Burbank ADU rules and requirements

Yes, Burbank allows an ADU on any lot with a house or apartments. A new backyard unit can be 850 sq ft, or 1,000 sq ft if it has two or more bedrooms, and 17 ft tall. One parking space is required unless you are within a half-mile walk of transit or converting existing space. City fees for an 800 sq ft unit run about $5,600 to $6,300 before impact fees, and the city has 60 days to decide once your application is complete, or 30 days if you use a pre-approved plan.

Backyard unit: Up to 850 sq ft, or 1,000 with two bedrooms³²
Parking: One space, none near transit³²
City permit fees: About $5,600 to $6,300 for 800 sq ft⁷⁸
Decision: 60 days, or 30 with a pre-approved plan¹¹⁴

Figures read from the city's own documents, last checked 20 September 2026. Each number links to its source.

Who to call: Burbank Planning Division, Community Development Department, 818-238-5250. Community Services Building, 150 N. Third Street, Burbank, CA 91502 (counter open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to noon, by appointment). planning@burbankca.gov.¹

Under state review. Burbank has its own ADU rules, last rewritten in December 2023, and the state housing department asked the city in December 2025 to show they still match state law. The city's numbers apply today, but where they are stricter than state law the state rule wins, and the ordinance may change once the city answers HCD.¹³¹⁰

The rules at a glance

"City rule" means Burbank set the figure. "State rule" means the city applies the state minimum, which no city can go below.

ADU rules in Burbank
Backyard unit, max size City rule	850 sq ft for a studio or one-bedroom unit, and 1,000 sq ft if it has two or more bedrooms. Two exceptions cap you at 800 sq ft: a lot in the Mountain Fire Zone, and a unit placed in the front yard setback. Converting a garage or other existing building keeps that building's size even if larger, and you can add 150 sq ft for an entry. If you add a parking space you do not need, the city adds up to 120 sq ft to one unit, with a deed restriction that keeps the space. Sites that say Burbank allows 1,200 sq ft are wrong.³²
Attached unit, max size City rule	The same 850 sq ft, or 1,000 sq ft with two or more bedrooms. Burbank does not use the half-the-house rule; the cap is the same whether the unit touches the house or not. Size is measured to the outside of the walls, or to the middle of a wall shared with the house.³
Junior unit, max size State rule	500 sq ft, built inside the walls of the house or its attached garage, with its own outside door and a small kitchen. One per lot, and only on lots with one house.³¹⁰
Height City rule	17 ft to the top of the roof for a new detached unit, one foot more than the state minimum. Within a half-mile walk of a major transit stop or high-quality bus corridor, or on a lot with a multi-story apartment building, 18 ft, plus 2 ft to match the roof pitch of the house near transit. A unit built above a garage can go to 20 ft at the top plate and 23 ft at the roof. An attached unit follows the house limits, which in R-1 are 20 ft to the top plate and 30 ft to a pitched roof.³²¹⁵
Setbacks City rule	Four feet from the side and rear property lines, including for a unit above a garage. The unit cannot sit closer to the street than the front setback of the houses on your block, unless the city agrees an 800 sq ft unit will not fit anywhere else on the lot even with 2 ft side and rear setbacks. Keep 5 ft between the new unit and any other building, wall to wall, and 4 ft eave to eave. A permitted garage you convert keeps its existing setback; anything you add beyond its footprint needs the 4 ft.³²
Parking State rule	One space per unit, and it can be tandem in your driveway or in a setback. You need none if the lot is within a half-mile walk of public transit, inside a historic district, on a street with permit parking that the unit's tenant cannot get, within a block of a car-share vehicle, or if the unit is a conversion of the house or an existing building. If your drawings show there is physically no room for a space, the city waives it. Converting or tearing down a garage for the unit never requires replacing the house's parking. A new driveway and curb cut are allowed for the space if the stall is at least 18 ft by 8 ft 6 in.³²¹⁵
Lot coverage and open space City rule	A new ADU is exempt from the floor-area ratio, lot coverage, open space and minimum lot size limits that apply to the house. One catch: any room with a ceiling over 12 ft, or an attic over 5 ft tall, is counted twice toward the unit's square footage.³²
Do you have to live there State rule	No, not for an ADU. The code still contains an owner-occupancy covenant, but it says on its face that it is switched off while state law forbids it. For a junior unit the owner must live in the house or the junior unit and record a covenant; under state law since January 2026 that requirement falls away if the junior unit has its own bathroom.³¹⁰
Renting it out City rule	The unit can be rented but not sold separately from the house. The city code says rentals must run longer than 90 days. State law only lets a city require stays longer than 30 days, so ask the Planning Division before you sign a lease shorter than 90 days. Nightly rentals are out either way.³¹⁰

Burbank ADU permit fees

City permit fees
Planning Division ADU application	$1,728.42 (FY 2026-27, from 1 July 2026; it was $1,682.98 in FY 2025-26) Planning Fees, Fiscal Year 2026-2027; FY 2025-26 Citywide Fee Schedule, Article III Section 3⁸⁷
Building plan check and building permit, new 800 sq ft unit	About $3,600 for a wood-frame (Type B) unit, or about $4,300 for Type A. The schedule charges by floor area for occupancy group R-3: plan check $1,161.91 plus $115.65 per 100 sq ft over 500 sq ft, and permit $1,603.84 plus $160.68 per 100 sq ft over 500 sq ft. For 800 sq ft that is $1,508.86 plus $2,085.88. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are extra. FY 2025-26 Citywide Fee Schedule, Building Permits, Section 2(A)(1)(z) and 2(C)(1)(z), last updated 3 June 2025; a CPI increase applied on 1 July 2026⁷
Public Works ADU plan check review	$266.75 FY 2025-26 Citywide Fee Schedule, Public Works Section (E)⁷
Development impact fees (transportation and community facilities)	Nothing if the unit has 750 sq ft or less of interior living space. Above that the city charges the single-family rate, $9,285.16 plus $5,311.88 and a 5% surcharge, scaled by the unit's size against the house. An 800 sq ft unit behind a 1,600 sq ft house is 50%, so about $7,660. FY 2025-26 Citywide Fee Schedule, Development Impact Fees Section 3(A)(2)(a) and (5)(a); ADU Development Impact Fee Calculator dated 1 January 2026; BMC 10-1-620.3(K)(2)⁷⁹³
Sewer facilities charge	Nothing at 750 sq ft or under. Above that, $2,043 times the unit's size over 1,800 sq ft, so about $908 for 800 sq ft. FY 2025-26 Citywide Fee Schedule, Exhibit A Sewer Facilities Charge Rate Schedule, note (e)⁷
School facilities fee	Set and collected by Burbank Unified School District; you bring the district's receipt to the permit counter. The city does not publish the rate. BPAP Permit Submittal Requirements, document list item D⁶

How long it takes

The city publishes no typical review time for custom plans, so plan on the full 60 days plus a round of corrections; a garage demolition permit is reviewed with the ADU and issued at the same time.¹¹³⁴

Completeness check: 15 business days for the city to tell you in writing whether your application is complete
Decision: 60 days after that to approve or deny, or the unit is approved by default
Pre-approved plans: 30 days to a permit when you use a plan from the BPAP library, per the city

Does an ADU fit your lot in Burbank?

The rules above are the city's. Whether they work on your lot depends on the lot. Type your address and we tell you yes, no, or yes with conditions, then connect you with one licensed builder who works in Burbank. Free, and nobody calls unless you ask.

Check my address

Things to know before you build in Burbank

Stay at 750 sq ft of interior space or under and the city charges no impact fees and no sewer charge. At 800 sq ft the same unit behind a 1,600 sq ft house owes roughly $7,660 in impact fees plus about $900 for sewer.
Two bedrooms unlock the bigger unit. A studio or one-bedroom stops at 850 sq ft; two or more bedrooms take you to 1,000 sq ft. A second unneeded parking stall adds another 120 sq ft, but it comes with a recorded deed restriction.
Burbank's detached height limit is 17 ft, not the state's 16, and a garage-top unit can reach 23 ft. Ceilings over 12 ft count double toward your square footage, so keep a vaulted ceiling under that.
Planning and Building are in the same building at 150 N. Third Street but keep different hours and phone numbers. Planning (818-238-5250) is mornings only by appointment; Building's permit counter (818-238-5220, building@burbankca.gov) is open all day Monday to Friday. Plans go in electronically through ProjectDox.

Overlays that change the answer

Mountain Fire Zone. On R-1 and R-1-H lots inside the zone you get one ADU of at most 800 sq ft or one junior unit of at most 500 sq ft, not both, and brush clearance rules apply. Check the city's fire zone maps.³¹⁴²
R-1-H horse-keeping zone. No new construction. An ADU can only come from converting a permitted garage, a permitted guest house or space inside the main house, and stays out of the rear 35 ft reserved for horses. One ADU or one junior unit per lot.³²
Within a half-mile walk of a major transit stop or high-quality bus corridor. No parking space is required and a detached unit can be 18 ft tall plus 2 ft to match the house's roof pitch. The city posts a map.³¹⁵
Historic districts and California Register properties. The unit's design is checked for compatibility with the listed building and its neighbors, and no parking space is required inside a designated historic district.³

Pre-approved ADU plans in Burbank

Available Yes. The Burbank Pre-Approved ADU Program (BPAP) opened in December 2024. The library holds the city's own 432 sq ft studio, which is free to use, plus plans borrowed from the Los Angeles standard plan program; the city says 12 of those match Burbank's code, and you buy them from the designer. The city's stated goal is a permit within 30 days. You start by calling Planning about your lot, buying the plan, then emailing the permit application to eplancheck@burbankca.gov and uploading a site plan and the city's general information sheet to ProjectDox.⁴⁵⁶¹³

Questions people ask

How big can an ADU be in Burbank?

850 sq ft for a studio or one-bedroom, 1,000 sq ft with two or more bedrooms, whether attached or detached. In the Mountain Fire Zone or in the front setback the cap is 800 sq ft. Converting an existing garage or accessory building keeps its size. Burbank does not allow 1,200 sq ft units.

Do I need parking for an ADU in Burbank?

One space, which can be tandem in the driveway, unless you are within a half-mile walk of transit, in a historic district, on a permit-parking street, near a car-share vehicle, or converting existing space. If there is no room on the lot, the city waives it.

How much are ADU permit fees in Burbank?

For an 800 sq ft unit, about $1,728 for the planning application, $3,600 to $4,300 for building plan check and permit, and $267 for Public Works review, so roughly $5,600 to $6,300 before electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. Over 750 sq ft add impact fees scaled to your house size and a sewer charge.

How long does an ADU permit take in Burbank?

The city has 15 business days to tell you whether your application is complete and 60 days after that to decide, or it is approved by default. With a pre-approved plan the city aims to issue the permit in 30 days.

Does Burbank have pre-approved ADU plans?

Yes. The BPAP library has a free city-designed 432 sq ft studio and plans from the Los Angeles standard plan program that the city says match its code. You buy the LA plans from their designers, then submit a site plan and the city's general information sheet for a 30-day review.

How tall can a detached ADU be in Burbank?

17 ft to the roof, or 18 ft within a half-mile walk of a major transit stop or on a lot with a multi-story apartment building, plus 2 ft to match the house's roof pitch near transit. A unit above a garage can reach 23 ft.

What changed

1 July 2026 FY 2026-27 citywide fee schedule took effect with a CPI increase. The Planning ADU application fee rose to $1,728.42.
1 January 2026 SB 543 took effect: a 15-business-day completeness check, a 60-day decision clock, and ADU size measured as interior living space. The city's impact fee calculator was updated the same day to use interior living space.
1 January 2026 AB 1154 took effect: a junior unit with its own bathroom no longer requires the owner to live on the property.
5 December 2025 HCD wrote to the city saying its ordinance on file dates from 2020 and may no longer match state law, asking for a response by 4 January 2026.
3 June 2025 FY 2025-26 fee schedule adopted (Resolution 25-29,616); building permit and impact fee sections updated.
1 January 2025 AB 2533 took effect: the city cannot deny a permit to legalize an unpermitted ADU built before 2020 over building code issues unless it finds the building substandard.
18 December 2024 The city launched the Burbank Pre-Approved ADU Program (BPAP) under AB 1332, with a free city-designed 432 sq ft studio.
11 July 2024 The city updated its ADU FAQ handout.
8 December 2023 Ordinance 23-4,002 took effect, rewriting the ADU and junior ADU standards in BMC 10-1-620.3.

Sources

Accessory Dwelling Units, Planning Division page, City of Burbank Community Development Department. Accessed 20 September 2026.
FAQ: Accessory Dwelling Units, handout updated 7/11/2024, City of Burbank Planning Division. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Burbank Municipal Code Title 10, Article 6, Division 3, Section 10-1-620.3, Accessory Dwelling Units and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units, City of Burbank (Code Publishing). Accessed 20 September 2026.
Burbank Pre-Approved ADU Program (BPAP) page, City of Burbank Building and Safety Division. Accessed 20 September 2026.
BPAP-24001 Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit, 432 sq ft studio, approval form dated 12/03/2024, City of Burbank Building and Safety Division. Accessed 20 September 2026.
BPAP Permit Submittal Requirements (01/2025), City of Burbank Building and Safety Division. Accessed 20 September 2026.
FY 2025-26 Adopted Citywide Fee Schedule (revised), City of Burbank Financial Services Department. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Planning Fees, Fiscal Year 2026-2027, City of Burbank Planning Division. Accessed 20 September 2026.
ADU Development Impact Fee Calculator, dated 01/01/2026, City of Burbank Building and Safety Division. Accessed 20 September 2026.
City of Burbank, Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance Updates, Letter of Technical Assistance, 5 December 2025, California Department of Housing and Community Development. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Government Code section 66317, permit timelines (SB 543), State of California. Accessed 20 September 2026.
City of Burbank Launches Preapproved Accessory Dwelling Unit Program, news release 18 December 2024, City of Burbank. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Fire Zone Map (PDF), City of Burbank Planning Division. Accessed 20 September 2026.
High-Quality Transit Corridor or Major Transit Stop Map (PDF), City of Burbank Planning Division. Accessed 20 September 2026.

Nearby

Los Angeles County · Glendale · Los Angeles · Pasadena

Educational guidance drawn from the city's published rules, not a permit determination or a quote. Rules change; the date at the top is when these were last checked. Spotted a wrong figure? Tell us.