Build an ADU in Los Angeles

Often paired with

These permits commonly come up alongside a adu permit project in LA.

Drawings we generate for you

Auto-drawn from your address using LARIAC orthoimagery, parcel polygons, and Microsoft Building Footprints.

• Site plan
• Proposed floor plan
• Elevations
• Title 24 CF1R

The permit pathway

1. Phase 01

   Confirm feasibility

   Verify your lot can take a detached ADU

   California state law (Gov Code §65852.2) lets virtually every single-family lot in LA add at least one ADU. But you need to know your zone, lot size, and any overlays (hillside, HPOZ, fault zone) before committing to a plan.

2. Phase 02

   Confirm your plan

   YOU-ADU (free) is selected by default

   We've selected YOU-ADU — the City of LA's own 455 sqft / 1-bed / 1-story plan. It's the only fully-free option, comes in 3 façade styles, and skips the architect entirely. Want different? Switch to one of the 80+ designer plans (paid, $2K–$8K license).

3. Phase 03

   Prepare submittal package

   Build the site plan + title sheet

   LADBS requires the YOU-ADU drawings PLUS a property-specific title sheet and site plan (LADBS forms call it a plot plan). This is the only design work you need to do. Many homeowners hire a draftsperson ($500–$2,000) instead of doing it themselves.

4. Phase 04

   Submit for plan check

   Upload to ePlanLA, pay plan check fee, address corrections

   Submit electronically through ePlanLA — LADBS engineers review for code compliance. They issue a corrections list; you revise and resubmit. Usually 1–2 rounds for a clean YOU-ADU submittal.

5. Phase 05

   Issue permits

   Pay remaining fees, pull all trade permits

   Once plans are approved, you pay the balance of the building permit fee plus state/green/records surcharges and pull the trade-specific permits.

6. Phase 06

   Construction & inspections

   Build it, inspect at each stage

   Now that all permits (building + electrical + plumbing + mechanical + solar) are issued, construction can legally start. Your contractor builds in stages, and each stage stops for an LADBS inspection BEFORE the next can begin. Inspectors verify the work matches the approved plans — they're the verification step. Don't bury anything you haven't passed inspection on (foundation rebar, plumbing rough, electrical rough): you'll have to dig it up.

7. Phase 07

   Certificate of Occupancy

   Get the keys

   Once all final inspections pass, LADBS issues the Certificate of Occupancy — the legal document that says the ADU can be lived in. Bureau of Engineering assigns the official ADU address. Utility connections (LADWP) finalized.

What the code requires

Typical baseline for an R1 lot with no overlays. The wizard adjusts these for your specific zone + overlays (Hillside, HPOZ, VHFHSZ, Coastal, etc.). Every value cites its source code section.