Temecula ADU Permit Fees: What the City and the Districts Charge

Updated October 16, 2026

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Direct Answer

ADU permit fees in Temecula start at $4,536 for city plan check and inspection on a new ADU up to 1,000 square feet, plus a $142 issuance fee. Units over 500 square feet add TVUSD school fees of $5.38 per square foot, units over 750 add impact fees, and water and sewer districts bill separately.

TL;DR

• The city charges $4,536 to plan check and inspect a new ADU up to 1,000 square feet, and $5,041 from 1,001 to 2,500.
• ADUs that need Planning review add a $2,232 application fee.
• TVUSD charges $5.38 per square foot on ADUs over 500 square feet, counted across the life of the building.
• ADUs with 750 square feet of interior livable space or less owe no impact fees; larger units pay a share of the $14,329.21 development impact fee.
• From January 1, 2027, impact fees on a larger ADU apply only to the area above 750 square feet.
• The 750 square foot exemption doesn't cover water and sewer capacity charges, which a new ADU can owe and a conversion doesn't.

One liner: City fees run about $4,700 on any new ADU up to 1,000 square feet, and unit size decides whether school and impact fees stack on top.

Key Numbers

Stat	What it measures	Source
$4,536	City plan check and inspection, new ADU up to 1,000 sq ft	City of Temecula fee schedule, FY 2026-27
$5,041	Same, 1,001 to 2,500 sq ft	City of Temecula fee schedule, FY 2026-27
$142	Permit issuance fee	City of Temecula fee schedule, FY 2026-27
$2,232	Planning ADU application, when required	City of Temecula fee schedule, FY 2026-27
$5.38 per sq ft	TVUSD school fee over 500 sq ft	TVUSD developer fees, June 16, 2026
750 sq ft	Impact fee line, interior livable space	Government Code 66311.5, 2026
$14,329.21	City development impact fee per detached unit	City of Temecula fee flyer, July 1, 2026
$3,626 + $6,876	EMWD sewer charges per equivalent dwelling unit	EMWD charges, 2026
$8,707.62	City and school fees on a 749 sq ft detached ADU	Calculated from the city and TVUSD schedules, 2026
January 1, 2027	SB 1117 limits impact fees to area above 750 sq ft	SB 1117, Chapter 809, Statutes of 2026

ADU Permit Fees in Temecula at a Glance

In short: Every new ADU pays city fees. School fees start above 500 square feet, impact fees above 750, and utility charges turn on how the unit connects.

Fee ranges posted online for Temecula ADUs run as high as $18,000 for city permits alone. The city's fiscal year 2026-27 schedule puts building and fire plan check plus inspection for a new ADU up to 1,000 square feet at $4,536 [1].

That covers plan check and inspection only. An ADU can also owe Temecula Valley Unified School District and the local water and sewer districts. On septic lots, Riverside County Environmental Health takes the sewer district's place [2]. On a 749 square foot detached unit, city and school fees reach $8,707.62 before any utility charge [1][3].

Our ADU build prices leave these fees out because they change with each lot [4]. City fees reset every July 1, and the TVUSD rate took effect June 16, 2026 [1][3].

Agency	Fee	2026 figure	When it applies
City Building and Safety, Fire	Plan check and inspection	$4,536 up to 1,000 sq ft; $5,041 for 1,001 to 2,500 sq ft	Every new ADU [1]
City	Permit issuance	$142	Every permit [1]
City Planning	ADU application	$2,232	ADUs that need Planning review [1][2]
City	Development impact fee	$0 at 750 sq ft or less; a share of $14,329.21 above	Over 750 sq ft [5][6]
TVUSD	School fee	$5.38 per sq ft	Over 500 sq ft [3]
EMWD	Sewer connection charges	$3,626 plus $6,876 per equivalent dwelling unit (EDU)	New construction on EMWD sewer [5][7]
RCWD	Water capacity fee and meter	Set by meter size	When a separate meter is required [8]
County Environmental Health	Septic review	Set per project	Septic lots [9]

Under state law, conversions inside existing space owe no water or sewer connection fee or capacity charge [5].

What the City of Temecula Charges for an ADU Permit

In short: $4,536 for a new ADU up to 1,000 square feet, or $5,041 from 1,001 to 2,500 square feet, plus a $142 issuance fee.

The City of Temecula's fiscal year 2026-27 fee schedule charges $4,536 to plan check and inspect a new ADU up to 1,000 square feet [1]. Municipal Code Chapter 17.23 sets the ADU rules but no dollar amounts, so the schedule is the number to use [10].

The Temecula ADU plan check fee and inspection fee

The city splits that total four ways. Building and Safety reviews and inspects the structure, and the Fire Department does the same for fire safety [1].

Fee	Up to 1,000 sq ft	1,001 to 2,500 sq ft
Building plan check	$1,730	$1,967
Building inspection	$2,071	$2,286
Fire plan check	$290	$343
Fire inspection	$445	$445
Total	$4,536	$5,041

Our 499 and 749 square foot ADU floor plans fall in the first band. The 1,199 square foot plan falls in the second [12]. Garage conversion ADUs aren't listed under the new-ADU line, so ask Building and Safety for that quote at 951-694-6476 [13].

Three items can add to the base:

• Planning review. ADUs that don't meet the city's building-permit-only standards go to Planning first, for $2,232 [1][2].
• Fire sprinklers. When required, sprinkler plan check and inspection add $630 and $607 [1].
• Grading. When the lot needs grading, the city adds grading fees on top [2].

Stack Planning review and sprinklers onto a 1,199 square foot ADU with the $142 issuance fee, and these city lines total $8,652 [1]. That's still under the $10,000 floor some online estimates quote.

Plan check corrections are billed by the half hour. Supplemental plan check runs $108 for the first half hour and $78 for each half hour after [1]. We handle every plan check correction on our ADU design and build projects, and a complete first submittal keeps that line short [11].

Impact Fees and the 750 Square Foot Line

In short: An ADU with 750 square feet of interior livable space or less owes no impact fees. Above that, Temecula charges a share based on the size of your main house.

State law bars impact fees on an ADU with 750 square feet of interior livable space or less, and on a junior ADU of 500 or less [5]. Temecula's main one is its development impact fee, set at $14,329.21 per detached home for fiscal year 2026-27 [6].

Cross the line and the fee comes back as a share. The share is the ADU's square footage divided by the main house's, the method California's ADU handbook describes [5][10][15]. Two square feet matter here. A 749 square foot unit owes nothing, and a 751 square foot unit owes a share.

SB 1117, signed in September 2026, changes the math from January 1, 2027. For up to two ADUs on a lot, only the area above 750 square feet counts [14].

1,199 sq ft ADU, 2,400 sq ft house	Today	From January 1, 2027
Square feet charged	1,199	449
Development impact fee share	$7,158.63	$2,680.76

Call the city's Permit Center at 951-506-5189 to confirm the figure for your house size [13].

Impact fees don't include water and sewer connection charges or school fees. Those follow their own rules [5].

TVUSD School Fees Start Above 500 Square Feet

In short: Temecula Valley Unified charges $5.38 per square foot on an ADU over 500 square feet and nothing at 500 or less.

Temecula Valley Unified School District charges $5.38 per square foot on ADUs and junior ADUs over 500 square feet [3]. That rate took effect June 16, 2026. At 500 square feet or less, the fee is $0 [3].

ADU size	TVUSD school fee
499 sq ft	$0
749 sq ft	$4,029.62
1,199 sq ft	$6,450.62

The 500 square foot count is cumulative over the life of the building [3]. Say you convert 495 square feet of garage now and add 100 square feet later. The second project crosses 500, and the district assesses fees [3].

A $0 unit still needs paperwork. You file an exemption application, and TVUSD issues a Certificate of Compliance whether or not a fee is due [3]. The certificate is good for 30 days, so time it close to permit issuance. The district takes cashier's checks or wire transfers only, by appointment [3].

Utility Connection Fees: EMWD, RCWD and Septic

In short: The 750 square foot exemption doesn't cover water and sewer charges. A new ADU can owe them; a conversion inside existing space doesn't.

The 750 square foot rule removes impact fees only. State law says connection fees and capacity charges aren't impact fees, so water and sewer districts can still bill a new ADU [5].

How the unit is built decides the bill.

ADU type	New connection required?	Connection fee or capacity charge
Inside existing space (garage or part of the house)	No	None, unless built with a new home [5]
New construction, detached or attached	Can be required	Proportionate to the unit's square feet or drainage fixture units [5]

In Temecula, sewer service comes from Eastern Municipal Water District. Water comes from Rancho California Water District or EMWD, depending on the parcel [2][13]. EMWD's 2026 sewer connection charges are $3,626 plus $6,876 per equivalent dwelling unit, and EMWD decides how many units a project counts as [7]. RCWD bases its capacity fee on the meter size a property needs [8]. For a figure on your parcel, call EMWD at 951-928-3777 ext. 2081 or RCWD at 951-296-6900 [2].

Septic lots skip the sewer district. Riverside County Environmental Health confirms the system can carry the added unit and sets its fee per project [2][9].

Southern California Edison and SoCalGas set their own charges for new or upgraded service, and an HOA can charge its own review fee [2].

We locate your utilities on the site visit, so these lines get priced for your lot [4].

Fee Examples for a 499, 749 and 1,199 Square Foot ADU

In short: City and school fees run $4,678 on a 499 square foot ADU, $8,707.62 at 749 and $18,792.25 at 1,199, before utility charges.

These examples assume a new detached ADU on the building-permit-only path, no sprinklers, and a 2,400 square foot main house [1][3][6]. Utility connection charges, Planning review and grading are left out because they depend on your lot. They're the same lines an ADU quote leaves out.

Fee	499 sq ft	749 sq ft	1,199 sq ft
City plan check and inspection	$4,536	$4,536	$5,041
Permit issuance	$142	$142	$142
TVUSD school fee	$0	$4,029.62	$6,450.62
Development impact fee	$0	$0	$7,158.63
Total before utility charges	$4,678	$8,707.62	$18,792.25

Two lines change between 749 and 1,199 square feet. The school fee grows with every foot over 500, and the development impact fee appears for the first time [3][5]. From January 1, 2027, SB 1117 cuts the 1,199 square foot total to $14,314.38 [14].

Against our build estimates, these fees come to about 2% of the $225,000 price for a 499 square foot unit and 3% of the $290,000 price for a 749 [4]. Each of these plans is free when we build it [12].

Get Your Fees Priced From Your Site Plan

In short: Your fees depend on your lot, so the fastest way to an exact figure is a site visit and a site plan.

Every fee above comes from a different agency, and each one turns on details of your property. Size sets the school and impact fees. How the unit connects sets the water and sewer charges.

Location matters too. Some parcels along Temecula's eastern edge and in Wine Country fall under Riverside County instead of the city, with a different desk and different fees [11]. We confirm jurisdiction before drawing anything.

On a free site visit, we locate your utilities, check sewer or septic and your electrical panel, and look at slope and access [4][11]. Once we have your site plan, we price your fees alongside the build [4].

Call (951) 551-6165 to book a visit. California contractor license B-842038, building ADUs in the Temecula Valley since 2004 [4].

Frequently Asked Questions

In short: The questions homeowners ask most about Temecula ADU fees, answered with 2026 figures.

What do ADU permit fees Temecula homeowners pay add up to?

For a new detached ADU, city and school fees run $4,678 at 499 square feet, $8,707.62 at 749 and $18,792.25 at 1,199, before utility charges. The 1,199 square foot figure includes a development impact fee share based on a 2,400 square foot main house. Water and sewer charges, Planning review and grading are extra.

What is the Temecula ADU plan check fee?

Building plan check is $1,730 and fire plan check is $290 for a new ADU up to 1,000 square feet. Inspection adds $2,071 for building and $445 for fire, for a $4,536 total. From 1,001 to 2,500 square feet, the total is $5,041.

Do school fees ADU owners pay start at 500 square feet?

Yes. Temecula Valley Unified charges $5.38 per square foot on ADUs over 500 square feet and nothing at