Know what's buildable —
and how to get there.
ADU and property-use lead screening for builders, permit expediters, realtors, and property professionals. GroundRules helps flag zoning, land-use, hazard, and review-risk signals — and shows what still needs human or city review.
Detached ADU up to 800 sq ft may be worth deeper review. 2 conditions require verification.
- Eligible zone (RD-3)§309-55(a)
- Lot minimum met§309-55(b)
- Rear setback ≥ 4 ft§309-55(c)
- No additional parking req.CA Gov §65852.2
- Ministerial approval eligibleCA Gov §65852.21
- VHFHSZ fire hazard overlayCAL FIRE
- Sewer connection capacitySacSewer
- Historic district notice§309-55(h)
- Ask city:Is sewer capacity available at this parcel's service connection point?
- Ask city:Does this parcel require historic district notice before ministerial approval?
From address to a screening packet you can act on.
Address → project → zoning and land-use signals → risks → sources → report. The path is deterministic, cited, and human-reviewed.
Enter your address & project
Tell us the property and what you want to build — an ADU, a garage conversion, and more over time.
We pull verified parcel & zoning data
Lot size, zoning district, overlays, and hazard layers — from official records, with retrieval dates.
Deterministic rules produce screening signals
Each rule returns PASS, CONDITIONAL, or UNKNOWN against the cited code. GroundRules shows screening signals and review flags — not final legal approval.
AI explains it in plain English
A human reviews every report, then you get a clear, cited packet: what looks worth deeper review, what is conditional, and what still needs city confirmation.
Start with ADUs. Grow by project type and jurisdiction.
ADU and garage conversion are live in the first supported jurisdiction. Every new project type and county is added one verified rule library at a time.
ADU & JADU
Detached, attached, and junior ADUs.
Garage conversion
Convert existing structures to living space.
Room & bathroom additions
Coming soonFootprint, coverage, and setback checks.
Solar & EV charging
Coming soonElectrical and structural permit paths.
Pools & decks
Coming soonSetback, fencing, and safety requirements.
Fences & sheds
Coming soonHeight limits and placement rules.
AI explains. Verified rules decide. Unknowns are shown, not hidden.
The screening assessment never comes from a language model guessing. It comes from deterministic rules evaluated against official, dated sources. AI’s only job is to translate that into plain English — and a human reviews every report before it ships.
- Verified rules decide. Each rule returns PASS / CONDITIONAL / UNKNOWN against a cited code section.
- AI only explains. It paraphrases verified results. It cannot invent a rule or upgrade an unknown.
- Unknowns are surfaced. Missing data becomes a specific question to ask the city — never a silent guess.
- PASSParcel is in unincorporated Sacramento County2026-06-13
- PASSADU allowed in residential zone2026-06-13
- PASSRear setback meets 4 ft minimum2026-06-13
- PASSADU size within permitted limits2026-06-13
Your city’s rules exist. They’re written for lawyers.
We read the ordinance so you don’t have to, map it to your parcel, and cite the section every conclusion comes from.
An accessory dwelling unit shall be permitted subject to subsection (b)(2) where the lot area exceeds the minimum prescribed in Table 4-1, provided that aggregate building coverage, inclusive of accessory structures as defined in §25-1-21(6), does not exceed the maximum impervious…
Appears worth deeper ADU review up to 800 sq ft.
Keep 4 ft from the side lines, 6 ft from the rear.
You’re using 31% of your allowed 50% lot coverage. You have room.
2 conditions to verify (fire zone, sewer) and 1 unknown — all shown in your report.
City of Los Angeles is the first live beta jurisdiction.
We don’t scrape the country and hope it’s right. Each jurisdiction is onboarded with a verified, human-reviewed rule library. Other jurisdictions are being added one at a time after source verification.
Coverage is expanding and is not yet complete. If your jurisdiction isn't supported, your report is free.
Note: City of Los Angeles and LA County (unincorporated) are distinct jurisdictions with separate planning authorities and ordinances. Only City of Los Angeles is currently supported for real-data lookup.
Flags for the restrictions that can kill a deal late.
GroundRules can surface source-backed local restriction signals where available and label the rest as human-review required. These are screening flags — not final legal opinions.
Track city-specific restrictions that may affect ADUs, short-term rentals, coastal properties, parking, fire hazard rules, and local permit review. These signals are source-backed where available and marked as human-review required when rules are incomplete or case-specific.
Don’t spend $100,000 on a guess.
Most homeowners commit before confirming their lot qualifies. A feasibility check costs less than the tile you’ll pick for the bathroom — and tells you the truth, with sources.
Screen ADU and property-use leads before deeper diligence.
Useful for ADU builders, permit expediters, realtors, and investors screening fixer-uppers or listings with possible ADU/development potential.
- Branded, client-ready PDFs
- Lead qualification workflow
- Local restriction risk flags
- Missing facts called out for human/city review
Screen multiple ADU opportunities before deeper review.
The same data, as an API for lenders, insurers & proptech.
Every report deposits structured, cited facts into a versioned buildability graph. As coverage grows, that graph becomes infrastructure — a buildability and development-rights API that platforms build on instead of rebuilding.
{
"address": "4178 Whitfield Ave",
"jurisdiction": "ca-sacramento-county",
"project": "adu",
"verdict": "FEASIBLE_WITH_CONDITIONS",
"confidence": 0.82,
"ruleset_version": "2026.06.0",
"rules": [
{ "id": "adu.lot.eligible_zone",
"status": "PASS",
"source": "§309-55",
"as_of": "2026-06-13" }
],
"unknowns": 1
}Start with an honest LA-first ADU and property-use screen.
Get a written, source-cited screen before the plans, the architect, the offer, or the deposit.