SNA Remodeling Hollywood has built single-family ADUs across Los Angeles since the 2020 law changes took effect.
What Single-Family Homeowners in Los Angeles Can Actually Build Today
A single-family lot in Los Angeles can now legally include a full accessory dwelling unit.
That was not true ten years ago. It is true now. California passed a series of ADU laws beginning in 2020 that fundamentally changed what R1 lots can legally hold. R1 zoning is the residential category that covers most single-family neighborhoods.
Under current law, most R1-zoned lots in Los Angeles are eligible for at least one ADU. Many qualify for two: a standard ADU plus a Junior ADU, or JADU. A JADU - Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit - is a smaller unit, capped at 500 square feet, built within the existing footprint of the home.
What does "accessory dwelling unit" mean here? It means a self-contained living space - with its own entrance, kitchen, and bathroom - on the same lot as the primary home. It can be attached, detached, or converted from existing structure.
The key word is self-contained. An ADU is not a room addition. It is a separate dwelling unit that can be occupied independently. That distinction matters for rental income, multigenerational living, and long-term property value.
SNA Remodeling Hollywood builds ADUs for single-family zones across Los Angeles. Every project starts with understanding what that specific lot can hold under the rules that apply today.
How Los Angeles R1 Neighborhoods Changed After 2020
California's 2020 ADU legislation made single-family ADU construction legal statewide - including on lots that were previously off-limits.
Several state bills drove that shift. AB 68 eliminated local minimum lot size requirements for ADUs. AB 2221 streamlined height limits and setback rules - setbacks are the minimum distances a structure must sit from property lines. SB 9 went further, allowing lot splits on some single-family parcels.
Los Angeles implemented these changes through local ordinance updates. The result: an R1 lot in a neighborhood like Silver Lake or Culver City that previously couldn't add a second unit now almost certainly can.
The 2020 rule changes also limited what local governments could say no to. Cities - including Los Angeles - can no longer deny ADU permits solely on the basis of owner-occupancy for most project types. Parking concerns can't sink a compliant project in most cases, either.
SNA Remodeling Hollywood has been building in these neighborhoods since the law changed. The 90046 zip code sits in the heart of this shift - and that local knowledge shapes how we read every site.
A Lot That Looks Restricted Often Has More Room Than the Owner Thinks
Setback requirements and lot coverage rules often leave more buildable space than homeowners expect.
A call we often get at SNA Remodeling Hollywood goes something like this. I'm Liam Harris, and I've had this conversation more than once. A homeowner in West Hollywood or Hollywood Hills calls and says their lot is too small. They've already decided the answer is no. They haven't measured it against current code.
We start the same way every time. We look at the actual lot dimensions. We check the current setback requirements - under California's 2020 law, a detached ADU can sit as close as four feet from the rear and side property lines in most cases. That is a meaningful change from older local rules.
Then we look at lot coverage. Lot coverage is the percentage of a lot's total area that structures - including the ADU - can legally occupy. A 6,000-square-foot lot with an existing home covering 35% of the lot may still have substantial buildable ground.
Then there's height. AB 2221 updated ADU height limits to allow up to 18 feet in some configurations - 25 feet if within a half-mile of a major transit stop. Los Angeles has a lot of transit corridors.
What we find, consistently, is that the lot has more options than the owner assumed. Not every lot qualifies for every configuration. Very few R1 lots in Los Angeles are truly unbuildable under current law. The review is where you find out. That review is the first thing we do.
Your Property Gets a Full Legal Review Before Any Plans Are Drawn
Every single-family ADU project at SNA Remodeling Hollywood begins with a site review tied to current California ADU law and Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety requirements.
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety - commonly called LADBS - is the local authority that issues ADU permits. Every compliant project moves through LADBS. Knowing what that office requires for a given lot type is part of what makes a site review useful.
Before a single line is drawn, we identify the specific rules that apply to your property. That includes setbacks, lot coverage limits, allowable unit size, and height restrictions. It also includes whether a deed restriction will apply. A deed restriction is a recorded legal document that, on some single-family ADU projects, confirms owner-occupancy status on the primary residence.
You don't need to come to us with this information sorted out. That's the point of the review. You come to us with an address. We come back with a clear picture of what the lot can legally support.
No guessing. No assumptions built on expired rules.
How We Move a Single-Family ADU From Site Check to Permitted Build
SNA Remodeling Hollywood follows a consistent, documented process from first site review to final permitted construction.
Our standards for every single-family ADU project:
- Site review tied to current code.We check your lot against the actual rules in effect - not general estimates.
- Design coordinated with LADBS requirements.Floor plans are built to meet what the city will approve, not revised after the fact.
- Permit-ready documentation.Every submission to LADBS is prepared with complete supporting drawings and site data.
- Material selection matched to the project type.Detached builds, garage conversions, and JADU carve-outs each have different structural and finish requirements. We treat them differently.
- Single crew accountability.One team handles your project from framing through finish. No handoff gaps.
- Inspection coordination.We schedule and attend required LADBS inspections at each phase of the build.
An ADU on a single-family lot isn't complex in terms of scale. The regulatory process adds steps that don't exist in a standard room addition. Our process is built around those steps, not bolted on afterward.
What Happens on Your Lot, Step by Step
The process for building an ADU on a single-family lot in Los Angeles follows a clear sequence - every phase has a defined purpose.
Site Assessment and Code Review
We begin with your property. We review lot dimensions, existing coverage, current setbacks, and the zoning designation to confirm eligibility under California ADU law. This step tells us what's buildable before design begins. It also surfaces any site-specific conditions - slope, utility access, existing structures - that affect the build approach.
For lots in the 90046 zip code and across the wider Los Angeles basin, this review accounts for local LADBS processing requirements, not just state law minimums.
Design and Permit Submission
Once the site review confirms the scope, design work begins. For a single-family ADU, that means floor plans, elevations, and site plans scaled to LADBS submission standards. We prepare the complete permit package and submit it directly to LADBS. We track the application through the review cycle and respond to any plan-check comments.
If your project includes a JADU alongside a full ADU, both are permitted through the same submission process - but each has distinct plan requirements. We handle both in one coordinated package.
Construction and Final Inspection
Construction follows approved plans. Framing, mechanical rough-in, insulation, drywall, finishes - each phase is sequenced to meet inspection checkpoints. We coordinate LADBS inspections throughout the build. The project closes with a final inspection and a Certificate of Occupancy - the document that makes the unit legally habitable and rentable.
That certificate is the finish line. Everything we do between site review and final inspection is designed to reach it cleanly.
Single-Family ADU Construction Across Greater Los Angeles
SNA Remodeling Hollywood serves R1-zoned neighborhoods across Los Angeles and the surrounding region.
We build single-family ADUs throughout Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Silver Lake, Culver City, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Inglewood, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Van Nuys, Torrance, Long Beach, and beyond - reaching into the San Fernando Valley, the South Bay, the San Gabriel Valley, and the Inland Empire.
If your single-family lot is in the Greater Los Angeles area, it falls within our active service zone.
Ready to See What Your Lot Can Support?
A site review is the fastest way to move from uncertainty to a real answer.
If you own a single-family lot in Los Angeles and want to know what California ADU law allows you to build, start with a conversation. SNA Remodeling Hollywood reviews your property against current code and gives you a clear picture of your options.
Call us at 323-761-0179 or email info@snaremodeling.com. You can also reach us at 1433 N Martel Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046.
