ADU rules in Los Angeles

A detached ADU 'shall be approved if in compliance with all of the provisions provided in Paragraphs (c) and (d)' of LAMC 12.22 A.33: up to 1,200 sq ft, no more than two stories, and generally not between the home and the front street. Movable Tiny Houses also count as detached ADUs under Paragraph (f). State-exempt detached units run in parallel under Gov. Code 66323: one new detached ADU of up to 800 sq ft on a single-family lot, or up to eight detached ADUs (not exceeding the number of existing units) on a lot with an existing multifamily building and two on a lot with a proposed one. On lots in both a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and a Hillside Area the codified text bars ordinance ADUs unless exceptions are met (see caveats).

An attached ADU 'shall be approved if in compliance with all of the provisions provided in Paragraphs (c) and (e)'; it may be attached to or completely contained within an existing or proposed dwelling. State-exempt conversions under Gov. Code 66323(a)(1) (inside the space of a single-family home or an accessory structure, plus up to 150 sq ft for ingress and egress) and ADUs in non-livable space of existing multifamily buildings (at least one, up to 25 percent of the units) under 66323(a)(3) are also approved ministerially.

The codified text reads: 'The Floor Area for a detached ADU shall not exceed 1,200 square feet' and, for attached units, 'the Floor Area of an attached ADU may not exceed 50 percent of the existing primary dwelling', with 850 and 1,000 sq ft protected minimums. Lot-wide floor area, coverage and open space limits apply separately but can never preclude an 800 sq ft, 16-foot ADU with 4-foot side and rear setbacks (12.22 A.33(c)(1)(iii)); since 1-1-2026 state law measures those floors in interior livable space (Gov. Code 66321(b)). State-exempt units carry their own limits: 800 sq ft for the new detached unit on a single-family lot, while ZA Memo 143 Table 1 lists no square-footage cap at all for the up-to-eight detached units on multifamily lots under 66323(a)(4). JADUs max 500 sq ft.

LAMC 12.22 A.33 imposes no owner-occupancy requirement, and Gov. Code 66315 bars one: no standard beyond 66314 may be imposed, 'including an owner-occupant requirement'. ZA Memo 143 Rev. 1 sec. III.B confirms this for Los Angeles. JADUs differ: since 1-1-2026 Gov. Code 66333(b) requires owner occupancy (owner in the main home or the JADU) only when the JADU shares sanitation facilities with the house, and never when it has its own bathroom; a recorded deed restriction barring separate sale is still required. ZA Memo 143 Rev. 1 (August 2025) still describes JADU owner occupancy as universal, which the amended statute overrides.

LAMC 12.22 A.33(c)(12)(i): 'One parking space is required for an ADU, except that no parking is required' in the listed cases; tandem parking and parking in yard areas are allowed. Gov. Code 66322(a) adds two more state waivers the city applies (ZA Memo 143 Table 1 note 9): when on-street permits are required but not offered to the ADU occupant, and when the ADU is permitted together with a new single-family or multifamily dwelling. State-exempt ADUs under Gov. Code 66323 and JADUs require no parking. The codified extra space for ordinance ADUs in fire-and-hillside areas (12.22 A.33(c)(4)(ii)(b)) is not enforced per ZA Memo 143 Q.42.

Ministerial: a compliant ADU 'shall not require a discretionary planning approval' and is 'reviewed in a ministerial and administrative manner, limited to only considering the project's compliance with the applicable objective standards' (12.22 A.33(c)(2)). Permits issue through LADBS plan check. State law now requires a completeness determination within 15 business days and approval or denial within 60 days of a complete application (Gov. Code 66317). Even in the coastal zone the city holds no public hearing for ADU coastal development permits (12.22 A.33(k)).

12.22 A.33(h)(3): 'ADUs and JADUs may be rented but shall not be sold separate from the existing or proposed dwelling unit on the same lot. Movable Tiny Houses may be sold when removed from the lot.' The city ordinance sets no minimum lease term for ordinance ADUs (Gov. Code 66315 would allow terms of 30 days or longer), but since 1-1-2026 state law itself requires rentals longer than 30 days for units built under 66323 (66323(e)) and for JADUs (66333(g)). The home-sharing bar in 12.22 A.32(d)(4) is repeated for Chapter 1A areas in its Article 5 home-sharing standard. The city has not opted into Gov. Code 66342 ADU condominium sales; the pending Missing Middle LA ordinances propose to.