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 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| 2020 | 23 | 4 | 8 |
| 2021 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 19 | 2 | 9 |
| 2023 | 30 | 4 | 12 |
| 2024 | 33 | 6 | 9 |
| 2025 | 21 | 5 | 9 |
| 2026 so far | 25 | 1 | 8 |
“—” means the source for that year does not report ADU type.
Read more: ADU types explained
Not counted: 14 expired or cancelled permits.
How Serra Mesa compares
- Serra Mesa has the 4th-most ADU permits (169) among Northern San Diego neighborhoods (11 on this site).
- Garage conversions are 15% of Serra Mesa's ADU permits, about the same as across Northern San Diego neighborhoods (13%).
- The median time from application to permit here is 203 days, shorter than the median across Northern San Diego neighborhoods (215 days).
- The median declared value of a detached ADU here is $121,740, lower than the median across Northern San Diego neighborhoods ($129,772).
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 | 217 | 127 – 294 | 57 |
| Attached ADU | 232 | 114 – 292 | 34 |
| Garage conversion | 217 | 120 – 272 | 25 |
| Junior ADU (JADU) | 154 | 99 – 230 | 17 |
| Unclassified | 171 | 123 – 259 | 36 |
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 | $121,740 | $82,859 – $146,952 | 48 |
| Attached ADU | $80,820 | $58,679 – $124,132 | 30 |
| Garage conversion | $56,944 | $50,758 – $79,522 | 21 |
| Junior ADU (JADU) | $56,739 | $45,168 – $84,047 | 14 |
| Unclassified | $111,056 | $76,879 – $190,058 | 27 |
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 Serra Mesa
- Junior ADU (JADU) on Greyling Dr (Oct 2026)
- ADU on Raejean Av (Oct 2026)
- Attached ADU on Macawa Av (Sep 2026)
- Detached ADU on Finch Ln (Sep 2026)
- Junior ADU (JADU) on Eames St (Sep 2026)
- ADU on Chantilly Av (Sep 2026)
Street names only. See each permit on the map.
Questions about ADUs in Serra Mesa
How many ADUs have been permitted in Serra Mesa?
The City of San Diego issued 169 permits for ADUs in Serra Mesa from 2018 through Nov 4, 2026, including 25 garage conversions and 57 detached ADUs.
How long does an ADU permit take in Serra Mesa?
From application to issued permit, the median in Serra Mesa was 217 days for garage conversions and 217 days for detached ADUs.
How much does an ADU cost in Serra Mesa?
The median value declared on permits was $56,944 for garage conversions and $121,740 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 Serra Mesa?
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.