# ADU review in unincorporated Los Angeles County

> The County hadn't amended its ADU ordinance when the 2026 state changes arrived, so its planning director told staff in a memo how to apply them. That memo is the working rulebook for unincorporated areas until the ordinance catches up.

Source: https://www.lotlinepermits.com/california/los-angeles-county/
Publisher: Lotline
Last reviewed: 2026-11-10

## Key points

- You have 14 calendar days to appeal an incompleteness finding or a denial. [1]
- The County counts its 60 calendar days from the day a complete application is received. [1]
- ADU floor area is measured as interior livable space. [1]
- A JADU with its own bathroom no longer needs an owner-occupancy covenant. [1]

## State rule and Los Angeles County practice

| Topic | California statute | Los Angeles County |
|---|---|---|
| Completeness review | The permitting agency has 15 business days from receiving an ADU application to decide whether it is complete and tell the applicant in writing. [2] | The Department has 15 business days from application submittal to give a written determination of incompleteness for any ADU or JADU application. [1] |
| What counts as a business day | The permitting agency has 15 business days from receiving an ADU application to decide whether it is complete and tell the applicant in writing. [2] | The memo defines business days as all days except Saturdays, Sundays and official state holidays. [1] Note: The statute sets the 15 business days without defining the term in this section. The County's memo supplies a definition, and separately treats Fridays as closed days for filing appeals. |
| Start of the 60 days | Where the lot already has a single-family or multifamily dwelling, the agency must approve or deny within 60 days from the date it receives a completed application. [2] | The County's 60-calendar-day period for approval or denial begins on the day a complete application is received. [1] |
| Appeal decision | The agency must issue a final written determination on the appeal within 60 business days of receiving it. [2] | One 60-business-day period covers the whole appeal, including hearings and decisions by both the Commission and the Board of Supervisors. [1] |

## Where this applies

This page is about the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, where the County's Department of Regional Planning handles ADU applications. If your address is inside an incorporated city, such as Long Beach or the City of Los Angeles, that city's rules apply instead.

## The memo, and why it matters

On December 30, 2025, the Director of Regional Planning sent staff a memo on SB 543 and AB 1154. [1] It notes that both bills were signed on October 10, 2025, and took effect on January 1, 2026. [1]

The memo states that its guidance supersedes any contrary provisions in Title 22 of the County Code and in earlier department memos. [1] The ADU Ordinance itself was to be amended through the Housing Ordinances Update, which the memo expected to be adopted during 2026. [1] We haven't confirmed whether that update has since been adopted, so ask the Department which text it is working from.

## Completeness and the 60 days

The Department has 15 business days from submittal to issue a written determination of incompleteness. [1] If it doesn't, the application is automatically deemed complete. [1] The memo adds that this new step leaves the existing 60-calendar-day decision period unchanged, and that the period begins on the day a complete application is received. [1]

## Appeals: mind the 14 days

State law requires an appeal route and sets a deadline for the agency. The County's memo adds the deadline that binds you.

- **What you can appeal:** a determination of incompleteness or a denial. [1]
- **Where and when:** in writing to the Regional Planning Commission, within 14 calendar days of the decision. [1]
- **If day 14 is a closed day:** the Department is closed for filing on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and County holidays, and the period runs to the next open day. [1]
- **Cost:** a processing fee is due on filing. [1]
- **How long it can take:** a single 60-business-day period covers everything, including any further appeal to the Board of Supervisors. [1]

> **Watch for:** Fourteen days is short. If you receive an incompleteness notice you disagree with, decide in the first week whether you are resubmitting or appealing.

## How floor area is measured

The memo reads SB 543 as tying the statute's ADU and JADU size limits to interior livable space. [1] Staff are therefore directed, notwithstanding the County Code's usual measurement rules, to treat allowable ADU floor area as the interior space intended for human habitation. [1]

> **Tip:** For a design near a size limit, this is worth a note on the plans stating the interior livable area, so the reviewer isn't left to derive it.

## Junior ADUs and the owner-occupancy covenant

The County Code asks JADU applicants to record a covenant. According to the memo, AB 1154 removes the owner-occupancy requirement for JADUs that don't share sanitation facilities with the main house. [1] A covenant for a JADU with its own separate bathroom is no longer to include an owner-occupancy term. [1]

## Our read

The County has been unusually clear about how it is applying the 2026 changes, and the memo is short enough to read in full before a counter visit. The two points most likely to catch an applicant are the 14-day appeal window and the fact that a staff memo, and not yet the published ordinance, is what governs.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do these rules apply inside the City of Los Angeles?

No. The memo is addressed to the County's Regional Planning staff [1] and covers unincorporated areas. For the city, see [which rules apply right now](https://www.lotlinepermits.com/california/los-angeles/#which-rules-apply-right-now).

### How long do I have to appeal in LA County?

Fourteen calendar days from the decision, in writing, to the Regional Planning Commission. [1]

### Does a junior ADU still need an owner-occupancy covenant?

Not where the junior ADU has its own separate sanitation facilities. [1] The City of Los Angeles's older memo says otherwise; see [junior ADUs in Los Angeles](https://www.lotlinepermits.com/california/los-angeles/#junior-adus).

## References

1. Accessory Dwelling Units: Senate Bill 543 and Assembly Bill 1154 (memo to staff). Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning. https://planning.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ADU_memo_sb543_ab1154.pdf (read 2026-11-10)
2. California Government Code, Title 7, Division 1, Chapter 13, Article 2 (Sections 66314 to 66331). California Legislative Information. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&division=1.&title=7.&part=&chapter=13.&article=2. (read 2026-11-10)

General information only, not legal advice. See https://www.lotlinepermits.com/disclaimer/