993 is the number of ADU permits LADBS issued in the Van Nuys neighborhood council area from 2020 to now. Only 2 other areas in our data of 236 have more. Van Nuys is in council district 6.
| Year | Permits issued |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 103 |
| 2021 | 122 |
| 2022 | 175 |
| 2023 | 144 |
| 2024 | 179 |
| 2025 | 170 |
| 2026 (partial) | 100 |
The busiest year so far is 2024 at 179. 2026 will not be comparable until the year is over.
Types of permit
| Type | Permits | Median size | Median declared valuation | Median per sq ft | Days to permit | Days permit to CofO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New detached or new construction | 223 | 1,100 sq ft | $125,000 | $111 | 201 | 371 |
| Garage or space conversion | 615 | 565 sq ft | $50,000 | $88 | 131 | 335 |
| JADU | 119 | 373 sq ft | $35,000 | $98 | 87 | 262 |
| All ADU permits | 993 | 639 sq ft | $60,000 | $100 | 140 | 335 |
The last two columns are days. 62 percent of Van Nuys permits are conversions; 22 percent are new units.
Larger than the city norm
Units here run large. The median permit is 639 square feet, compared with 558 citywide, and conversions here run 565 square feet against 496 for the whole city. New construction has a median of 1,100 square feet, versus 813.
Median time from submission to permit is 140 days here, below the citywide 154. After the permit, the median is 335 days to a CofO, versus 368 for the city. Declared valuation is the same as the citywide median at $60,000.
If you are thinking about turning an existing garage into living space, which is the most common route in the area, start with the conversion comparison. The agency that issues every one of these permits is LADBS, and its steps are described in the permit process guide.
Citywide medians for reference
All ADU permits in the city: $60,000 declared, 558 square feet, $105 per square foot, 154 days to permit and 368 more to CofO. For Van Nuys: $60,000, 639 square feet, $100, 140 days and 335 days.
Finished versus in progress
A CofO is on record for 671 of the 993 permits, which is 68 percent. The timing medians draw only on those. New units: 146 of 223 (65 percent) have a CofO, so treat their post-permit figure as a looser guide than the conversion one (430 of 615).
Where the numbers come from
This page counts a permit as an ADU when its ADU flags or description say so, and ignores supplemental permits. Valuation means the value declared by the applicant on the permit, which is not what the whole project costs; design, fees, utilities and finishes frequently sit outside it. Durations are medians, only for permits that got as far as each step. 2026 is a partial year. LADBS Building Permits Issued 2020 to Present, data.lacity.org dataset pi9x-tg5x (City of Los Angeles only), our analysis, November 2026.
Next steps
Work out a budget with the ADU cost guide, set expectations with how long an ADU takes, and before signing anything read how to check an ADU builder's CSLB license.
