Free · no obligation · Chula Vista and the South Bay
Talk to an ADU Contractor in Chula Vista
Describe your lot and the unit you're picturing. A licensed San Diego general contractor checks it against Chula Vista's code, fee bulletins and maps, then sends a written range before you pay for a single drawing.
You'll be asked for
- The unit type, or "not sure yet"
- Who it's for and roughly how big
- Your ZIP or neighborhood, and any HOA
- When you'd like to start and a budget range
- Your name, email and phone
Short answer
Fill in the form at the bottom of this page. The contractor confirms whether your parcel is City or County land, who supplies its water, and whether it carries an HOA or a Mello-Roos district, then follows up by email or phone and sets a site visit. You receive a Fit Check: the ADU types your lot can take, the permit route and an itemized planning range. It stays a range, not a fixed bid, until plans are drawn.
After you hit send
The desk check
Your address is checked for jurisdiction (Chula Vista DSD or San Diego County PDS), zoning, fire hazard zone in CVMapper, and walking distance to the nearest trolley station or bus stop, which decides whether the unit needs parking and whether it can reach 18 ft.
A few follow-up questions
Is it a rental or for family? Has the HOA said anything? Is there an old garage conversion already on the lot? Do you have a survey or earlier plans?
The site visit
On site the contractor looks at what no map shows: the slope toward a canyon edge, how deep the sewer lateral runs, the panel and its spare capacity, the garage slab if you're converting, and how a crew gets equipment into the yard.
Your written Fit Check
The recommended unit, its permit path and a line-by-line range, with the unknowns flagged, such as a Sweetwater or Otay meter fee or a CFD rate question.
Design, only if you say yes
Drawings and permit work start under a signed agreement. The design-build process page lays out every stage after that.
Helpful to have on hand
The form works without any of these. Each one just tightens the first range.
- Your property tax bill. The tax-rate area shows whether you're in the City or unincorporated County, and the special assessments list shows any CFD.
- A recent water bill. It names your agency, Sweetwater Authority or Otay Water District, and your meter size.
- House and lot size. House size caps an attached ADU and sets the share of impact fees on a unit of 750 sq ft or more.
- Photos. The back yard from both ends, both side yards, the garage interior and exterior, and a close-up of the panel label.
- HOA documents, if you have an association. East-side owners sometimes answer to both a master association and a neighborhood one, so send what you have from each.
- Old permits or plans. These matter most if a past owner converted the garage, since a pre-2020 unit may qualify for the state's amnesty rule.
What the Fit Check answers
- Which unit types fit: detached, garage conversion, attached ADU or JADU, with size and height limits for each
- City or County permit, and whether a City Standard ADU Plan suits your yard
- Where your size lands against the 500 sq ft school fee line and the 750 sq ft impact fee line, east or west of I-805
- Whether you need any parking at all
- HOA review steps and what your CFD rate method says about added square footage
- Whether the ADU Loan Program's terms could fit your situation
- A cost range broken into building, site, utilities, design, fees and contingency
If you'd like background first, the Chula Vista ADU rules guide lists each requirement with its source, and the Eastlake and Otay Ranch guide covers HOAs and Mello-Roos.
In pictures
Details that move the price
These are licensed stock photos (Pexels) chosen to show the kind of space or place described. They are not photographs of our contractor's completed projects.
Questions before you send it
Is the Fit Check really free?
Yes. Sending the form and getting the written range costs nothing and doesn't commit you. Design, engineering and permit work begin only if you sign an agreement.
Why a range and not a firm price?
Before plans exist, a few findings can change the job: a sewer lateral that sits too high for the ADU to drain by gravity, a slope that calls for soils work, an HOA design condition, or a water agency fee nobody has quoted yet. A range that names those is more useful than a number that moves later.
What if I'm in Bonita, National City or another nearby city?
Send it anyway and include the address. Bonita and other County areas go through County PDS, and the nearby cities run their own permit desks. You'll get a straight answer on whether the project can be taken on.
How do I check the contractor?
Get the license number and search it on the CSLB website, and ask for proof of workers' comp coverage. Do the same for anyone else you get a bid from.
There's no phone number on this site; every request comes through the form so it's on record. What you send is shared only with the contractor handling your project and used to answer you. Read the privacy policy and terms of use, or browse the Chula Vista ADU FAQ.
Sources
- CVMC 19.58.022, Accessory dwelling units
- City of Chula Vista, Fee Bulletin 16-100 (Oct 2025)
- Chula Vista Fire, Fire hazard severity zones (CVMapper lookup)
- City of Chula Vista, ADU Loan Program
- San Diego County, Property Summary Report
- Otay Water District, service area
- Contractors State License Board, license lookup
Last checked November 7, 2026.
Next step
Get your free Chula Vista ADU Fit Check
Three short steps, about a minute. A licensed San Diego County general contractor reviews what you send, checks your lot against the City's ADU rules, your HOA and your water district, and replies with a realistic range and the questions that would change it.
- Which ADU types your lot allows, and the size and height limits that apply
- Whether your HOA, a CFD or your water district changes the plan
- A line-by-line range, including fees and utility runs, before you pay for drawings
- No obligation and no pressure follow-up