Los Angeles County

San Fernando ADU rules

Research summary of what we found for City of San Fernando in Los Angeles County. Not a determination for a specific lot.

Last checked November 3, 2026.

City or county ADU page

San Fernando Planning department. No ADU-specific page was found.

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How big can an ADU be in San Fernando?

Maximum size
A detached ADU may be up to 850 sq ft with one bedroom or 1,200 sq ft with two or more. An attached ADU, or one inside the home, is limited to the same figures or 50% of the home's floor area, whichever is less. Where other standards would block it, an ADU up to 800 sq ft with 4 ft side and rear setbacks is allowed. The minimum ADU size is 150 sq ft with a kitchen and at least a three-quarter bath. An ADU in an existing accessory structure may add up to 150 sq ft for entry and exit only.
Source: San Fernando Municipal Code Ch. 106, Art. IV, Div. 1 Accessory Dwelling Units (Municode), § 106-520(2)-(4), (8)(c), accessed 2026-11-03.

ADU setbacks in San Fernando

Setbacks
New ADUs need side and rear setbacks of at least 4 ft and the zone's front setback, except that an 800 sq ft ADU with 4 ft side and rear setbacks is allowed where other standards would block it. An ADU above a garage or other accessory structure also needs 4 ft side and rear setbacks. An ADU fully inside an existing or proposed home or accessory structure needs no new setbacks if the fire department finds the side and rear setbacks enough for fire safety. The zone's spacing between buildings applies.
Source: San Fernando Municipal Code Ch. 106, Art. IV, Div. 1 Accessory Dwelling Units (Municode), § 106-520(2), (12), (14)(a), accessed 2026-11-03.

What we found for San Fernando

What we have for this place. Where a local figure is stricter than the California state baseline, both are shown.

Local ADU rules
San Fernando's ADU rules are in Municipal Code § 106-520, adopted by Ordinance No. 1732 on May 5, 2025. ADUs and JADUs are reviewed ministerially under state ADU law, and the code says state law controls if the two conflict. A building permit is needed, and the City acts on a complete application within 60 days when a home already exists on the lot.
Source: San Fernando Municipal Code Ch. 106, Art. IV, Div. 1 Accessory Dwelling Units (Municode), § 106-520, intro and (15) (Ord. No. 1732, § 3 (Exh. A), 5-5-2025), accessed 2026-11-03.

ADU types allowed
On a single-family lot: one ADU inside the home or an existing accessory structure, one new detached ADU (or an attached ADU instead), and one JADU. On a multifamily lot: converted ADUs in non-livable space (at least one, up to 25% of the existing units), plus up to 8 detached ADUs with an existing multifamily building (not more than the number of existing units) or up to 2 with a proposed one. There is no minimum lot size.
Source: San Fernando Municipal Code Ch. 106, Art. IV, Div. 1 Accessory Dwelling Units (Municode), § 106-520(1), (6), accessed 2026-11-03.

Height
A detached ADU may be 18 ft, plus up to 2 ft for roof pitch. An attached ADU may be 25 ft. An ADU above a garage may be only one story. On a lot with a multistory multifamily building, a detached ADU may be 18 ft.
Source: San Fernando Municipal Code Ch. 106, Art. IV, Div. 1 Accessory Dwelling Units (Municode), § 106-520(2), (6)(a)(4), (6)(b)(3), accessed 2026-11-03.

Parking
No parking is required for an ADU or a JADU, and garage or carport spaces removed for an ADU do not have to be replaced.
Source: San Fernando Municipal Code Ch. 106, Art. IV, Div. 1 Accessory Dwelling Units (Municode), § 106-520(9), (13)(d), accessed 2026-11-03.

Design and site rules
The ADU's exterior materials and colors must match the main home, its roof must match the home's dominant roof slope, and exterior lighting must be down-lights. A converted garage must replace the garage door with windows or entry doors. Entrances to an ADU above a garage may not face neighboring lots, and second-story outside stairs may not reach into required setbacks. Landscape screening is required along side and rear lot lines. New detached ADUs must meet the state Energy Code solar rule.
Source: San Fernando Municipal Code Ch. 106, Art. IV, Div. 1 Accessory Dwelling Units (Municode), § 106-520(14)(c)-(e), (g), (i), accessed 2026-11-03.

Junior ADUs
One JADU per lot, up to 500 sq ft, entirely inside an existing or proposed home (an attached garage counts, a detached structure does not). It needs its own exterior entrance and an efficiency kitchen and may share a bathroom with the home. No parking is required. A recorded deed restriction bars separate sale and limits its size. It may not be sold separately or rented for 30 days or less.
Source: San Fernando Municipal Code Ch. 106, Art. IV, Div. 1 Accessory Dwelling Units (Municode), § 106-520(13), accessed 2026-11-03.

Fees, sprinklers and rental term
Impact fees apply only to ADUs of 750 sq ft or more and are charged in proportion to the main home's size; school fees apply to ADUs of 500 sq ft or more. Fire sprinklers are needed only if the main home has them. Owner occupancy is not required for an ADU. ADUs may not be sold separately except through a qualified nonprofit under Gov. Code §§ 66340-66341, and may not be rented for 30 days or less.
Source: San Fernando Municipal Code Ch. 106, Art. IV, Div. 1 Accessory Dwelling Units (Municode), § 106-520(11), (14)(h), (15)(d)-(e), accessed 2026-11-03.

California state rules

The statewide baseline recorded from state law and the HCD ADU Handbook.

Detached size cap described in state law
1,200 sq ft. From Government Code section 66314.
Source: California Government Code section 66314, 66314, accessed 2026-10-16.

Side and rear setback cap for a new ADU
4 ft. From Government Code section 66314, which describes a cap on side and rear setbacks for a new ADU.
Source: California Government Code section 66314, 66314, accessed 2026-10-16.

Setback for a conversion of an existing structure
No additional setback, from Government Code section 66314 for a conversion of an existing structure.
Source: California Government Code section 66314, 66314, accessed 2026-10-16.

Minimum lot size
A city may not impose a minimum lot size for an ADU, from Government Code section 66314.
Source: California Government Code section 66314, 66314, accessed 2026-10-16.

Minimum unit the handbook says cities must allow
At least an 800 sq ft ADU with 4 ft side and rear setbacks. The HCD ADU Handbook (updated March 2026) describes this under section 66321(b)(3).
Source: HCD ADU Handbook, 66321(b)(3); handbook updated March 2026, accessed 2026-10-16.

Detached height described in the handbook
16 ft, or 18 ft or 20 ft in some cases. The HCD ADU Handbook (updated March 2026) describes this under section 66321(b)(4).
Source: HCD ADU Handbook, 66321(b)(4); handbook updated March 2026, accessed 2026-10-16.

Permit decision deadline
60 days. From Government Code section 66317(a)(3): the permitting agency must decide on (approve or deny) a completed ADU application within 60 days when an existing single-family or multifamily dwelling is on the lot. Section 66317(a)(1) says the application is considered ministerially, without discretionary review or a hearing.
Source: California Government Code section 66317, 66317(a)(1), (a)(3), accessed 2026-10-17.

Owner-occupancy requirement
None. From Government Code section 66315: a local agency may not impose an owner-occupancy requirement on an ADU. It may require that the property be used for rentals of terms 30 days or longer. The HCD ADU Handbook (updated March 2026) describes the same rule.
Source: California Government Code section 66315, 66315; HCD ADU Handbook updated March 2026, accessed 2026-10-17.

Parking near public transit
No parking standards within one-half mile walking distance of public transit. From Government Code section 66322(a)(1). Section 66322(a) lists several other cases where parking standards may not be imposed.
Source: California Government Code section 66322, 66322(a), accessed 2026-10-17.

Ministerial categories
The HCD ADU Handbook (updated March 2026) states that Government Code section 66323 sets four ministerial categories. What we have does not restate those four categories.
Source: HCD ADU Handbook, 66323; handbook updated March 2026, accessed 2026-10-16.

Fire Hazard Severity Zones
If your lot is in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone, the CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal says in Information Bulletin 25-004 (issued March 3, 2025): “Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZs) should not restrict the development of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). However, additional building standards may be necessary, including but not limited to California Fire Code Chapter 49 and California Building Code Chapter 7A.” State ADU law does not itself bar an ADU there. A city or county may still apply its building code, including wildfire-resistant construction (Gov. Code 66314(d)(8)); require side and rear setbacks “sufficient for fire and safety” for a unit converted under 66323(a)(1); and decline parking in setbacks on specific fire and life safety findings (66314(d)(10)(B)). It may also consider public safety when it designates where ADUs may be permitted (66314(a)). Sprinklers can't be required in an ADU or JADU if the primary residence doesn't need them (66314(d)(12), 66323(d)). Some cities and counties still apply their own fire-zone limits. Where this summary has one, it is listed with the local rules. This summary does not look up your lot. Check the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone map viewer linked from the State Fire Marshal's Fire Hazard Severity Zones page: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/5065c998b4b0462f9ec3c6c226c610a9
Source: CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal Information Bulletin 25-004, page 4, issued March 3, 2025; Gov. Code 66314, 66323, accessed 2026-10-20.

Starting January 1, 2027: two detached ADUs
Starting January 1, 2027, AB 956 (Chapter 791, Statutes of 2026) raises from one to two the number of new detached ADUs a city or county must allow, without discretionary review, on a lot with a proposed or existing single-family home (Gov. Code 66323(a)). Each may be held to 800 sq ft, 4 ft side and rear setbacks and the state height limits. The city or county does not have to also allow a JADU on a lot where two new detached ADUs have been built. AB 956 also makes HOA and deed rules that effectively prohibit or unreasonably restrict an ADU or JADU void on any lot zoned to allow a single-family home, not only lots zoned for single-family use (Civil Code 4751 and 714.3).
Source: AB 956 (2025-2026), Chapter 791, Statutes of 2026, Gov. Code 66323; Civil Code 714.3, 4751; signed September 29, 2026, accessed 2026-11-03.

Starting January 1, 2027: impact fees above 750 sq ft
No impact fee may be charged on an ADU of 750 sq ft or less, or a JADU of 500 sq ft or less (Gov. Code 66311.5(c)). Starting January 1, 2027, SB 1117 (Chapter 809, Statutes of 2026) changes how fees are figured for larger ADUs: for up to two ADUs on a lot, the proportional impact fee is charged only on the interior livable space above 750 sq ft. On a lot with more than two ADUs, the fee stays proportional to the whole ADU. Utility connection fees and capacity charges are not changed.
Source: SB 1117 (2025-2026), Chapter 809, Statutes of 2026, Gov. Code 66311.5(c); signed September 29, 2026, accessed 2026-11-03.

State baseline on the directory → · State ADU rules on the homepage →

ADU rules near San Fernando

Burbank · about 9 miles
Santa Clarita · about 10 miles
Glendale · about 13 miles
West Hollywood · about 14 miles
La Cañada Flintridge · about 15 miles

Can I build an ADU in San Fernando?

State law sets a baseline for ADUs in San Fernando, and what we found locally is listed on this page. Whether a specific lot can add an ADU depends on zoning, utilities, and other site facts this page does not measure. Confirm with the City of San Fernando Community Development Department, or run a free address summary.

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