The short version
- The City of Los Angeles issued 41,450 ADU permits from 2020 through early November 2026 in the data we analyzed.
- The typical ADU permit lists about 558 square feet and a declared valuation of $60,000, or about $105 per square foot.
- The typical permit took 154 days from submission to issue, and 368 more days to reach a certificate of occupancy (CofO) for permits that got that far.
- Declared valuation is not what an ADU costs to build. Read the limits section before you use any figure here.
Where the numbers come from
Every figure on this page comes from the LADBS "Building Permits Issued 2020 to Present" dataset on the city's open data portal (dataset pi9x-tg5x), which covers the City of Los Angeles only. We identified ADU permits by the permit's ADU flags and descriptions, dropped supplemental permits, and ended with 41,450 permits. All values below are medians, which means half of the permits fall above the number and half below. Our analysis, November 2026. For what an ADU project really involves, see ADU cost in Los Angeles and the ADU timeline guide.
Citywide totals
| Measure | Citywide median or count |
|---|---|
| ADU permits issued | 41,450 |
| Permits that reached a CofO | 26,170 |
| Size on the permit | 558 sq ft |
| Declared valuation | $60,000 |
| Declared valuation per sq ft | $105 |
| Days from submission to permit issue | 154 |
| Days from permit issue to CofO | 368 |
About 63 percent of permits in the data show a CofO. Recent permits have not had time to finish.
By year
| Year | Permits | Median sq ft | Median declared value | Value per sq ft | Days to permit | Days permit to CofO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3,422 | 500 | $37,000 | $81 | 124 | 397 |
| 2021 | 5,148 | 500 | $45,000 | $97 | 180 | 428 |
| 2022 | 7,253 | 554 | $60,000 | $105 | 182 | 432 |
| 2023 | 6,345 | 584 | $65,000 | $109 | 173 | 398 |
| 2024 | 6,615 | 575 | $70,000 | $109 | 154 | 347 |
| 2025 | 7,135 | 582 | $75,000 | $111 | 126 | 276 |
| 2026 | 5,532 | 597 | $80,000 | $115 | 134 | 164 |
Three patterns stand out. First, permit counts rose from 3,422 in 2020 to 7,253 in 2022, dipped to 6,345 in 2023, and then recovered to 7,135 in 2025. Second, the median declared value climbed every year, from $37,000 in 2020 to $80,000 in 2026, while median size moved only from 500 to 597 square feet. Third, the median wait for a permit fell from 182 days in 2022 to 126 days in 2025.
Be careful with the last two columns. The permit-to-CofO figure for recent years only includes projects that already finished, so it only reflects projects that finished. The 2026 figure of 164 days rests on just 444 finished permits out of 5,532, and 2026 is a partial year. Do not read it as proof that building got faster.
By type
| Type | Permits | Median sq ft | Median declared value | Value per sq ft | Days to permit | Days permit to CofO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New construction | 9,262 | 813 | $120,000 | $119 | 213 | 427 |
| Conversion | 26,461 | 496 | $50,000 | $98 | 145 | 358 |
| JADU | 4,040 | 400 | $35,000 | $92 | 89 | 278 |
| Other or unclassified | 1,687 | 576 | $75,000 | $113 | 147 | 389 |
Medians differ more by type than by year. New construction permits are the largest and most expensive on paper, at 813 square feet and $120,000, and they also take the longest: 213 days to permit and 427 more to a CofO. Conversions, which turn existing space such as a garage into a unit, are the bulk of the data at 26,461 permits, or about 64 percent. Junior ADUs (JADUs), which are carved out of an existing bedroom or part of the house, are the smallest at 400 square feet and the fastest to permit at 89 days. To decide which route fits a lot, read ADU vs JADU vs garage conversion.
Other: ADU permits that are not new buildings, garage or space conversions, or JADUs, mostly additions and alterations that add an ADU.
Top 15 neighborhood council areas by permits
Neighborhood council areas are the city's own geographic labels, and they are not the same as the neighborhood names people use in daily life. The table ranks areas by permit count. 978 permits have no neighborhood council area on record and are left out of the ranking.
| Rank | Neighborhood council area | Permits | Median sq ft | Median declared value | Days to permit | Days permit to CofO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reseda | 1,410 | 575 | $60,000 | 120 | 307 |
| 2 | Woodland Hills-Warner Center | 1,241 | 524 | $55,000 | 123 | 324 |
| 3 | Van Nuys | 993 | 639 | $60,000 | 140 | 335 |
| 4 | West Hills | 917 | 460 | $50,000 | 90 | 295 |
| 5 | Winnetka | 903 | 480 | $50,000 | 107 | 322 |
| 6 | Sylmar | 883 | 566 | $50,000 | 133 | 372 |
| 7 | Granada Hills South | 880 | 600 | $60,000 | 119 | 328 |
| 8 | Sunland-Tujunga | 864 | 563 | $60,000 | 148 | 362 |
| 9 | Greater Valley Glen | 856 | 593 | $55,000 | 130 | 379 |
| 10 | NoHo | 818 | 630 | $65,000 | 175 | 411 |
| 11 | Pacoima | 803 | 600 | $54,500 | 136 | 326 |
| 12 | Sherman Oaks | 802 | 495 | $60,000 | 142 | 394 |
| 13 | Lake Balboa | 777 | 581 | $60,000 | 125 | 350 |
| 14 | Mar Vista | 760 | 488 | $64,426 | 152 | 379 |
| 15 | North Hollywood Northeast | 690 | 758 | $75,000 | 147 | 374 |
Most of the top 15 are Valley neighborhoods. Spread among areas is real but modest in the middle of the table: median days to permit run from 90 to 175 across these 15 areas, against a citywide 154. Areas with few permits have unstable medians, and we show no figure where a group has fewer than 5 permits.
How to use these numbers
- As a reality check on size: if a design is far from 558 square feet, you are outside what most permits show, which is fine, but expect the cost and schedule to move with it.
- As a floor for the conversation, not a budget. A declared value of $60,000 is a figure on a form. Ask any builder for a written bid covering design, permit fees, utility work, site work and finishes.
- As a schedule range: plan for months to a permit and most of a year more to finish, and treat the CofO step as the one that varies most.
- Use the permit process guide to see what happens between submission and issue.
Method and limits
- Source. LADBS "Building Permits Issued 2020 to Present" (data.lacity.org, dataset pi9x-tg5x). City of Los Angeles only. Other cities and unincorporated county areas are not included.
- Finding ADUs. We matched permits by the ADU flags and descriptions in the record. Some ADUs may be missed and some non-ADU permits may be included. Supplemental permits were dropped so one project is not counted twice.
- Declared valuation. This is the value the applicant wrote on the permit. It is not the full project cost. Design, fees, utilities and finishes are often extra, and applicants may state a value that does not match the final bill. Valuation per square foot inherits the same problem.
- Times. Medians from submission to issue, and from issue to CofO, only for permits that reached that step. Permits still in progress are not counted, which pulls recent-year times down.
- Partial year. 2026 runs only through early November, so its permit count is not comparable with a full year.
- Permit year. Years refer to the permit record in the dataset, not the date construction began or ended.
- Rounding. Medians are rounded as published in the dataset.
- Not advice. This is general information, not legal, financial or construction advice. Rules and fees change. Confirm details with LADBS and get written bids before you budget. Pick a builder with care, using hiring an ADU builder and checking a CSLB license.
Source: LADBS "Building Permits Issued 2020 to Present", data.lacity.org dataset pi9x-tg5x (City of Los Angeles only), our analysis, November 2026.