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Garage Conversion.. Permit question.

16K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  neolitic 
#1 ·
I have a customer that wants to convert their garage into a living space. They want to get permits so the garage door can be closed off and install a separate entry door. I'm assuming they want to rent out the space as an appartment. This is in Southern California, Anahiem to be exact.

I thought that to do this, the house still needs a car garage? Is this true? Can a garage be legally converted into a living space? Have any of you done this?

It's Sunday, so I can't call the city untill tomorrow. I was just hoping for a quick answers..

Thanks Guys.
 
#2 ·
I have a customer that wants to convert their garage into a living space. They want to get permits so the garage door can be closed off and install a separate entry door. I'm assuming they want to rent out the space as an appartment. This is in Southern California, Anahiem to be exact.

I thought that to do this, the house still needs a car garage? Is this true? Can a garage be legally converted into a living space? Have any of you done this?

It's Sunday, so I can't call the city untill tomorrow. I was just hoping for a quick answers..

Thanks Guys.
I don't know for sure about Anaheim but I do know for a fact that HB will NOT let you do that.I am pretty sure no city will let you.I had a customer come to me to build a small,new house in Cerritos.The plans showed no garage and I checked with the city and sure enough you can't do that there either.I have leagaly turned a three car garage into a two car garage and made part of it in to living space.
 
#3 ·
I've found that the only one I did (carport to living) was on a case by case basis as far as the city planning department. (Delta, BC, Canada)

The rules were NO

But the HOs had 6 kids and needed the space.

They took their kids down to the city hall and won their petition.
 
#5 ·
Required off street parking? Out here, in my town you can't park on the street over night, all vehicles must be off the street by 2 a.m. But as far as converting garages to living space that's no problem here, you just have to have off street parking, could be a driveway.



.
 
#6 ·
Dont know about CA but a dwelling units needs to have means of cooking, bathing, living and sleeping areas, egrees passage and heat to be an apartment. I think as long as you share a common keyed entrance you have a "mother daughter" but if you separate the entrance you then need to have common lighting on passages, fire protection between apartments, utilities and zoning issues for "multiple dwelling". If you just make a room that could be "whatever" you still have to maintain that fire rated wall separation, ventilation, lighting and heat because the building deptartment know it can be converted from an office to a bedroom to easy.
 
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