 · Email for the report
Any California single-family residential address. We pull your county parcel record on submit.
Delivered as a one-page PDF plus on-screen summary. No data sale. No marketing list without your explicit opt-in.
Submitted
Your one-page report is being prepared
Hi — report being prepared for . Delivered to . Cached parcel data: 5 minutes typical. Live county lookup: up to 30 minutes.
Section 03
What It Covers
Six questions about your specific property.
Q 01
Does your lot legally qualify for an ADU?
Single-family residential? Lot size? Zoning?
Q 02
Which ADU types are allowed?
Detached, attached, garage conversion, JADU.
Q 03
What's the maximum size?
State + city size caps applied to your lot.
Q 04
What setbacks apply?
Front, side, rear — based on your zone.
Q 05
What's a realistic 2026 cost band?
Calibrated by ZIP, ADU type, and current California construction labor + materials.
Q 06
What are the top 3 risks specific to your lot?
Hillside, coastal, soils, HOA, utility upgrades — flagged from public records.
Section 04
What It Does NOT Do
We're transparent about the boundary.
It's not a soils report
That requires a licensed geotech engineer on-site.
It's not a structural plan
That requires a licensed architect or designer.
It's not a permit submittal
That happens at LADBS, San Diego DSD, or your local planning department.
It's not a contractor recommendation
We don't recommend contractors at this stage.
It's the first answer, not the last word
Definitive answers come from the $199 Feasibility & Risk Assessment.
If you need any of the above, the Reality Check tells you which next step is appropriate. The Reality Check is the Decide stage — the first step in the Decide → Verify → Protect → Build method.
Section 05
Who Uses the Reality Check
Homeowner typeWhat they're looking forWhat the report typically tells them
Equity OptimizerCost band + projected rental income for the propertyWhether the rental-income math actually pencils against the 2026 cost band
Aging-In-Place PlannerType + size that fits a parent or adult-child suiteWhether the lot can accommodate the size needed without hillside / soils surprises
Recent MoverWhether the lot they just bought even qualifiesConfirmation that the offer rationale was sound — or a flag that it was not
Long-time OwnerConfirmation that California ADU law applies to their old propertyWhether 2016–2024 reform package changed what their property can do
First-TimerPlain-English answer without committing to a sales callA no-jargon eligibility verdict and a single recommended next step
If you're not in one of these groups, the Reality Check still works. The $199 Feasibility & Risk Assessment may give you a tighter answer faster.
Section 06
What You Get
A one-page PDF (delivered to your email) plus an on-screen summary.
Eligibility verdict
Yes / Yes-with-caveats / Likely-no, with the specific reason.
ADU types allowed
Ranked by fit for your lot.
Size envelope
Maximum square footage and footprint.
Setbacks and zoning notes
Front/side/rear setback in feet, plus any overlay zones (Coastal, hillside, fire-risk, historic).
2026 cost band
Calibrated low / median / high estimate for your specific ZIP and lot configuration.
Top 3 risks
Specific to your lot, surfaced from public records and zoning data.
Recommended next step
Usually one of: (a) talk to a designer about feasibility, (b) get the $199 Feasibility & Risk Assessment, (c) reconsider whether an ADU makes sense given the constraints found.
There's no catch. The Reality Check is a lead-generation tool, but the lead is generated by trust, not by withholding the answer. If your lot doesn't qualify, the report tells you that. If it does, we give you the next-step recommendation. You decide whether to engage further.
The Reality Check cost band is calibrated to your ZIP and lot configuration using 2026 California construction data, but it's a band, not a quote. Actual project costs vary based on finish level, contractor selected, site conditions revealed by geotech, and utility upgrade requirements. The $199 Feasibility & Risk Assessment narrows the band considerably.
Only if you tell us to. The Reality Check is designed to be self-service. We don't add you to a phone-call queue unless you check the "I'd like a follow-up" box.
Yes. Many California buyers run the check on properties they're considering, especially when ADU potential is part of the offer rationale. The answer is the same; ownership status doesn't affect lot eligibility.
Currently, no. Year-2 expansion is planned for Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. The Reality Check tool is California-only because the underlying state law and parcel data integrations are California-specific.
Reality Check = first-pass eligibility, cost band, top 3 risks. Free, 2 minutes, public-record based. Feasibility & Risk Assessment = full lot analysis, detailed cost model, financing-path recommendation, contractor-market read for your city, and written risk register. Paid ($199), 3–5 business days, includes our team's analysis. The $199 is the one upfront payment; the managed build that follows costs you nothing extra.
The Reality Check flags these conditions in the "Top 3 risks" section. For unusual situations, the report typically recommends going straight to the $199 Feasibility & Risk Assessment rather than trying to make decisions on the Reality Check alone. For unpermitted-ADU legalization scenarios specifically, the report flags AB 2533 (2024) as the relevant retroactive-legalization statute.
Yes. We use your address to retrieve the parcel data, and your email to deliver the report. We do not sell, transfer, or share this data with third parties.
About the author · Yaro Korets, Founder of ADUscale
ADUscale is a California build-side ADU partner: we help homeowners secure one of the state's top contractors, expand that contractor's capacity to take the project, and protect the budget with inspection-gated milestone payments — at the same price as going direct. The Reality Check tool draws on the same data sources we use in the full Feasibility & Risk Assessment: county parcel records (LA County Assessor, San Diego County Assessor, San Francisco Office of the Assessor-Recorder, and equivalent county systems statewide); current California ADU statutes (Gov Code §65852.2 and Gov Code §65852.22 plus the local ordinance for your city); permit and inspection patterns from LADBS and San Diego DSD; and 2026 cost calibration from industry cost-benchmark data.
Last updated: June 2026.
Final CTA
If you scrolled this far without submitting, here is the honest read.
There is no downside to running it. The report is free, takes two minutes, does not commit you to a phone call, and tells you the truth about your specific lot — including "this probably is not worth pursuing" if that is what the public records show. Most homeowners who scroll the page expecting a sales pitch are surprised by how unrushed the experience is.
