Accessory Dwelling Units Gain Use in California and Oregon After Wildfires

Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are small, fully-functional secondary homes located on the same property as a main home, usually in the backyard. They have been built in response to housing shortages in areas affected by wildfires and in regions where rental costs remain high.

When the Almeda Fire destroyed thousands of homes in Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley in 2020, the loss added pressure to an already limited rental market. Artist and contractor Jacob Fry and his wife Elize responded by taking out a loan to construct two rental units on their property.

Jacob Fry said the project aimed to provide infill housing for people displaced by the fire.

California law now permits at least three modest-sized ADUs on a single-family lot. The units cannot be used as short-term rentals and must serve long-term tenants. UCLA professor Dana Cuff, who helped develop the original legislation, said the changes have produced 82,000 building permits in the state.

Cuff lives in an ADU she built in her former backyard while renting the main house to younger tenants. She stated that continued outward expansion is no longer feasible and that building within existing neighborhoods addresses both housing and environmental needs.

Medford, Oregon, Jacob and Elize Fry rent their two ADUs below market rate to young families. One tenant, Kaetriauna Bowser-Smith, has lived in a 400-square-foot unit with her husband and infant for nearly three years. She said the arrangement allowed them to avoid living with parents.

In Los Angeles, 72-year-old Mona Field converted her garage into a two-bedroom ADU for her own use. Her daughter Nadine Levyfield, son-in-law Charlie Marshak, and their two children now occupy the main house. Levyfield said the family shares meals and child-care responsibilities while maintaining separate living spaces.