About this data
- Neighborhood pages cover 2018 onward: City of San Diego Development Services Department permits located in this community planning area, the city's official neighborhood boundaries, which may not match every local definition of the neighborhood. Build type is classified automatically from permit descriptions.
- Costs are declared permit valuations (single-ADU permits only), not final construction costs.
- The city closes a permit both after its final inspection and after it expires, and its data doesn't say which, so this page doesn't estimate how many permits were finished. Closed permits stay in the counts.
Permits by year
Permits by year and type (table)
| Year | All ADU permits | Garage conversions | Detached |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 | — | — |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 10 | 3 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 2026 so far | 2 | 0 | 1 |
“—” means the source for that year does not report ADU type.
Read more: ADU types explained
Not counted: 3 expired or cancelled permits.
How Carmel Valley compares
- Carmel Valley has the 9th-most ADU permits (32) among Northern San Diego neighborhoods (11 on this site).
- Garage conversions are 12% of Carmel Valley's ADU permits, about the same as across Northern San Diego neighborhoods (13%).
- The median time from application to permit here is 200 days, shorter than the median across Northern San Diego neighborhoods (215 days).
ADU rules
San Diego's ADU rules apply citywide, with extra rules in the Coastal Zone and in very high fire hazard areas: see the rules table.
How long permits take
| Type | Median days, application to permit | Middle half | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached ADU | too few to say | 7 | |
| Attached ADU | 192 | 120 – 447 | 10 |
| Garage conversion | too few to say | 4 | |
| Junior ADU (JADU) | too few to say | 6 | |
| Unclassified | too few to say | 5 |
Middle half: the range covering the middle 50% of permits (a quarter were lower, a quarter higher).
Read more: How long ADUs take to build
What neighbors declared as cost
| Type | Median declared value | Middle half | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached ADU | too few to say | 6 | |
| Attached ADU | $102,464 | $67,412 – $177,753 | 10 |
| Garage conversion | too few to say | 3 | |
| Junior ADU (JADU) | too few to say | 4 | |
| Unclassified | too few to say | 3 |
Declared permit valuations often understate real construction cost.
Read more: How to choose an ADU builder
An ADU builder serving San Diego? Feature your business on this page.
Recent ADU permits in Carmel Valley
- ADU on Mustang Ridge Dr (Sep 2026)
- Detached ADU on Arroyo Sorrento Rd (Mar 2026)
- Detached ADU on Survey Pt (Dec 2025)
- Attached ADU on Gracewood Pl (Aug 2025)
- ADU on Carmel Creek Rd (Jun 2025)
- Attached ADU on Carmel Springs Wy (Jun 2025)
Street names only. See each permit on the map.
Questions about ADUs in Carmel Valley
How many ADUs have been permitted in Carmel Valley?
The City of San Diego issued 32 permits for ADUs in Carmel Valley from 2018 through Nov 4, 2026, including 4 garage conversions and 7 detached ADUs.
Can I build an ADU on my property in Carmel Valley?
California law allows ADUs on most residential lots with a house, but what you can build depends on your lot, zoning and hillside or fire-zone rules. This site shows permits, not eligibility; check with the City of San Diego Development Services Department or a licensed builder.
How current is this?
- City of San Diego permits: through Nov 4, 2026 (published daily)
How our data works · Download the data · Free to reuse with credit to SoCal ADU Tracker (socaladutracker.com), under CC BY 4.0.