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LotlineADU permit guides

City notesLos Angeles County, California

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.

At a glance

14 days
to file an appeal, in calendar days1
15 business days
for the completeness determination1
60 business days
for the whole appeal, both levels1

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, side by side

Where the two say the same thing, and where they differ.

Completeness review

California statute

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

Los Angeles County

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

California statute

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

Los Angeles County

The memo defines business days as all days except Saturdays, Sundays and official state holidays.1

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

California statute

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

Los Angeles County

The County's 60-calendar-day period for approval or denial begins on the day a complete application is received.1

Appeal decision

California statute

The agency must issue a final written determination on the appeal within 60 business days of receiving it.2

Los Angeles County

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

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

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.

Common questions

Do these rules apply inside the City of Los Angeles?

No. The memo is addressed to the County's Regional Planning staff1 and covers unincorporated areas. For the city, see 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.

Keep reading

About this page

Written by
The Lotline Editorial Team. Editorial policy
Where it comes from
We wrote this from material published by Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning and California Legislative Information. You'll find each document, and the part we used, under References below.
How it was checked
Before publishing, we checked each statement against the original wording of its source. How we work
Last reviewed
. Rules and city procedures change, so confirm current requirements with your permitting agency.
Corrections
Email support@lotlinepermits.com. We check every report against the document and fix what is wrong.

References

  1. 1Accessory Dwelling Units: Senate Bill 543 and Assembly Bill 1154 (memo to staff)Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning. Dated December 30, 2025. Read on November 10, 2026.Cited: page 1; page 2, Measuring Floor Area; page 2, Owner-Occupancy Requirement for JADUs; page 1, footnote 1; page 1, header; page 2.
  2. 2California Government Code, Title 7, Division 1, Chapter 13, Article 2 (Sections 66314 to 66331)California Legislative Information. Read on November 10, 2026.Cited: § 66317(a)(2)(A); § 66317(a)(3); § 66317(d)(2).

General information, not legal advice. Read the disclaimer.