Printing ADU Plans: How to Get Your Accessory Dwelling Unit Plan Set on Paper
You bought a backyard cottage plan, your city handed you a pre-approved ADU design, or your designer just sent the final PDF. Now you need it on paper, for the permit office, the builder, or the job site. Here’s how to print an ADU plan set right the first time.
Short answer: print the PDF at the sheet size it was drawn at (ADU sets are usually 24×36), in black and white unless a sheet uses color to mean something, and print one set for every person who needs one: the permit office if it takes paper, the builder, and the job site. Check your permit office’s copy count before you order.
Order prints: upload your PDF, pick size and color, and check out. Or start from the homepage.
What’s in a typical ADU plan set
An accessory dwelling unit (ADU), also called a backyard cottage, granny flat, in-law unit or garage apartment, is a small house, but the plan set looks a lot like a full house set. Most include:
- A cover sheet with the sheet index and project data
- A site plan showing the ADU, the main house, setbacks and utilities
- Floor plan, roof plan, elevations and sections
- Foundation and framing plans, and structural details
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical plans, sometimes on one sheet
- Energy or code compliance sheets, if your state requires them
Count the sheets in the index on the cover sheet. That’s the number you’ll print per set.
Pre-approved ADU plans (California and elsewhere)
Some cities and counties publish ADU plans that have already passed plan review. In California, state law (AB 1332, Government Code 65852.27) required every city and county to set up a program for pre-approving ADU plans by January 1, 2025, and to post pre-approved plans on its website. If you apply for a detached ADU using a pre-approved plan as approved, the city must approve or deny the complete application within 30 days, compared with 60 days for other ADU applications.
Three things to know before you print one:
- Pre-approved doesn’t mean free. The state law doesn’t require cities to own plans or give them away. The plan usually belongs to the designer or architect who submitted it, and you buy or license it from them.
- You still need a site plan. The pre-approved part is the building. Your lot, setbacks and utility connections are still drawn for your property, so expect at least one sheet that’s yours alone.
- Pre-approval runs out. It lasts through the current three-year California building code cycle, so check that the plan is still listed when you apply.
Some cities outside California offer pre-approved or standard ADU plans too. Check your city’s ADU page.
Does the permit office even want paper?
Not always. Many large cities now take plans online. Of the 19 large California cities on our California plan submission page, 8 take digital submissions only. Smaller towns are more likely to take or ask for paper. Our plan copy requirements by state and how many plan copies for a permit pages show what offices publish.
Even with an online permit, you’ll usually want paper for:
- The job site. Many building departments expect the approved plans to be on site for inspections. Print the approved set after it’s stamped “approved” online.
- Your builder and subs. Framers, electricians and plumbers work from paper.
- Bids. If you’re getting prices from several builders, each one needs a set. See bid set printing.
Size, color and scale
- Size: print at the size on the title block. ADU sets are usually 24×36 (24×36 printing). Some small-structure plans come at 18×24. Not sure? The free PDF page size checker reads it for you.
- Scale: a note like 1/4″ = 1′-0″ is only true at the drawn size. Don’t print “fit to page.” More in our blueprint scale guide.
- Color: black and white is right for most sheets. Use color for a site plan where colors separate existing and new work, or for renderings you’re showing a neighbor or HOA. You can mix both in one order as separate items. See black and white or color plan prints.
What an ADU plan set costs to print
Printing only, before shipping, at $1.95 per sheet in black and white and $3.75 in color, the same price at all sizes (18×24 to 36×48), on 20 lb bond paper:
| Example | Sheets | Printing | With code WELCOME20 (20% off your first order) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-sheet ADU set, 1 copy, B&W | 10 | $19.50 | $15.60 |
| 10-sheet set, 3 copies (permit, builder, site) | 30 | $58.50 | $46.80 |
| 14-sheet set: 12 B&W + 2 color (separate items), 1 copy | 14 | $30.90 | $24.72 |
| Same 14-sheet set, 2 copies | 28 | $61.80 | $49.44 |
WELCOME20 takes 20% off printing on a first order. Students get 25% off printing with STUDENT25. One code per order. Price your own set with the plan printing cost calculator.
A short checklist before you upload
- Use the final revision. Check the date or revision letter in the title block.
- If the plans came back with corrections, print the corrected sheets, not the first submittal. For a few changed sheets, see printing revised sheets.
- Keep every page in the PDF at the same size, or add each size as its own line item.
- If the set is sealed by an engineer or architect, print the signed PDF as is. See wet stamp vs digital seal.
- Ship the builder’s set straight to them, or to the site. See ship plans to a job site.
What we do and don’t do
We print your PDF exactly as uploaded. We don’t design ADUs, change plans, or file permits. Plan questions go to your designer, and permit questions go to your building department. Bought a plan from a plan website? See how to print house plans bought online.
Building in Los Angeles or Seattle? See blueprint printing in Los Angeles or Seattle.
FAQ
What size are ADU plans printed on?
ADU plan sets are usually drawn on 24×36 sheets. Some smaller sets are 18×24. Print at the size shown in the title block so the scale stays true.
How many copies of my ADU plans do I need?
It depends on your permit office. Some take digital files only, and others ask for two or more paper sets. Add one set for your builder and one for the job site.
Can I print a city’s pre-approved ADU plan?
Yes, if you have the PDF and the right to use it. Pre-approved plans usually belong to a designer, so buy or license the plan first, then print it.
Should ADU plans be printed in color?
Usually not. Black and white works for most sheets. Use color only where color carries meaning, such as a site plan showing new versus existing work.
Do you file my ADU permit or change the plans?
No. We print your PDF as uploaded. Changes go to your designer, and permits go to your building department.
What file do I upload?
Upload a PDF. We print it to scale, exactly as uploaded. Need to print from another file type? Email us at support@printmyplans.com.
Printing it
When the final PDF is ready, upload it on the order page, choose the size, black and white or color, and the number of copies, and check out. Order by 3 PM ET, ships same day, arrives as soon as the next day. If we make a mistake, we reprint and ship it free of charge.
