A backyard ADU starts with a feasibility review — not a floor plan.
Detached ADU Construction in Los Angeles — New Build in Your Backyard
A detached ADU is a fully independent dwelling unit — its own foundation, entrance, kitchen, bathroom, and utility connections — built on the same lot as your primary home. We manage the full project from site review through final inspection under CSLB License #1071589.
CSLB #1071589Feasibility-FirstLicensed Since 2020
A Separate Home In Your Backyard
A Detached ADU Is a Completely Separate Home Built in Your Backyard
A detached ADU — also called a backyard ADU or standalone ADU — is a fully independent dwelling unit built on the same lot as your primary home.
It has its own foundation, its own entrance, its own kitchen and bathroom, and its own utility connections. In Los Angeles, it can be rented, used for family, or eventually converted into additional income-producing property. We build detached ADUs across Greater Los Angeles under CSLB License #1071589 — managing the full project from site review through final inspection under one licensed contractor.
The Rules Aren’t The Same
Los Angeles Backyards Aren’t All the Same — and the Rules Aren’t Either
Detached ADU placement in Los Angeles depends on your specific lot, not just state law. California’s AB 2221 setback reduction — which allows detached ADUs of up to 800 square feet to sit as close as 4 feet from the rear and side property lines — applies to most lots. It doesn’t apply to all of them. That 4-foot rule is the floor, not a guarantee: hillside lots, parcels near drainage easements, and overlay zones can override the state standard.
That’s why our process starts with a site feasibility review — an assessment of your lot’s actual conditions, setbacks, utility connection points, and any easement or overlay restrictions — before a single design decision is made. Dispatching from Tarzana, we build on flat subdivision lots and hillside parcels alike across the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, and the broader LA metro. Hillside work requires additional site coordination before permit submission.
When Feasibility Gets Skipped
I’ve Seen What Happens When the Feasibility Step Gets Skipped
— Uzi Ezra, Founder & CEO, US LA Home Remodeling Inc
A few years back, I walked a property in the east Valley — a standard suburban lot, maybe 7,200 square feet, single-family home toward the front, wide open backyard. The homeowner had already paid an architect for preliminary drawings: a clean 750-square-foot detached ADU, roughly 6 feet from the rear fence. When I pulled the parcel data, I found a drainage easement running 12 feet across the rear of the property. Nobody had checked. It didn’t appear on the title report summary — it was buried in the chain of title, recorded decades earlier.
The ADU, as designed, sat directly on top of it — and under LA County requirements, you can’t build a permanent structure over a recorded easement. The design had to move forward on the lot, which shortened the backyard depth and changed the unit’s square footage. The architect redid the drawings, the application was delayed, and the homeowner absorbed the cost — because nobody ran a full site feasibility review before design started.
“We run that review first, on every detached ADU. It takes a week or two and costs far less than a redesign. By the time we start drawing, we already know exactly what the lot allows. The design gets done once.”
One Contractor Of Record
One Licensed Contractor Handles the Entire Build — Including the Permits
You don’t manage any part of the LA DBS permit process — we do it as the contractor of record. CSLB License #1071589 authorizes us to perform the full construction scope of a new ADU (foundation, framing, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical) and to file the permit application directly with LA DBS under our license number. One licensed contractor manages the permit filing, the plan check, the construction, and the inspections. If LA DBS requests corrections, we handle them; if an inspection requires a callback, we schedule it.
The permit record becomes part of your property’s permanent title history. A closed permit on a correctly built detached ADU is an asset — visible to future buyers, lenders, and appraisers. A separate address assignment through the LA Bureau of Engineering is also part of what we coordinate; if you plan to rent, a separate address is required, and we handle that application alongside the building permit so it’s ready when construction is complete.
Our Standards
Our Standards for Every Detached ADU in Los Angeles
Every detached ADU we build meets or exceeds current California Building Code requirements. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Foundation type confirmed after site review — slab, raised wood floor, or post-and-pier, by soil and slope
- AB 2221 setback compliance locked in at design — confirmed before the floor plan is finalized
- Utility connection coordination included — LADWP for electrical, Bureau of Sanitation for sewer capacity
- LA DBS pre-approved ADU plans evaluated — when applicable, eliminates architectural review and shortens plan check
- Separate address assignment handled — Bureau of Engineering application filed alongside the permit for rentals
- Single contractor of record throughout — CSLB #1071589 on every permit application, no license handoffs
How We Build
How We Build a Detached ADU in Los Angeles
The process runs in three stages — and none begin until the previous one is complete.
Site Diagnostics
Before any design, we run a full site feasibility review: parcel dimensions and confirmed AB 2221 (or zone-specific) setbacks, easement and overlay identification from county records, utility connection locations with preliminary LADWP and Bureau of Sanitation coordination, foundation-type assessment, and jurisdiction confirmation (LA DBS vs. LA County DPW). Hillside lots may require a geotechnical soils report — flagged here, not after submission.
Implementation
Design begins from the confirmed setbacks, utilities, and foundation type; where LA DBS pre-approved plans apply, we use them to shorten plan check. The application goes to LA DBS with a complete package — site plan, structural drawings, Title 24, and utility coordination — filed under CSLB #1071589. Plan check for a new build runs about 3 to 5 months; construction begins after issuance, foundation first.
Post-Service Testing
The ADU passes a sequence of LA DBS inspections — foundation, framing, rough electrical, rough plumbing, mechanical rough-in, insulation, and final — each signed off before the next. LADWP electrical connects on its own schedule, typically 4 to 8 weeks after construction. The project closes at certificate of occupancy; if a separate address was filed, it’s active at this point.
Areas We Serve
Serving Greater Los Angeles — Including These Communities
Our crews dispatch from Tarzana and reach projects throughout the San Fernando Valley — Woodland Hills, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Northridge, and Chatsworth — plus the Westside, the South Bay, the San Gabriel Valley, and communities throughout central and east Los Angeles. If your property is in LA County, contact us to confirm coverage.
Woodland HillsEncinoSherman OaksVan NuysNorthridgeChatsworthWestside LASouth BaySan Gabriel ValleyLos Angeles County
Ready to Start?
Your Backyard ADU Starts With One Call — Not a Floor Plan
The right first step is confirming what your lot actually allows — that’s the site feasibility review. It takes about a week and gives you the exact parameters your ADU needs to be designed around: setbacks, utility connections, foundation type, and any easement conditions specific to your parcel. Have your property address ready and we’ll confirm your jurisdiction and review your parcel conditions.
1-800-508-0259 · info@uslaremodeling.com · 5530 Corbin Ave, Tarzana, CA 91356
FAQ
Detached ADU Questions, Answered for LA Homeowners
How close to the property line can a detached ADU be in Los Angeles?
Under California’s AB 2221 setback reduction, detached ADUs up to 800 square feet can sit as close as 4 feet from the rear and side property lines on most lots. But that 4-foot rule is the floor, not a guarantee — hillside lots, parcels near drainage easements, and properties inside specific overlay zones can carry setback requirements that override the state standard. We confirm the applicable setbacks in the feasibility review before any floor plan is drawn.
What is a site feasibility review, and why does it come first?
It’s a property-level assessment of your lot’s actual conditions — setbacks, utility connection points, and any easement or overlay restrictions — done before a single design decision. It takes about a week or two and costs far less than a redesign. By the time we start drawing, we already know exactly what the lot allows, so the design gets done once.
Can I use Los Angeles’s pre-approved ADU plans?
Sometimes. Los Angeles offers a library of LA DBS pre-approved ADU building plans. When your project qualifies, using one eliminates the architectural drawing review step and shortens plan check time. We assess your project’s eligibility for a pre-approved plan upfront, as part of the feasibility review.
Do I need a separate address for my detached ADU?
If you plan to rent it, yes. A separate address assignment is obtained through the LA Bureau of Engineering — a separate application from the building permit. We file it alongside the building permit so the address is ready when construction is complete.
How long does a detached ADU take to permit and build?
Plan check for a detached new build currently runs approximately 3 to 5 months under LA DBS timelines. After the permit issues, construction sequences from the foundation up through final inspection, and LADWP electrical service typically connects 4 to 8 weeks after construction is finished. The project closes when LA DBS issues the certificate of occupancy.