Terms of Use — What the Checker Is, and What It Is Not
The short version of these terms is the line on every verdict: preliminary screening, not a permit approval, a survey, or legal advice.
The short answer
A free screening and matching service — your permitting agency and a licensed contractor have the final word
- Verdicts are preliminary. They come from your answers, published rules with checked dates, and public records — not from a site visit, a survey or a record pull for your parcel.
- Cost figures are planning ranges, not bids. Declared permit valuations are not construction costs.
- We are a matching service, not a builder, a contractor, a lawyer or a public agency.
- No quote is promised. The roster is enrolling and no contractor is signed yet.
Version 1.1 · Effective November 5, 2026 · Operated by ADU Build Works · Contact: adu@adubuildworks.com
Agreement
Using this site means accepting these terms
By using adubuildworks.com, including the lot checker, you agree to these terms and to the Privacy Notice. If you do not agree, please do not use the site. You must be 18 or older to store a brief. We may update these terms; the version line above changes when we do, and the terms in force when you use the site are the ones that apply to that use.
The verdict
How to rely on a verdict
Each verdict cites the rule it relies on and the date that rule was checked. Rules change, and a parcel can carry conditions no public screening sees: easements, overlays, septic or sewer capacity, recorded restrictions, or a jurisdiction boundary the address lookup got wrong. Before you spend money on design or construction, confirm your project with the agency that permits your lot and with a licensed design professional or contractor. Nothing on this site is legal, tax, financial, engineering or architectural advice, and using the site does not create a professional or advisory relationship with us.
If you find a rule, date or figure that is wrong, email us. We correct the record and the date it was checked.
Quotes
How the contractor roster works under these terms
- Your brief goes to roster contractors only if you tick the quotes box, and only roster contractors for your territory — at most three.
- Contractors are independent businesses. They are not our employees, agents or partners; any estimate, contract, warranty or payment is between you and the contractor, and we are not a party to it.
- We do not supervise, guarantee or take responsibility for any contractor’s work, pricing, licence status, insurance or conduct. Check any contractor’s licence yourself at the Contractors State License Board (cslb.ca.gov), and ask for proof of insurance, before you sign anything.
- If ADU Build Works is ever paid by a contractor in connection with an introduction, we will tell you before the introduction is made.
- We do not guarantee that you will receive a quote, how many, by when, or at what price.
Fair use
Using the site
Use the checker for real properties you own or are helping a family member with, with their permission. Do not submit someone else’s contact details, submit false information, automate submissions, scrape or copy the site’s content in bulk, or try to disrupt or probe the service. We may refuse or delete any submission, and suspend access, to protect the service or its users.
The site’s text, data compilations, design and code belong to ADU Build Works. You may read, print and share pages for your own project; any other reuse needs our written permission. Links to third-party sites (government agencies, data sources) are for your convenience; we do not control those sites.
Limits
Disclaimer and limitation of liability
The site is provided “as is” and “as available”. To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including accuracy, completeness, fitness for a particular purpose and uninterrupted availability. Public rules, records and third-party data can be wrong or out of date, and we do not warrant them.
Limitation of liability. To the fullest extent the law allows, ADU Build Works is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits, design or construction costs, delays, or permit outcomes, arising from your use of the site, a verdict, or a contractor you meet through it. Because the service is free, our total liability for any claim relating to the site is limited to one hundred US dollars ($100). Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited under California law.
Your responsibility. If you misuse the site in breach of these terms — for example by submitting someone else’s details — you are responsible for the resulting claims against us.
Disputes
Governing law and resolving problems
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California. If something goes wrong, email us first — most problems are fixed fastest that way, and we will try in good faith to resolve it within 30 days. If it is not resolved, either side may bring a claim in the state courts located in Marin County, California, or in small claims court where eligible. If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect. These terms and the Privacy Notice are the whole agreement between you and us about the site.
Your lot
Run the screening on your own address
Check my lot
FREE · FAST VERDICTStep 1 of 2 — your address and one tap on what you want to build. That is enough for a first verdict; sharpen it afterwards only if you want to.
Every type, answered — not just the one you picked
True cost — the planning band, the fees on record, and what the band leaves out
Not in the band — budget these separately; no honest source lets us put a number on them for your lot, so none is invented:
How long until someone can move in?
Dates that change this decision
What the permit record shows
What would change this answer
Lay your quotes side by side
Print this sheet and write each contractor's figures in a column. Every row is something a comparable bid has to state; a blank in a quote is a question for that contractor, not a saving. The first column is your brief, filled from your answers.
| Line every quote must state | Your brief | Quote A | Quote B | Quote C |
|---|
Check each contractor's licence number on the Contractors State License Board's public lookup (cslb.ca.gov) before you compare prices. Figures in your brief are the rule caps and planning estimates shown above, not bids.
Make your verdict more exact (optional)
Skip these — save my brief now ↓San Francisco screening — two questions that decide an SF project
In San Francisco, space a tenant uses can be a protected “housing service” — it changes what’s allowed, so we ask now, not later. Why this matters →
Stored and confirmed
Anything wrong in that summary? Email us at adu@adubuildworks.com and we'll correct the record.
We already have this brief from you
If something changed — a different project, a new budget — email us at adu@adubuildworks.com and we'll update the record. Your verdict itself is above, and it stays yours.
That didn't go through — nothing was sent
Your verdict is right here on this page, and it stays yours. Prefer to do this by email? Write to us at adu@adubuildworks.com with your address and what you'd like to build, and we'll set it up with you — no dead end.