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 | 42 | 14 | 9 |
| 2019 | 69 | 23 | 27 |
| 2020 | 60 | 15 | 22 |
| 2021 | 80 | 25 | 17 |
| 2022 | 85 | 18 | 37 |
| 2023 | 91 | 27 | 31 |
| 2024 | 81 | 13 | 25 |
| 2025 | 67 | 15 | 26 |
| 2026 so far | 84 | 20 | 22 |
“—” means the source for that year does not report ADU type.
Read more: ADU types explained
Not counted: 74 expired or cancelled permits.
How College Area compares
- College Area has the most ADU permits (659) among Mid-City and Eastern San Diego neighborhoods (6 on this site).
- Garage conversions are 26% of College Area's ADU permits, about the same as across Mid-City and Eastern San Diego neighborhoods (27%).
- The median time from application to permit here is 177 days, shorter than the median across Mid-City and Eastern San Diego neighborhoods (205 days).
- The median declared value of a detached ADU here is $144,503, about the same as the median across Mid-City and Eastern San Diego neighborhoods ($139,148).
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 | 192 | 112 – 301 | 216 |
| Attached ADU | 173 | 114 – 291 | 114 |
| Garage conversion | 127 | 70 – 223 | 170 |
| Junior ADU (JADU) | 179 | 129 – 310 | 24 |
| Unclassified | 222 | 134 – 346 | 135 |
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 | $144,503 | $139,264 – $173,350 | 181 |
| Attached ADU | $146,780 | $84,557 – $193,503 | 97 |
| Garage conversion | $90,713 | $56,413 – $144,341 | 151 |
| Junior ADU (JADU) | $56,217 | $44,000 – $72,656 | 21 |
| Unclassified | $139,380 | $98,576 – $158,585 | 104 |
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 College Area
- Garage conversion on Catoctin Dr (Oct 2026)
- Detached ADU on Catoctin Dr (Oct 2026)
- Detached ADU on 54th St (Oct 2026)
- Garage conversion on 54th St (Oct 2026)
- Detached ADU on Alice St (Oct 2026)
- Detached ADU on Tipton St (Oct 2026)
Street names only. See each permit on the map.
Questions about ADUs in College Area
How many ADUs have been permitted in College Area?
The City of San Diego issued 659 permits for ADUs in College Area from 2018 through Nov 4, 2026, including 170 garage conversions and 216 detached ADUs.
How long does an ADU permit take in College Area?
From application to issued permit, the median in College Area was 127 days for garage conversions and 192 days for detached ADUs.
How much does an ADU cost in College Area?
The median value declared on permits was $90,713 for garage conversions and $144,503 for detached ADUs. Declared permit values often understate the full construction cost, so get several builder quotes.
Can I build an ADU on my property in College Area?
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.