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PermitPathLA

Local guides

LA ADU permits by area

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) rules technically apply Los Angeles-wide, but the experience of getting one permitted depends heavily on where your lot sits — what overlays it touches, which Specific Plan governs the block, whether you're in the Hillside Area, and whether your address is even inside the City of Los Angeles in the first place. Detailed guides for every LA County city + LA City neighborhood:

Jurisdiction:
Overlay:

220 guides live now · 87 LA County cities · 101 LA City neighborhoods · 32 unincorporated areas

Browse on the LA County interactive map →

LA ADU permit activity · 2025 LADBS data

~13,771ADUs permitted across covered areas

Highest-volume areas

Sourced from LADBS PermitLA + LA County DPW datasets. Each area page shows its own permit count under “By the numbers.”

Browse by region

The Valley · SFV

San Fernando Valley

The San Fernando Valley covers ~260 square miles north of the Santa Monica Mountains — about half of the City of LA's residential land area, plus the independent cities of Burbank, Glendale, Calabasas, and Hidden Hills.

17 neighborhoods + cities · ~2,400 ADUs permitted in 2024

The Westside · West LA

Westside Los Angeles

The Westside spans LA's coastal and near-coastal neighborhoods from the Santa Monica Mountains south to LAX.

11 neighborhoods + cities · ~850 ADUs permitted in 2024

NELA · Northeast Los Angeles

Northeast LA

Northeast LA spans the hills and basins between Downtown and the Glendale/Pasadena city borders — Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Echo Park, Silver Lake, Mount Washington, Atwater Village.

12 neighborhoods + cities · ~620 ADUs permitted in 2024

Greater Hollywood

Hollywood

Hollywood spans the dense flats around the entertainment district, north into the Hollywood Hills, and east through East Hollywood.

7 neighborhoods + cities · ~220 ADUs permitted in 2024

South LA · South Central LA

South Los Angeles

South LA spans the historic Black middle-class neighborhoods south of the I-10 freeway — Crenshaw, Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, View Park, Park Mesa Heights, and surrounding areas.

6 neighborhoods + cities · ~600 ADUs permitted in 2024

Mid-Wilshire / Hancock Park area

Mid-Wilshire

Mid-Wilshire spans the central LA neighborhoods between Hollywood and South LA, roughly bracketed by the Wilshire corridor.

6 neighborhoods + cities · ~320 ADUs permitted in 2024

Harbor Area · Los Angeles

Harbor Area

The Harbor Area is the southernmost slice of the City of LA — San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City, and the related Port of LA corridor.

4 neighborhoods + cities · ~280 ADUs permitted in 2024

DTLA · Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown LA

Downtown LA covers the historic urban core — Civic Center, Historic Core, Financial District, Bunker Hill, South Park, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Arts District.

4 neighborhoods + cities · ~25 ADUs permitted in 2024

East LA

East Los Angeles

East LA covers the predominantly Latino neighborhoods east of the LA River — Boyle Heights, El Sereno, City Terrace, and adjacent areas.

4 neighborhoods + cities · ~380 ADUs permitted in 2024

Los Angeles City neighborhoods

Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) jurisdiction. 101 neighborhoods covered.

LA County incorporated cities

Each city issues its own permits through its own building department — separate from LADBS. 87 cities covered (all 88 incorporated LA County cities).

LA County unincorporated areas

Not cities. Permits run through Los Angeles County Public Works (Building & Safety) under LA County Code Title 22, not LADBS and not any city building department. 32 areas covered.

Coming next

On the schedule

New area guides drop Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. If yours isn't covered yet, you can add it to the queue below and we'll email you when it goes live.

  • Tue, Jun 30

    East Rancho Dominguez

    Unincorporated area · Gateway Cities · LA County (Unincorporated)

  • Wed, Jul 1

    West Athens

    Unincorporated area · South Bay · LA County (Unincorporated)

  • Thu, Jul 2

    Agua Dulce

    Unincorporated area · Santa Clarita Valley · LA County (Unincorporated)

  • Tue, Jul 7

    Acton

    Unincorporated area · Santa Clarita Valley · LA County (Unincorporated)

  • Wed, Jul 8

    Val Verde

    Unincorporated area · Santa Clarita Valley · LA County (Unincorporated)

  • Thu, Jul 9

    Littlerock

    Unincorporated area · Antelope Valley · LA County (Unincorporated)

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