Free Program Services
Santa Cruz County
ADU Incentives Program
The County of Santa Cruz is seeking motivated homeowners who are ready to take on the challenge of creating an ADU or a JADU on their property. In partnership with Hello Housing, the County has created an ADU Incentives Program for homeowners who are ready to move forward, but may lack the knowledge or confidence to do so without help to make the process less overwhelming. Free feasibility and project management support provided by Hello Housing and paid for by the County is now available for homeowners who live in the Unincorporated Areas of the County. Our team of design and construction experts are ready to help you figure out what's possible with your property.
Santa Cruz County
1
Online Application
Submit your online application. The application will (1) determine your initial eligibility (2) provide the HelloADU team with some basic information about your ADU/JADU vision and your readiness and (3) to confirm your understanding of what Santa Cruz County's HelloADU can and can’t do for you. It should take about 15-20 minutes to complete.
.
2
Remote Sessions &
Site Visits
HelloADU's team will reach out to schedule a phone conversation which includes a discussion about your potential project, potential costs, timeline and process. If following the phone call your project is a good potential candidate for the County's HelloADU program and you are still interested and ready to move forward, we will schedule a site visit.
At the site visit, we will walk your property together, learn more about your vision, review any sketches or drawings to date (if available), take measurements, locate utility connections, identify site conditions that may impact feasibility and construction cost, and discuss the pros and cons of alternative approaches.
3
Participation Agreement
If, following the site visit, you and Hello Housing mutually agree to move forward, you will be invited to submit a Participation Package which will include a Homeowner’s Participation Agreement and any other documents identified at the Site Visit that are needed for Hello Housing to make a final selection. Additional information may include evidence of financial plan in place to pay for the unit as well as participant income verification documentation.
To learn more about program eligibility and how to get answers to common questions please read through our Frequently Asked Questions.