Los Angeles ADU rules and requirements

Yes, you can build an ADU on almost any residential lot in Los Angeles. A new backyard unit can be 800 sq ft under state law, and up to 1,200 sq ft under the city's own rules if your lot's floor-area limit allows it. No parking is needed within a half-mile walk of a bus or rail stop, which covers most of the city. City plan check and permit fees run about $2,400 to $3,400 for a typical unit before the school fee, and the city has 60 days to decide once your application is complete.

Backyard unit: 800 sq ft guaranteed, up to 1,200 sq ft²³
Parking: None within a half-mile of transit³²
City permit fees: About $2,400 to $3,400, plus school fee⁸⁹
Decision: Within 60 days¹⁵²

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

Who to call: Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS), with zoning questions to City Planning's Office of Zoning Administration, 213-978-1318, 311 inside the city, or 213-473-3231. Metro Development Services Center, 201 N. Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (also Van Nuys, West LA, South LA and San Pedro offices).¹³¹⁴²

Under state review. Los Angeles has its own ADU ordinance from 2019, but the state housing department found parts of it out of step with state law in November 2024, and the city now applies the state rules through a Zoning Administrator memo. Where the memo and the ordinance disagree, the memo and state law win, so anything stricter you read in the ordinance itself is probably no longer enforced.¹¹²¹²¹

The rules at a glance

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

ADU rules in Los Angeles
Backyard unit, max size City rule	800 sq ft is guaranteed for one new detached unit on a single-family lot, no matter what your lot's floor-area limit says. The city's own ordinance allows a detached unit up to 1,200 sq ft, but anything over 800 sq ft has to fit within the floor-area limit for your lot and zone. Converting a garage or other existing building has no size cap, and you can add 150 sq ft for an entry. On a lot with an apartment building, up to eight detached units, never more than the number of existing apartments.³²
Attached unit, max size City rule	Half the floor area of the existing home, but the city guarantees at least 850 sq ft, or 1,000 sq ft if the unit has more than one bedroom, even where that breaks the lot's floor-area limit. Converting space inside the existing home has no cap.³²
Junior unit, max size State rule	500 sq ft, inside the walls of the house or its attached garage. It needs its own outside door and at least a small kitchen, and a deed restriction is recorded before the permit is issued.²¹⁷
Height City rule	16 ft for a new detached unit, or 18 ft if you are within a half-mile walk of a major transit stop, plus 2 ft more if the roof pitch matches the house. Under the city ordinance a detached unit can be two stories up to the zone's height limit. An attached unit can go to the zone's limit or 25 ft, whichever is lower. Height is measured the same way as any other building in your zone, so hillside and specific-plan height rules still apply.²³
Setbacks City rule	Four feet from the side and rear property lines for anything new. If your zone's required side yard is under 4 ft, you can use the smaller number. A garage or other existing building you convert, or rebuild on the same footprint, keeps its current setbacks. A detached unit has to sit behind the house, not in the front yard, unless the front yard is the only place an 800 sq ft unit will fit.²³
Parking City rule	One space, unless you are within a half-mile walk of any bus or rail stop, within a block of a car-share pickup spot, in a historic district or HPOZ, or building inside the existing house or an existing accessory building. In practice most of the city qualifies. The space can be tandem in the driveway. If you knock down a garage to build the unit, you never have to replace the parking you lose.³²
Lot coverage and open space City rule	Residential floor-area limits, lot coverage and open-space rules cannot be used to stop an 800 sq ft detached unit with 4 ft setbacks, or an attached unit of 850 sq ft (1,000 sq ft with two or more bedrooms). Above those sizes the lot's floor-area limit applies to the unit.²³
Do you have to live there State rule	No, not for an ADU. For a junior unit the owner has to live in either the house or the junior unit, and a deed restriction saying so is recorded before the permit. Since 1 January 2026 that requirement drops away if the junior unit has its own bathroom.²¹⁷
Renting it out State rule	Tenants must stay 30 days or longer. Nightly and weekly rentals of the unit are not allowed. If the main house was built before October 1978, adding a unit can bring the house under the city's rent stabilization rules.²¹⁸

Los Angeles ADU permit fees

City permit fees
LADBS plan check, new detached unit	About $1,120 for a unit valued at $121,200 (the city's own sample permit, 443 sq ft), or about $1,580 at $219,000, which is 800 sq ft at the sample's rate. Plan check is 90% of the building permit fee plus energy, green building and planning surcharges. LADBS Plan Check Fee Estimate System, Bldg-New, 1 or 2 Family Dwelling, run 2026-09-20; LAMC 91.107.3.1.1⁸¹⁰⁹
LADBS building permit, new detached unit	About $1,290 at $121,200 valuation, or about $1,830 at $219,000. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are separate; the sample permit shows about $640 for the three together. LADBS Plan Check Fee Estimate System, permit period, run 2026-09-20; LADBS sample ADU permit, December 2023⁸⁹
School district fee (LAUSD)	$6,227 on the city's sample permit for a 443 sq ft unit. ZA Memo 143 says the fee applies to units larger than 500 sq ft; the rate per square foot could not be confirmed from LAUSD's site. LADBS sample ADU permit; ZA Memo 143 Rev. 1, Section III.D⁹²
City impact fees	Dwelling Unit Construction Tax and Residential Development Fee apply only at 750 sq ft and up, scaled to the size of the main house. ADUs pay no park fee and no affordable housing linkage fee. The sample permit shows $146 and $219 for these two items. ZA Memo 143 Rev. 1, Section III.D (LAMC 21.10.3, 21.13.3, 12.33, 19.18); LADBS sample ADU permit²⁹
Fire hydrant fee	0.22% of construction value when the value is $50,000 or more, so about $480 on a $219,000 unit. LAMC 91.107.4.4¹⁰

How long it takes

Plan on the full 60 days plus a round of corrections, and add time for clearances from the Bureau of Engineering (sewer and address), LAFD and, if you are near a utility easement, LADWP, which have to sign off before the permit prints.¹⁵²⁴⁵

Completeness check: 15 business days for the city to tell you whether your application is complete
Decision: 60 days after that to approve or deny, or the unit is approved by default
Pre-approved plans: Shorter plan check with a listed Standard Plan; no day count published

Does an ADU fit your lot in Los Angeles?

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 Los Angeles. Free, and nobody calls unless you ask.

Check my address

Things to know before you build in Los Angeles

Check your walking distance to any bus stop first. Within a half-mile you owe no parking space at all, and the city accepts a Google Maps walking route as proof. Use the SB 9 viewer on ZIMAS to check the separate major-transit test that lifts the height limit to 18 ft.
You can stack three units on one single-family lot: a converted garage or interior unit, a new 800 sq ft backyard unit, and a junior unit inside the house. The city's own tables list which combinations are allowed.
If you have an old unpermitted unit built before 2020, LADBS has a short-form amnesty path under AB 2533 with no impact fees and a substandard checklist instead of full current-code compliance. Bring proof of the build date, such as utility bills or a lease.
Ask what the school fee will be before you commit. On the city's own sample permit it was $6,227 on a 443 sq ft unit, more than all the LADBS fees put together.

Overlays that change the answer

Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone plus Hillside Area. The ordinance bans ADUs on lots that are in both zones unless the unit has sprinklers, one parking space and a 20 ft wide street. HCD has said the ban cannot be applied to the state-guaranteed unit types, so an 800 sq ft detached unit or a conversion still goes through; the city may still ask for street dedications on an ordinance-type unit.³²¹¹
Coastal Zone (Venice, Pacific Palisades, San Pedro, Playa del Rey). A Coastal Development Permit with a public hearing is required, and extra parking can be asked for. Ask City Planning's coastal staff at venicelcp@lacity.org before you design.²
Historic Preservation Overlay Zones. No parking is required inside an HPOZ, and the state-guaranteed 800 sq ft unit overrides HPOZ size limits. Design review still applies to ordinance-type units.²³

Pre-approved ADU plans in Los Angeles

Available LADBS lists 25 pre-approved ADU plans today, numbered ADU071 to ADU096, from 280 sq ft studios to a 1,180 sq ft two-story three-bedroom. The plans belong to private designers and you buy a stamped set from the designer; the city does not give them away. LADBS still reviews how the plan sits on your lot, the foundation and zoning, but skips the full structural plan check, which the city says makes the permit much faster. No review time in days is published.⁶⁷¹

Questions people ask

How big can an ADU be in Los Angeles?

A new backyard unit is guaranteed at 800 sq ft, and the city's ordinance allows up to 1,200 sq ft if your lot's floor-area limit has room. An attached unit can be half the house, with a floor of 850 sq ft, or 1,000 sq ft with two or more bedrooms. A garage conversion has no cap. A junior unit is 500 sq ft.

Do I need parking for an ADU in Los Angeles?

Usually not. Within a half-mile walk of any bus or rail stop, within a block of car share, in a historic district, or converting existing space, no parking is required. Otherwise one space, which can be tandem in the driveway. Demolishing a garage never requires replacement parking.

How much are ADU permit fees in Los Angeles?

LADBS charges by construction value. For an 800 sq ft unit valued around $219,000, plan check is about $1,580 and the building permit about $1,830, plus roughly $640 for electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits and a fire hydrant fee of about $480. The school district fee comes on top and was $6,227 on the city's sample permit.

How long does an ADU permit take in Los Angeles?

The city has 15 business days to tell you whether your application is complete and 60 days after that to approve or deny, or the unit is approved by default. Clearances from Engineering, Fire and sometimes DWP are needed before the permit is issued.

Does Los Angeles have pre-approved ADU plans?

Yes. LADBS lists 25 pre-approved Standard Plans from 280 to 1,180 sq ft. You buy the plans from the designer, and LADBS reviews only how the plan fits your lot, which shortens plan check.

Can I build an ADU in the Los Angeles hillside fire zone?

If your lot is in both a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and a Hillside Area, the ordinance bans ADUs unless you add sprinklers, a parking space and have a 20 ft wide street. The state's guaranteed unit types, such as an 800 sq ft detached unit or a garage conversion, are exempt from that ban per HCD.

What changed

2 September 2026 IB P/BC 2026-161 (AB 2533 streamlined permitting of pre-2020 unpermitted units) revised.
13 August 2026 IB P/BC 2026-150, the LADBS building-standards bulletin for ADUs and JADUs, revised.
15 July 2026 IB P/BC 2026-161 took effect, creating a short-form path to permit unpermitted units built before 2020.
24 March 2026 HCD technical assistance letter to LADBS on how legalized unpermitted units count against the state unit allowances.
1 January 2026 SB 543 took effect: 15-business-day completeness check and 60-day deemed approval under Gov. Code 66317.
1 January 2026 AB 1154 took effect: a junior unit with its own bathroom no longer requires the owner to live on the property.
1 August 2025 ZA Memo 143 Revision 1 issued, updating the city's ADU implementation to the 2025 state law and HCD handbook.
1 January 2025 SB 1211 and AB 2533 took effect: up to eight detached units on multifamily lots, and amnesty for pre-2020 unpermitted units.
30 December 2024 ZA Memo 143 issued in response to HCD's findings, superseding ZA Memos 134 and 142.
19 November 2024 HCD found Ordinance 186,481 non-compliant with state ADU law on 17 points, including the hillside fire-zone ban and the two-story cap.

Sources

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) page, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 20 September 2026.
ZA Memorandum No. 143, Revision 1: Implementation of 2019 ADU Ordinance and State ADU Law (August 1, 2025), Los Angeles City Planning and LADBS. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Ordinance No. 186,481, Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance (LAMC 12.22 A.33), City of Los Angeles, Office of the City Clerk. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Information Bulletin P/BC 2026-150, Accessory and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (revised August 13, 2026), Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Information Bulletin P/BC 2026-161, Streamlined Permitting of Unpermitted Dwelling Unit as ADU/JADU Under AB 2533, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Standard Plan Program, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Approved Standard Plans, ADU list, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Plan Check Fee Estimate System, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Sample building permit for an ADU (issued December 20, 2023), Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 20 September 2026.
LAMC Section 91.107, Fees, City of Los Angeles (American Legal Publishing). Accessed 20 September 2026.
Review of Los Angeles's ADU Ordinance under State ADU Law, findings letter (November 19, 2024), California Department of Housing and Community Development. Accessed 20 September 2026.
City of Los Angeles, Letter of Technical Assistance (March 24, 2026), California Department of Housing and Community Development. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Locations and Offices, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Contact Us, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Government Code section 66317, permit timelines (SB 543), State of California. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Government Code section 66333, junior accessory dwelling units, State of California. Accessed 20 September 2026.
Accessory Dwelling Unit page (Housing Code and Rent Stabilization Ordinance), Los Angeles Housing Department. Accessed 20 September 2026.

Nearby

Los Angeles County · Glendale · Burbank · Pasadena · Torrance · Long Beach

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.