Permits & Approvals

Permits are where many ADU projects stall — not because the rules are impossible, but because they're detailed, city-specific, and unforgiving of incomplete paperwork. This stage demystifies the approval process so you know what to expect and, ideally, hand most of it to a builder who does it every week. California law requires cities to review a complete ADU application ministerially, meaning no public hearing and a decision within a set window, but you only get that fast, predictable path if the submittal is complete and code-compliant.

The process generally runs from a complete plan set, through plan check and any corrections the city requests, to permit issuance, and then a sequence of inspections during construction ending in a final sign-off. Along the way you'll encounter city-specific rules on parking, setbacks, utility connections, fire safety, and — for the interior — kitchen and bathroom requirements that define whether a space legally counts as a dwelling unit. Different jurisdictions run this differently; a Los Angeles LADBS submittal has its own rhythm distinct from a smaller city's building department.

This is where an experienced, owner-led builder earns its keep. Vision ADU handles permitting end-to-end — assembling the plan set, coordinating plan-check corrections, and managing inspections — so you're not chasing city staff or interpreting code sections on your own. Because we've submitted across dozens of Southern California jurisdictions, we know which cities ask for what, and we build that knowledge into the plans before submittal to avoid avoidable corrections.

The guides in this stage walk through the general California permit process, the Los Angeles-specific path, garage-conversion permitting, parking rules, kitchen and bathroom requirements, and the owner-occupancy question that trips up so many owners. Read them so you understand the road ahead — then let a builder who lives in these city portals carry the load. When you're ready to map your specific timeline, our timeline estimator turns the general process into dates for your project.

Guides in This Stage

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