About Mother Lode ADU
Mother Lode ADU was developed out of a partnership between the Counties of Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, and Nevada to help homeowners through the process of building an ADU. We hope that as a result, our region will have more housing options, from a nearby home for aging parents or grandparents to a long-term rental for someone working in your area.
These pages include a step-by-step guide to your ADU project (from ADU 101 to move-in) and many free resources and tools that will help you along the way.
Participating Jurisdictions
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by a grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Special thanks to all the staff and members of the public throughout the region that made Mother Lode ADU possible.
Towards the start of this project in early 2022, we distributed a survey to residents throughout the region and held two focus groups with ADU professionals and realtors. Our goal was to introduce the project, hear about any barriers to ADU development, and identify what resources would be the most helpful to produce. Read our Survey Summary and Roundtable Discussions Summary for more details. The input we heard informed all the resources we developed, from emphasizing the difference between ADUs and JADUs to developing a Mother Lode ADU Brochure for residents and the real estate community.
Special thanks to members of the public throughout the region that provided feedback and shared their time, and to the many County staff who made Mother Lode ADU possible.