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ADU and casita permits in unincorporated Riverside County, CA

Data through September 2026 · updated 23 Oct 2026

438 ADU and casita permits were issued in unincorporated Riverside County, October 2024 through September 2026: about 219 a year and 2% of all permits. 168 ADU and casita permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), 38% fewer than the 270 in the 12 months before. The busiest month is February. The usual one took 365 days from issue to the county's final.

438permits issued
168last 12 months
Febbusiest month
365days, usual issue to final
73%finished
Sep 2026records through

ADU and casita permits by month

Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026.

Oct 2024: 12Oct2024Nov 2024: 13Dec 2024: 8Jan 2025: 12Jan2025Feb 2025: 129Mar 2025: 16Apr 2025: 17May 2025: 16Jun 2025: 8Jul 2025: 13JulAug 2025: 13Sep 2025: 13Oct 2025: 12Nov 2025: 11Dec 2025: 8Jan 2026: 19Jan2026Feb 2026: 9Mar 2026: 18Apr 2026: 24May 2026: 14Jun 2026: 16Jul 2026: 15JulAug 2026: 9Sep 2026: 13
The same numbers as a table
MonthPermits
Oct 202412
Nov 202413
Dec 20248
Jan 202512
Feb 2025129
Mar 202516
Apr 202517
May 202516
Jun 20258
Jul 202513
Aug 202513
Sep 202513
Oct 202512
Nov 202511
Dec 20258
Jan 202619
Feb 20269
Mar 202618
Apr 202624
May 202614
Jun 202616
Jul 202615
Aug 20269
Sep 202613

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When ADU and casita permits are filed

By calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line). February is the busiest (378), December the quietest (44). A busy month at the permit counter usually means a longer wait for a contractor.

January: 85 (100 = an average month)February: 378 (100 = an average month)378March: 93 (100 = an average month)April: 112 (100 = an average month)May: 82 (100 = an average month)June: 66 (100 = an average month)July: 77 (100 = an average month)August: 60 (100 = an average month)September: 71 (100 = an average month)October: 66 (100 = an average month)November: 66 (100 = an average month)December: 44 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND
The same numbers as a table
MonthIndex
January85
February378
March93
April112
May82
June66
July77
August60
September71
October66
November66
December44

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How long an ADU and casita permit takes

Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends. Usual days is the middle permit among the 198 with a final date.

MeasureValue
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025270
Finished73.3%
Expired4.4%
Usual days, issue to final365
Middle half, days310–412

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The county's own permit types

How the county filed these permits. We group its types into kinds of work; this is the split.

Permit typePermitsShare
Additional Dwelling Unit16638%
Production Tract Adu12027%
Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit7317%
Second Unit Single Family Dwelling6615%
Guest Quarters133%

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Nearby permit data

ADU and casita permits for other places in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.

How these numbers are made

Source: Riverside County GIS Open Data, PLUS_ACTIVITIES (Public Land Use System), Building department records, read 23 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.

Permits Riverside County Building and Safety issues for unincorporated land only: places such as Thermal, Mecca, Winchester, French Valley, Mead Valley, Anza, Aguanga, Temescal Valley and the Temecula wine country. Riverside, Moreno Valley, Corona, Temecula, Murrieta, Palm Springs and the county's other incorporated cities (28 in all) run their own permit offices and are not in this file. Blythe permits, which the county keeps under their own permit type, are left out too.

  • The county's file names no contractor, so there are no contractor lists, rankings or firm pages for Riverside County.
  • The file has no declared job value, so we show no costs.
  • The file gives a parcel number but no ZIP code, so there are no ZIP code pages.
  • Tract builders file one permit per house, so a new subdivision shows as many new-home permits, often with a matching repeat-production wall permit for each lot.
  • Battery storage permits are counted as electrical; rooftop and ground-mount solar as solar.
  • A final date is the county's completed date on a permit marked Final. Administratively closed permits count as expired.
  • Grading, hourly inspection, agricultural fee-only and legacy converted records are left out.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "ADU and casita permits in unincorporated Riverside County, CA", https://contractorrecords.com/riverside-county/adu-permits, data through September 2026, from Riverside County Building and Safety building-permit records.

Link to a table: By month · Season · Days to final · Permit types.

Download the tables (CSV): ADUs & casitas permits by month · ADUs & casitas permits by calendar month (index) · ADUs & casitas permits: days to final · ADUs & casitas permits by permit type.

Common questions

  • How many ADU and casita permits does Riverside County issue a year?About 219 a year in unincorporated Riverside County: 438 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, 168 of them in the last 12 months.
  • How long does an ADU and casita permit take in Riverside County?The usual one took 365 days from issue to the county's final inspection, and the middle half took 310 to 412 days (198 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final). The wait to get the permit issued is not in this file.
  • When do people in Riverside County file the most ADU and casita permits?February (378 against an average month of 100); December is the quietest (44). If you can choose, a quiet month at the permit counter can mean contractors have more room in their schedules.