Stevenson Ranch · ADU permits
ADU permits in Stevenson Ranch
How to build a ADU in Stevenson Ranch: permit pathway through LA County Public Works (Building & Safety), drawings required, local watch-outs, and a free address-level wizard for your Stevenson Ranch lot.
Stevenson Ranch context
Stevenson Ranch is unincorporated despite immediately adjoining Santa Clarita city limits. Permits run through LA County DPW Building & Safety at the Santa Clarita field office via EPIC-LA. Most parcels are inside master-association HOAs that layer architectural review on top of LA County's permit process. Western foothill parcels sit in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) — Chapter 7A construction required.
- Permit agency
- LA County Public Works (Building & Safety)
- Median lot size
- 7,400 sqft
- ADU permits issued (2025)
- 61Source: HCD 2025 total (1,278) distributed proportionally across 2024 per-area shares. 2024: 70.
Stevenson Ranch ADU ordinance
Verified against LA County Public Works (Building & Safety)'s published ordinance on 2026-04-15. 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)
Permitting agency
LA County Public Works (Building & Safety), Santa Clarita field office
Not Santa Clarita city. EPIC-LA portal.
Fire-hazard construction
Chapter 7A required on VHFHSZ parcels (western foothills)
Local processing time
60 days from complete submittal (state-mandated)
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 Stevenson Ranch address. The other drawings come from your architect or plan firm — we list pre-approved options in the wizard.
Stevenson Ranch watch-outs for ADU
Overlays that hit a meaningful share of Stevenson Ranch lots
Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ)~35% of parcels
Western foothill parcels. Chapter 7A construction + defensible space at final.
Master-association HOA architectural review~85% of parcels
Most parcels in master-association HOAs with architectural review on exterior changes.
Local quirks
HOA architectural review is layered on top of LA County permits
Almost every Stevenson Ranch parcel is in a master-association HOA. The HOA's architectural review layers on top of LA County's permit process. Get HOA scoping done before drafting plans.
Don't file with Santa Clarita city — it's LA County
Stevenson Ranch residents often default to Santa Clarita city for permits, then have to restart with LA County. Verify your parcel's jurisdiction.
Six Flags Magic Mountain rental-market context
Six Flags Magic Mountain is immediately west of Stevenson Ranch. Short-term rental (STR) ADU economics here are stronger than mid-SCV averages — but most master-association HOAs prohibit STRs. Verify CC&Rs.
Run your Stevenson Ranch address through the wizard
We pull your parcel polygon from county GIS, apply Stevenson Ranch ordinance + state baseline rules, generate the site plan, and walk you through the LA County Public Works (Building & Safety) submittal. Free, no signup.