City · California

ADU rules in Los Angeles

4 sources

These are the primary sources for accessory dwelling unit regulations in Los Angeles: the city's own zoning code, planning department pages, and permit guides. Start here before talking to anyone: the rules below are what your permit reviewer will apply.

Rules at a glance

Detached (backyard) ADU

Allowed

A detached ADU shall be approved if it complies with the general standards in Paragraph (c) and the detached standards in Paragraph (d) (max 1,200 sq ft, max 2 stories, generally not between the dwelling and the front street). Movable Tiny Houses are also allowed as detached ADUs under Paragraph (f). Additional detached state ADU options exist under Gov. Code 66323(a)(2) and (a)(4).

LAMC 12.22 A.33(b)(1), (d), (f)

Attached or internal ADU

Allowed

An attached ADU shall be approved if it complies with Paragraphs (c) and (e); it can be attached to or completely contained within an existing or proposed dwelling. Conversion-based state ADUs (within an existing single-family dwelling or accessory structure, plus up to 150 sq ft for ingress/egress) are approved under Gov. Code 66323(a)(1).

LAMC 12.22 A.33(b)(2), (e)

Maximum size

1,200 sq ft (detached, also capped at 2 stories); attached capped at 50% of the existing primary dwelling's floor area, but an attached ADU under 850 sq ft (under 1,000 sq ft with more than one bedroom) is always allowed; no 50% cap when the ADU is attached to a new dwelling

Lot-wide floor area limits apply separately but cannot preclude at least an 800 sq ft, 16-foot-tall ADU with 4-foot side/rear setbacks (12.22 A.33(c)(1)(iii)). State-law ADU types under Gov. Code 66323 carry their own limits (e.g., 800 sq ft for the detached state ADU on a single-family lot). JADUs max 500 sq ft.

LAMC 12.22 A.33(d)(1), (d)(2), (e)(1), (e)(3), (c)(1)(iii)

Owner occupancy

Not required

LAMC 12.22 A.33 imposes no owner-occupancy requirement for ADUs, and state law forbids one: Gov. Code 66315 (AB 976, made permanent in 2023) bars any owner-occupant requirement for ADUs, as ZA Memo 143 Rev 1 sec. IV.B confirms for LA. JADUs are different: state law (Gov. Code 66333) requires owner occupancy with a recorded deed restriction unless the owner is a government agency, land trust, or housing organization.

Cal. Gov. Code 66315; LAMC 12.22 A.33 (no requirement in text); ZA Memo 143 Rev 1 sec. IV.B

Extra parking

1 space per ADU, but waived if within 1/2 mile walking distance of public transit, within one block of a car-share location, in a designated historic district, or if the ADU is part of the proposed or existing primary residence or an accessory structure; no replacement parking when a garage or carport is demolished or converted for the ADU

Tandem parking and parking in setback areas are allowed. ZA Memo 143 Rev 1 (Table 1 n.9, citing Gov. Code 66322) adds two more state-law waivers: 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 ADU types under Gov. Code 66323 and JADUs require no parking at all.

LAMC 12.22 A.33(c)(12)(i)-(iii); ZA Memo 143 Rev 1 Q.15 and Table 1

Approval process

Permitted use

Ministerial: a compliant ADU 'shall not require a discretionary planning approval' and is reviewed administratively against objective standards only, with action required within 60 days of a complete application when a dwelling exists on the lot. Permits issue through LADBS. Even in the coastal zone the city holds no public hearing for ADU coastal development permits (12.22 A.33(k)).

LAMC 12.22 A.33(c)(2)

Rental restrictions

ADUs may be rented but not sold separately from the primary dwelling. Short-term rental is effectively barred for most ADUs: under the Home-Sharing Ordinance (LAMC 12.22 A.32(d)(4)), an ADU whose building permit application was submitted on or after January 1, 2017 may not be used for home-sharing unless the applicant demonstrates the ADU is their primary residence; home-sharing itself is limited to a host's primary residence and 120 days/year without extended registration.

The ADU ordinance sets no minimum lease term; state law (Gov. Code 66315) lets the city require terms of 30 days or longer, and the citywide STR framework is the operative constraint. Movable Tiny Houses may be sold, but only when removed from the lot.

LAMC 12.22 A.33(h)(3); LAMC 12.22 A.32(d)(3)-(4) (Ord. 185,931)

The fine print: 7 caveats that can change the picture

The codified ordinance text dates to 2019 (Ord. 186,481) and is partially superseded by later state law (Gov. Code 66310-66342, recodified by SB 477 in 2024). ZA Memo 143 Revision 1 (Aug 1, 2025) is the operative implementation document; where the memo and the codified text conflict, the memo (following state law) governs.
Fire-zone gate: LAMC 12.22 A.33(c)(4) prohibits ADUs on lots that are in both a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and a Hillside Area unless exceptions are met (certain community plan areas, or sprinklers plus one parking space plus a 20-foot roadway). ZA Memo 143 Rev 1 Q.42 states this restriction is not enforced against state ADU types under Gov. Code 66323, and that the sprinkler and parking conditions conflict with current state law even for ordinance ADUs.
The 1,200 sq ft detached cap and the 50% attached cap are the local ordinance path; state-law ADU types under Gov. Code 66323 (conversions, one 800 sq ft detached ADU per single-family lot, up to 25% of units within existing multifamily buildings, up to 8 detached ADUs on existing multifamily lots, 2 on lots with proposed multifamily) run in parallel and are exempt from local development standards.
Heights beyond the codified text now apply per state law and the memo: 16 feet base for detached state ADUs, 18 feet within a half mile of a major transit stop (plus 2 feet to match the primary dwelling's roof pitch), up to 25 feet for attached ADUs subject to zone limits.
Lot-wide floor area, lot coverage, and open space limits still apply to ordinance ADUs but can never preclude an 800 sq ft, 16-foot ADU with 4-foot side/rear setbacks.
Los Angeles also allows Movable Tiny Houses as ADUs (one per lot, design standards in 12.22 A.33(f)), which most cities do not.
In the coastal zone, the California Coastal Act still applies and a coastal development permit may be required, though without a public hearing (12.22 A.33(k)).

Summarized from Los Angeles's ordinance text, read July 2026; every row links the code section it came from. Rules often vary by zone and lot, so treat this as orientation, not a permit determination, and confirm with the planning department before you commit to a design.

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California statewide law also applies

California sets baseline ADU rights at the state level. Where local rules are stricter than state law allows, state law usually wins, so both are worth reading.

See California statewide rules

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