The Los Angeles ADU Law

New home construction collapsed after the Great Recession and never fully recovered, falling from 150,000 units per year to under 70,000. The result is a nationwide housing shortage of 3.8M entry level homes. Because of such limited supply, in just the last decade, single family home prices have risen more than 100%.

To spur new housing construction, California introduced a bill in 2019 allowing homeowners to put an ADU, or accessory dwelling unit, in their backyard. In the bill, cities were explicitly prohibited from restricting ADUs, and in fact were required to approve new applications within 60 days. This changing landscape has opened up enticing opportunities for home owners and real estate investors. A property with one rental unit could now add another, doubling rental income while increasing housing supply.

Downtown Los Angeles

Just a few years later in 2023, cities like Los Angeles further expanded on California’s ADU law. The Los Angeles city Planning Department believed that tiny homes should be allowed, no matter on a permanent foundation or on wheels, and thus created a new set of guidelines.

In Los Angeles city, tiny homes on wheels, or “movable tiny homes,” may be permitted as backyard ADUs so long as they meet the following requirements:

• They meet either ANSI 119.5 or NFPA 1192 codes for RV safety.

• They are registered with the California DMV.

• They are towable and non-motorized.

• They are between 150-430 square feet.

They also must contain no wall tip-outs or slide-outs, have a slight roof pitch, and must connect to permanent plumbing and electrical lines. You can find the full list of requirements here.

If you are thinking about putting an ADU in your backyard, feel free to leave your address and contact information here, and we can help you read into local permitting requirements.

Thank you for your interest in building more housing!