CostolioADU (accessory dwelling unit) cost in Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, the median declared value on 33285 adu (accessory dwelling unit) permits issued to was $65,000, according to Building and Safety - Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (N) permit data (checked ).
ADU (accessory dwelling unit) cost in Los Angeles: permit figures
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median | $65,000 |
| 25th percentile | $35,000 |
| 75th percentile | $120,000 |
How this was counted
33285 permits · 2022-01-01 to 2026-10-31 · Source: Building and Safety - Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (N) · Filter: https://data.lacity.org/resource/pi9x-tg5x.json?$where=issue_date >= '2022-01-01' (paged by :id) ; rule: code: adu_changed >= 1 OR junior_adu >= 1 ; residential only ; cost>0 · Pulled: 2026-11-02T14:21:38-08:00 · Checked on: 2026-11-02
What a adu (accessory dwelling unit) permit usually covers
Building a new accessory dwelling unit, or converting a garage or other space into one. Usually the new unit's structure, foundation, framing, plumbing, electrical and mechanical work the city inspects. Site work, utility connection fees, design fees, appliances and furnishings are often priced or listed separately.
ADU (accessory dwelling unit) in Los Angeles compared with other places
Among the 3 places where we have adu (accessory dwelling unit) figures, Los Angeles has the median at position 1 from lowest. Los Angeles has the lowest median of these. Higher medians: Richmond, San Diego.
Other Los Angeles projects with figures: Roof replacement, Seismic retrofit (foundation).
Read this first. Permit values are self-reported by the applicant to set permit fees. They often leave out materials or labor, and they are not what the contractor actually charged. A quote above or below this range can be reasonable.
About this Los Angeles sample
- 33285 permits after dropping $0 or blank values (1% of keyword matches had no cost)
- cost field
valuationin Building and Safety - Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (N) - permits issued 2022-01-01 to 2026-10-31
ADU (accessory dwelling unit) permits in Los Angeles by year
7,296 of these permits were issued in 2022, the busiest year in this sample. Counting only full years, the number of permits went down in 2023, then about the same in 2024, then up in 2025. The median declared value went about the same in 2023, then about the same in 2024, then up in 2025. 2022 and 2026 are partial years here, so their counts are lower.
| Year issued | Permits | Median |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 7,296 | $60,000 |
| 2023 | 6,431 | $62,000 |
| 2024 | 6,699 | $65,000 |
| 2025 | 7,264 | $72,000 |
| 2026 | 5,595 | $80,000 |
By month issued, the busiest months were August, May, March, and the quietest were November, December, February.
What the Los Angeles adu (accessory dwelling unit) permits describe
We read the description each applicant wrote, leave out the standard wording the city adds to every permit, and sort the permit by the words it uses. The permit type the city chose is not used here. Where the description does not say, we count it as not stated. The most common kind here is garage conversion ADU.
- Garage conversion ADU: 12,853 permits (39%), median $50,000
- ADU, type not given: 6,335 permits (19%), median $85,000
- Detached ADU: 5,900 permits (18%), median $110,000
- Junior ADU: 3,442 permits (10%), median $35,000
- Attached ADU: 3,410 permits (10%), median $150,000
- Not stated in the description: 1,345 permits (4%), median $45,000
Other work listed on the same Los Angeles permits
Out of 32,884 Los Angeles adu (accessory dwelling unit) permits with a description of their own, 547 (1.7%) also mention structural or framing; 167 (0.5%) also mention windows or doors; 51 (0.2%) also mention mechanical or HVAC; 29 (0.1%) also mention electrical work; 28 (0.1%) also mention plumbing.
How we matched adu (accessory dwelling unit) permits in Los Angeles
We count a permit when the Los Angeles dataset marks it as adding an ADU or a junior ADU. We keep only permits for homes, not commercial buildings, and only permits with a declared value above $0.
ADU (accessory dwelling unit) across Southern California
Putting together every adu (accessory dwelling unit) permit on a published page in Southern California (Los Angeles, San Diego) gives 38,870 permits with a combined median of $75,000. Los Angeles supplies 86% of them, and its own median is 13% lower than the combined one. Each place covers its own dates, so treat this as a rough guide.
Counted from the same 33285 permits as the figures above (2022-01-01 to 2026-10-31). Source: Building and Safety - Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (N).
Related
Updated