Santa Monica · ADU permits
ADU permits in Santa Monica
How to build a ADU in Santa Monica: permit pathway through Santa Monica Community Development Department, drawings required, local watch-outs, and a free address-level wizard for your Santa Monica lot.
Santa Monica context
Santa Monica's ADU ordinance lives in Santa Monica Municipal Code Title 9. The city is split for permitting purposes by Coastal Zone status: anything between the ocean and roughly Ocean Avenue / Neilson Way is in the Coastal Zone and needs a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) on top of the building permit; everything inland is standard. Plan check is typically 45-60 days for non-Coastal ADUs.
- Permit agency
- Santa Monica Community Development Department
- Median lot size
- 5,600 sqft
- ADU permits issued (2025)
- 127Source: Cal HCD Annual Progress Report 2025 (Table A2, BP_ISSUE_DT1 set)
Santa Monica ADU ordinance
Verified against Santa Monica Community Development Department's published ordinance on 2026-05-12. State law (CA Government Code §65852.2) overrides any locally-stricter rule.
Max detached ADU size
1,200 sqft (state default)
Max ADU height
16 ft / 18 ft with second-story setbacks
Setbacks
4 ft side / 4 ft rear (state minimum)
Coastal Development Permit (CDP)
Required for any parcel in the Coastal Zone
Adds 3-9 months and $1K-$3K. Sand-adjacent + parts of Ocean Park affected.
Design review
Required for ADUs over 800 sqft visible from public right-of-way
Triggered for the larger ADU builds. Adds 30-60 days.
Local processing time
45-60 days for non-Coastal ADUs (state-mandated 60-day clock)
Pre-approved standard plans
Santa Monica maintains an internal standard-ADU-plan-check checklist (not a free standard plan, but a streamlined-review path)
Drawings you'll need to submit
Type your address. See if you can build an ADU, what kind, and exactly how to permit it.
- Site plan (parcel layout + setbacks)
- Proposed floor plan
- Elevations (each side)
- Title 24 CF1R energy compliance
PermitPathLA generates the site plan free from your Santa Monica address. The other drawings come from your architect or plan firm — we list pre-approved options in the wizard.
Santa Monica watch-outs for ADU
Overlays that hit a meaningful share of Santa Monica lots
California Coastal Zone~25% of parcels
Coastal-side parcels (west of Ocean Avenue + parts of Ocean Park) require a Coastal Development Permit. Adds 3-9 months and $1K-$3K.
Ocean Park Historic Resources~10% of parcels
Mid-1900s bungalow blocks in Ocean Park face design-review compatibility rules for exterior-visible ADUs.
Wilshire/4th-Street Tsunami-Inundation Zone~15% of parcels
Building codes for ocean-proximate ground-floor spaces. Doesn't typically block ADU permits but does affect foundation + utility placement.
Local quirks
Coastal Development Permit timing dominates the schedule, not plan check
Santa Monica's 45-day plan check is usually fast. The schedule risk is the Coastal Development Permit (CDP) — 3-6 months on its own, plus a 49-day appeal window where the California Coastal Commission can pull jurisdiction. Plan your construction start around the CDP, not the building permit.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified school fees apply
SMMUSD charges school facility fees on ADUs over 500 sqft. Around $4.79/sqft on the residential rate.
Lot widths in Ocean Park are tight
Ocean Park bungalow blocks have lots that are often 35-40 ft wide. After 4 ft side setbacks and the primary house, ADU placement gets creative. Attached or above-garage Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs) are usually the only feasible option.
Santa Monica's standard-ADU-plan-check path is faster than full design review
If your ADU is under 800 sqft, single-story, and meets standard setbacks, Santa Monica has a streamlined plan-check path that skips full architectural review. Worth asking the permit counter about — many homeowners design just outside the threshold by accident.
Run your Santa Monica address through the wizard
We pull your parcel polygon from county GIS, apply Santa Monica ordinance + state baseline rules, generate the site plan, and walk you through the Santa Monica Community Development Department submittal. Free, no signup.