Know the rules and regulations that you need to follow while building an ADU unit on your property
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is a separate house built on your property that you can use for your parents or caretakers of your house. Moreover, you can use this place for recreational purposes. When your guests visit you, they can stay with you comfortably if you have an ADU unit on your property.
You can visit Done Right Home Remodeling Los Angeles site to check out our home remodeling services. You can contact us to hire our skilled ADU builders to build your dream ADU without any hassles. Moreover, our ADU experts will make you understand the ADU ordinance in Los Angeles abiding by which you can build an ADU on your property. So, let us know the basic rules that you should follow to build an ADU in Los Angeles. ADUs can be of two types such as attached ADU and detached ADU. You have different rules for both of these accommodations.
ADU Rules and Regulations in Los Angeles:
Rules for attached ADU
Attached ADU is a built-in unit of your house that is attached to the main residential unit. You can build an attached ADU on the first floor of your existing house. Let us know the rules you need to follow while building such a unit.
Convert your Garage into an ADU
You can build an ADU by converting your existing garage by adding a bedroom, a kitchen unit, and a bathroom to it.
Build an ADU on the first floor
You can build an attached ADU by converting the existing basement or attic into your main residence.
Rules for detached ADU
Detached ADU is a separate house that has a bedroom, a kitchen unit, and a bathroom in it. It is not attached to the main residential unit. It can be built within a minimum distance of 4 feet from your main dwelling unit. It can be used as an office, guest house, or a dwelling unit for your parents. Moreover, your caretakers can reside in it.
- If your house fits the Los Angeles ADU ordinance, then you are eligible to build an ADU on your property. This ordinance is a set of regulations by the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning that allows you to build an ADU on your property.
- According to the state law, ADUs are allowed for the zone codes: R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-A, A-1, and A-2. This is also applicable to a zone where the law allows a single-family residence on a particular property.
- ADUs are allowed on residential property where a single-family residence is there. The minimum size for an ADU unit is 150 square feet and the maximum size allowed for an ADU is 1,200 square feet. Basically, an attached ADU should not exceed the half measurement of the main residential unit. However, this is not applicable for detached ones. You can build a detached ADU with a maximum measurement of 1,200 square feet as per the rules.
- You can build only a single ADU unit for a residential property.
- You should build an ADU that is 200 feet away from publicly dedicated open space to avoid fire hazards. In a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, there should be two forms of paved highway access that measure a minimum of 24 feet in width.
- ADU should not violate the neighborhood rules.
- A house owner does not need to stay on the property to build an ADU on it. However, there should be a main residential unit, which will qualify for building an ADU on that property.
- You can rent your ADU to tenants if you want. This will work as an additional income for you. You can also give your main residential unit for rent, which will help you to pay the construction costs or loans if you have taken any for building your house
Know the parking rules:
There are also some parking rules that you need to follow if you are building an ADU on your property.
- The property should not be situated in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.
- There should be a provision for car share on the same block.
- Your locality comes under the category of architecturally and historically significant area.
- If you want to put a parking lot in your ADU then you can include two covered parking spaces that measure 8 ½ ft. x 18 ft. You should not use the corner or side yards for parking your vehicles.
Conclusion:
ADU can be a good idea if you are searching for space solutions for your home. You can also use this place as your office during a pandemic time. Moreover, this place can be used as a dwelling unit for your guests and also a separate dwelling unit for your aged parents. However, you need to abide by the rules if you want to build an ADU on your property so that you do not fall prey to legal hassles in the future. You can take the help of our experts to understand the ADU ordinance completely. They will guide you with all the required information.