Find the Correct Los Angeles-Area ADU Permit Guide

This page sorts ADU guides by permit office. The website does not have a local office in each place listed. A company may not have room for every job. That can be checked only after the address and project are known.

City of Los Angeles

The main guides focus on projects in the City of Los Angeles. Los Angeles City Planning posts the City’s adopted ADU rules. LADBS handles building details and plan review. Do not treat a draft quote or another city’s program as a current City rule.

Start with ADU property check, then use the project-type guide for detached, garage-conversion, attached or junior ADU work.

Los Angeles County does not have one ADU permit office

Los Angeles County contains many cities and unincorporated areas. LA County Planning’s ADU guidance applies to unincorporated County land. It does not replace the current rules for the City of Los Angeles or another city.

Use the Los Angeles County city and county guide to confirm the permit office. Then review program, coastal, historic, fire and utility details.

Researched city guides

Long Beach

The Long Beach ADU guide covers how the City now uses state ADU law. It also covers the shift in pre-approved plans, historic and coastal review, and current filing steps. These facts apply to Long Beach.

Pasadena

The Pasadena ADU guide covers the City’s meeting option and the 2026 status of older standard plans. It also explains historic-site review and the rules for a City loan program.

West Hollywood

The West Hollywood ADU guide tests the City’s free pre-approved plan against a small site. It also explains the two water areas and the local power utility.

What if your city has no guide here?

This site does not have a separate guide for every city in Los Angeles County. That does not determine whether an ADU is possible or whether a company can serve the property.

For Culver City, Glendale, Burbank, Santa Monica, Torrance, Inglewood, Beverly Hills, San Fernando or another unlisted city, confirm the jurisdiction from the parcel address. Then use that city or county’s current ADU and permit pages and ask any company to confirm service for the exact address.

Use the Los Angeles California ADU cost guide to compare the same work across locations. Keep each city or utility charge as a separate line item.

Company coverage is a different gate

Public contractor websites say some Los Angeles-area ADU firms work in many County cities. Those claims do not prove current capacity, license status or fit for a project.

Before an introduction, confirm the facts below.

• exact address and city or county;
• project type, approximate work and budget stage;
• current service radius and scheduling capacity;
• contracting entity and CSLB record; and
• whether the company handles the relevant design, permit and utility path.

No location page should imply that an owner has been matched until that check occurs.

What to prepare for a location check

Provide the address, or at least the city and ZIP code. Add the current property type, ADU type and rough size goal. Describe driveway or side access and known utilities. Include any survey or plans. Note a hillside, historic area, coast, fire history or unincorporated address if known.

Do not send sensitive financial records, identification documents or tenant details through an initial web inquiry.