SANTA CRUZ >> As part of an effort to align with recently-passed state law, the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission will take a closer look at accessory dwelling unit policy at its meeting this week.

After parsing through a series of state bills passed in Sacramento, county planning staff will present the commission with tweaks to several sections of local ADU requirements meant to resolve points of confusion and further streamline creation of the downsized living spaces across unincorporated territory.

The meeting is planned for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the County Government Center, 701 Ocean St., Room 525 in Santa Cruz.

If approved by the commission, the changes will head to the county Board of Supervisors for further comment or approval to amend sections of the county code.

Among the list of new relevant state law requirements and associated local updates are clarification of ADU application processing within the coastal zone, height limits within the urban services line, added flexibility for cooking facility varieties within junior ADUs and nonconforming conditions clarification where county code violations and unpermitted structures are not required to be corrected unless the ADU poses a threat to public health and safety.Other changes that will be discussed include the number of allowable ADUs on multifamily dwellings, access to junior ADUs without a separate bathroom and clarification of exemptions for ADUs and junior ADUs from the California Environmental Quality Act.

The complete list of code amendments is available at cdi.santacruzcountyca.gov.

According to the commission’s staff report, county code may be more lenient but may not be more restrictive than state law in terms of allowing for ADU construction. For issues not covered by state law, the county is empowered to impose regulations it might view as necessary although, county staff wrote, it may be desirable to align county regulations with the overall intent of state law.