Getting an ADU Permitted in Pacific Palisades

LADBS, City Planning and the Palisades ADU Permit Path

Plan check, the building permit and every inspection belong to LADBS, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Los Angeles City Planning handles zoning questions and coastal review where a lot sits in the Coastal Zone. The Fire Department reviews access, hydrants and sprinklers when they apply, and LADWP signs off on electrical and water service.

The local rules come from LA's ADU ordinance, Section 12.22A.33 of the Municipal Code, added by Ordinance 186,481 and in effect since December 19, 2019. State ADU law sits above it. Older City documents may cite state sections such as 65852.2, which were renumbered in 2024 into Government Code sections 66310 through 66342.

State Review Deadlines for Los Angeles ADU Applications

Two state deadlines frame the City's review. First, as of January 1, 2026, LADBS has 15 business days after a submittal to tell you in writing whether the package is complete and what, if anything, is missing. Second, once it is complete and the lot already holds a home, the City must approve or deny within 60 days. If the answer is no, it owes you a written list of the problems and how to cure them.

An appeal route is required too, and the City must issue a final written ruling within 60 business days of an appeal being filed. None of this makes a weak plan set pass. Drawings that answer a reviewer's questions before they are asked remain the fastest way through plan check.

• Completeness answer within 15 business days
• Approve-or-deny decision 60 days after completeness
• Denials must spell out each deficiency and the fix
• Appeals decided in writing within 60 business days

Permits for ADUs on Fire-Damaged Palisades Lots

The January 2025 fire brought a set of emergency orders that change how ADUs are permitted on affected lots. Under Emergency Executive Order 1, an owner whose house was destroyed or substantially damaged may build an ADU, attached or freestanding, and bypass both Coastal Act and CEQA review, provided the unit keeps a 10-foot setback from canyon bluffs and a 25-foot setback from the ocean bluff. Executive Order 8 offers a zoning-compliant path for rebuilding single-family houses in the Coastal Zone without coastal review when its criteria are met.

For these projects, the City opened the Palisades Inspections and Permitting Support Center at 16925 Marquez Avenue. It brings LADBS, the Bureau of Engineering, the Fire Department, City Planning and LADWP together in one place, which helps when an ADU and a replacement house move through review at the same time.

One option is not available. Under Emergency Executive Order 9, issued July 30, 2025, the City stopped accepting SB 9 lot-split and two-unit applications in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone within the fire area. ADUs are still allowed.

Coastal and Hillside ADU Permit Questions

Outside the fire-rebuild exemptions, a lot in the Coastal Zone may need a coastal development permit or an exemption from City Planning before LADBS issues the building permit. On some parcels close to the shore, the state Coastal Commission may also have a role. We check the coastal status of each lot at the start, since it can change the order of approvals.

Hillside lots raise a different set of reviews. Grading beyond small thresholds needs its own permit, and soils and geology reports go through LADBS's grading review. Street access and fire flow can also affect what the City will approve on a steep, narrow street. Raising these issues during design keeps them from surfacing in plan-check comments.