West Hills ADU: Regulations, Costs & Permits

• Who permits it: West Hills is part of the City of Los Angeles, so LADBS issues ADU permits, submitted online through ePlanLA. City Planning steps in when a specific plan, the Coastal Zone, or a historic overlay requires its sign-off.
• Two tracks: LA sorts ADUs into State ADUs (such as conversions, JADUs, and a detached unit up to 800 sq ft with 4 ft side and rear setbacks), which skip local standards, and Ordinance ADUs, which follow the city's own ADU ordinance.
• Timeline: state law gives the city 15 business days to decide an application is complete and 60 days to approve or deny it.
• Standard Plan Program: LADBS pre-approves privately designed ADU plans. You license a plan, add site-specific drawings, and LADBS reviews only zoning, foundation, and clearances for your lot.
• Fees: no impact fees at 750 sq ft of living space or less, and ADUs are exempt from the city park fee and affordable housing linkage fee. LAUSD school fees apply above 500 sq ft.
• Renting: a new detached ADU is generally not rent-stabilized, but adding one to a pre-1978 house can bring that house under the RSO. New ADUs outside the RSO generally fall under the Just Cause Ordinance. Home-sharing is only allowed if the ADU is the host's own primary residence.

• Fire zone: LAFD lists parts of West Hills in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. ADUs there are built to the 2025 Wildland-Urban Interface Code, need an LAFD hydrant and access clearance, and the lot needs year-round brush clearance within 200 ft of structures.
• Fire plus hillside rule: LA restricts ADUs on lots in both the fire zone and a Hillside Area, and West Hills isn't an exempt area. Current city guidance says the rule can't be applied to State ADUs, and for Ordinance ADUs only dedications may still be required.
• Baseline Hillside Ordinance: hillside parcels follow slope-band floor area, grading, and street access standards, though street improvements generally can't be required for an ADU.
• Mulholland: the Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan lists this community plan area, but its corridors only reach half a mile from Mulholland Drive, so it's unlikely to reach West Hills. Confirm in ZIMAS.

• Protected natives: oaks, black walnut, sycamore, bay laurel, elderberry, and toyon at 4 inches of trunk diameter are protected. Work near them needs an Urban Forestry permit, with 4 to 1 replacement for removals.
• Septic lots: where public sewer isn't available (generally more than 200 ft away), an ADU can tie into an existing septic system with added seepage pits if a percolation test passes, or needs its own system. LADBS reviews an evaluation of the existing system.
• No HPOZ: West Hills has no historic preservation overlay.

Can I build an ADU in the West Hills fire zone?

Yes. Expect wildfire construction standards, an LAFD hydrant and access clearance, and brush clearance. LA's fire plus hillside restriction can't be applied to State ADUs under current city guidance.

Who permits ADUs in West Hills?

LADBS, since West Hills is part of the City of Los Angeles. Applications go through ePlanLA.

Does the Mulholland Specific Plan apply in West Hills?

Probably not. Its corridors reach only half a mile from Mulholland Drive, but confirm your parcel in ZIMAS.

What if my West Hills lot is on septic?

An ADU can often connect to the existing septic system with added seepage pits if a percolation test passes. Otherwise it needs its own system, reviewed by LADBS.

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