Oceanside adopts revised regulations for accessory dwelling units to comply with state law.

CITY OF OCEANSIDE ORDINANCE ADOPTED
ORDINANCE NO. 26-OR0104-1
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OCEANSIDE AMENDING ARTICLE 30, SECTION 3006 OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE TO ESTABLISH REVISED ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT REGULATIONS CONFORMING TO THE PROVISIONS OF GOVERNMENT CODE SECTIONS 66310-66342(ZA25-00004)
WHEREAS, on February 23, 2022, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 22-OR0114-1 to incorporate revisions into the City’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance to comply with provisions of state law governing ADUs and junior ADUs (JADUs); andWHEREAS, on April 30, 2024 the revised ADU Ordinance was received by the California Department of Housing and Development (HCD); andWHEREAS, on May 20, 2025, HCD reviewed the ADU Ordinance and provided written findings stating the ordinance fails to comply with certain provisions of state ADU law; andWHEREAS, the State of California enacted legislation effective on October 10, 2025 and on January 1, 2026 further amending certain provisions of ADU regulations specified in Government Code Sections 66310-66342; andWHEREAS, the City’s General Plan Housing Element includes a housing program for ADUs that states the City will continue to encourage ADUs as a source of affordable housing opportunities, as mandated by state law, and process zoning amendments to ensure compliance with state law; andWHEREAS, the Planning Division has prepared text amendments to the City’s Accessory Dwelling Unit regulations conforming to the provisions of Government Code Section 66310-66342; andWHEREAS, on February 9, 2026, the Planning Commission conducted a duly-noticed public hearing as prescribed by law and recommended City Council approval of said zoning ordinance text amendments by a 5-1 vote (one commissioner absent); andWHEREAS, said changes require an amendment of the implementing document of the City’s Local Coastal Program, which must be certified by the California Coastal Commission prior to becoming effective in the coastal zone; andWHEREAS, based upon such evidence, testimony and staff reports, this Council finds that Zone Amendment ZA25-00004 conforms to the General Plan and Local Coastal Program of the City of Oceanside; andWHEREAS, under the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970 (CEQA), and State Guidelines thereto; the zoning text amendment and Local Coastal Program Amendment was found to be statutorily exempt from environmental review pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21080.17 and Article 18, Statutory Exemptions, Section 15282(h) pertaining to adoption of an accessory dwelling unit ordinance, of the CEQA Guidelines; andWHEREAS, a Notice of Exemption was prepared by the Resource Officer of the City of Oceanside for this project pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970 and the State Guidelines thereto amended to date and is hereby approved by the City Council in conjunction with its recommendations on the application.NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Oceanside does ordain as follows:SECTION 1. Zone Amendment(ZA25-00004), amending Article 30, Section 3006 of the Zoning Ordinance and establishing the amended text as part of the implementing document of the City’s Local Coastal Program, as specified in Exhibit A, is hereby adopted.SECTION 2. The City Clerk of the City of Oceanside is hereby directed to publish this Ordinance, or the title hereof as a summary, pursuant to state statute, once within fifteen (15) days after its passage in a newspaper of general circulation published in the City of Oceanside.SECTION 3. Severability.If any section, sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance and adopted this Ordinance and each section, sentence, clause or phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid or unconstitutional.SECTION 4. Notice is hereby given that the time within which judicial review must be sought on this decision is governed by Government Code Section 65009(c).SECTION 5. This ordinance shall be effective 30 days after its adoption, except for those areas situated in the Coastal Zone. For those areas in the Coastal Zone, this Ordinance shall be effective upon certification of LCPA25-00002 by the Coastal Commission.INTRODUCED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Oceanside, California, held on the 11th day of March, 2026, and thereafter,PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Oceanside, California, held on the 25th day of March, 2026, by the following vote:
AYES: Sanchez, Joyce, Figueroa, Robinson, WeissNAYS: NoneABSENT: NoneABSTAIN: None
/s/ Esther C. SanchezMAYOR OF THE CITY OF OCEANSIDE
ATTEST:/s/ Zeb Navarro CITY CLERK
APPROVED AS TO FORM:/s/ T. Steve BurkeCITY ATTORNEY
Exhibit A to this Ordinance is available for viewing in the City Clerk's Office at 300 North Coast Highway Oceanside, CA 92054. You can also email CityClerk@oceansideca.org [CItyClerk@oceansideca.org] for a digital copy.San Diego Union-TribunePublished: 4/2/26