New Ordinance Amendments Regarding Unauthorized Dwelling Units (UDU)

Effective April 28, 2024, the Board of Supervisors enacted legislation amending various sections of the San Francisco Planning Code regarding the removal of an unauthorized dwelling unit (UDU) in a single-family home. The legislation also amends Rent Ordinance Sections 37.2(r)(4)(D) and 37.3(d)(1)(D). The amendments create a new exemption from the requirement to obtain Conditional Use Authorization for removal of a UDU in a single-family home if all of the following criteria are met:

• the owner resides in the primary dwelling unit at the time of the application for removal of the UDU;
• the UDU has not been rented for consideration in the last 10 years, except to a qualifying family member, as defined in the legislation;
• the owner intends to reside in the single-family home for a period of three years after removal of the UDU is approved; and
• the owner enters into a regulatory agreement with the City that permanently subjects the single-family home to local rent control under the San Francisco Rent Ordinance.

Read the full text of the legislation.