Across the state, you may have seen pre-approved ADU plans crop up more and more on city websites. San Diego county was among the first to release free pre-approved ADU plans on their site. The city of Los Angeles quickly followed with the release of it's pre-approved ADU program, as well as a free plan that they offer. (We'll get into later how this particular plan can actually cost you more). But why? Why all of a sudden does it feel like pre-approved plans are everywhere? How is a pre-approved plan different from a pre-designed one? Can a pre-approved plan in one city be used in a different city? These are the questions we'll tackle in this article.
What is an ADU?
Just to make sure we're on the same page, though, let's take a step back and define what an ADU is. An ADU is an Accessory Dwelling Unit that acts as a standalone dwelling unit from an existing single-family, or multi-family, residence on a lot. In the past, these have gone by many different names including granny units, mother-in-law suites, guest houses, casitas, second units, and more.
What is a Pre-Approved ADU Plan?
A pre-approved ADU plan is a set of designed plans and specifications that has already been pre-reviewed and approved by the local city planning and/or building department. These are plans that are considering 75 - 80 percent complete.
City officials have already reviewed them based on a number of factors including design merit, structural integrity, aesthetics, adherence to local architecture standards, compliance with local building codes and regulations, and more and have been deemed them suitable for development within the city or jurisdiction's limits. The theory is, by offering pre-approved ADU plans, cities can bring down what has historically been a huge barrier for homeowners in the past and allow them to fast track getting their plans approved and permitted.
How to Use a Pre-Approved ADU Plan
The process to use a pre-approved ADU plan in the city of Los Angeles, is simple and follows the same process as many other cities and jurisdictions . As a homeowner you would first:
Go to the city of Los Angeles Pre-Approved ADU Plan website found here.
Browse the plans pre-approved on the site
Click on the Plan Number (these are listed from ADU01 to ADU77). Our pre-approved plan pictured above is ADU76.
Contact the Designer or Architect for that plan directly using their information on the LA City site.
Purchase the plan from them. For us, we require a formal agreement with the homeowner along with a deposit to begin the process of using their pre-approved ADU for their home. If you are looking for a free plan, the city does offer the You ADU, however, this design will cost you significantly more in framing and construction due to the design.
Once you purchase the plan from them, you, as the homeowner will sit back and let the designer or architect continue the rest of the process. For us as a designer (we're not architects) this looks like:
Property Visit. We visit the property to take the initial measurements of the outside dimensions of every permanent structure on the property to create the site plan.
ADU Placement. We discuss with you where you'd like the pre-approved ADU plan to be placed on your lot. It will have to be at least 4 feet from the rear and side property yards, as well as a minimum of 5 feet from the dripline of overhead power lines.
Submit the Application. We submit the application for your new pre-approved ADU through the city's online website ePlan. We let them know you'd like to use our pre-approved ADU plan.
Plan Check Fee. Once the city has deemed that the application is complete, they will provide us a link to forward to you, the property owner, to pay the initial plan check fee. Once that fee is paid they will review the plans and provide a list of corrections.
Address the Corrections. Within the corrections, the city of Los Angeles will let us know what other remaining site specific requirements the pre-approved ADU plan will need to satisfy. Then can include things like getting a clearance from the Department of Transportation, getting a new address for the ADU through the Bureau of Engineering, getting a clearance from the Department of Water and Power, getting a grading plan or waiver, and more. We communicate what these are at the time, and then will apply for each clearance with each respective department.
Re-submit for Final Approval. Once we have received all the required clearances and site specific standards, we will re-submit the application to the city of Los Angeles, who will approve it on an expedited timeline.
Pass the Approved Plans to You. When then plans are approved we, of course, joyfully let the client's know and arrange to get the approved plans to them and to transfer the online dashboard to them so that the client can handle the pulling of permits for the construction of the ADU.
That's it. On your end it's a straightforward and easy process, and likewise for us as Designers on the backend because all of the heavy lifting (i.e. creating the design and floor plan) has already been done.
Why are Cities Offering Pre-Approved Plans?
So, you may be wondering at this point, why exactly are cities now all of sudden offering pre-approved ADU plans. The short answer is...it's a new law.
Under AB 1332, which was approved on October 11, 2023, all cities in the state are required to set up a pre-approved ADU plan program by the year 2025.
Some cities, under the pressure from local residents and state lawmakers went ahead and got a head start by releasing the program, but come this time next year, it will be a requirement for every single one.
Specifically, under the new regulation:
Cities are mandated to create a pre-approved ADU program by January 1, 2025.
Cities are required by that time to post the pre-approved ADU plans and the contact information of the applicable Designer of those plans on their website.
They are required to either approve or deny an application for a detached ADU within 30 days no matter if that property owner is using a pre-approved plan within that city or a plan that has been pre-approved by another city or agency in the state. (Please note this is solely our interpretation of the full bill which you can find here. How this is executed is still up in the air).
Overall, the bill has been a huge win for homeowners, as it's helped drive the price of ADU plans down. For example, in the past it wasn't uncommon for Designers, not even architects, to charge $10,000 for an ADU plan. Here at Mei Li Homes, as a designer, our service to do the residential plans and processing an application to approval start at $2,400.
Pros and Cons of a Pre-Approved ADU Plan
Benefits of a Pre-Approved ADU Plan
While most other designers and architect websites will rally against the pre-approved ADU plan program, it has its merits.
Easy Decision Making. type of person, and there's no shame here, that tends to be indecisive or needs to see something in order to get inspired and take it from there, pre-approved plans are a huge benefit because you have a clear starting point. You browse through the plans available and select the one you like.
Time Savings. Along those lines because you're essentially picking a product off the shelf by purchasing a pre-approved ADU plan you save a lot of time that typically goes into the custom ADU design process. Additionally, because these plans have already been approved by the local building department you save even more time because you get an expedited approval process.
Cost Savings. In our opinion, there are cost savings with using a pre-approved ADU plan, and that is because the plan has already been done. All that is left is meeting the site specific requirements for a property. Additionally, because you already have the entire layout already designed, you can get started on soliciting bids from contractors as soon as possible, allowing you time to find the right one that is within your construction budget.
Cons of a Pre-Approved ADU Plan
Complex Designs. Some pre-approved designs out there are way too complex for the average ADU which can lead to significant construction costs. The best example is the You ADU (pictured above), LA City's free pre-approved ADU plan. Because of it's irregular shaped walls and structures, you can expect to be quoted significantly higher from contractors and framers to complete this job as it takes years of skill and the right, sometimes pricier materials and tools, to execute this properly.
This was our inspiration for the Dom ADU. We wanted a simple box design that would be easy to build, using standard materials you could find at your local Home Depot, to make sure at the end of the day, our customers save from A to Z.
Can't Make Changes. The other major downside of pre-approved ADU plans is the inability to make changes without it costing additional time and money. Once you buy and apply with an LA City pre-approved ADU plan, you can't make any modifications to it. That includes even the small things like moving a window, changing the size of a door, etc.
Benefits of Using Us, Mei Li Homes, as Your Designer
The major benefit of using us as your residential designer is that we offer many pre-designed plans to choose from, so that you can still achieve the benefits of a pre-approved plan, but maintain the freedom of making it custom for your needs. While on the DomADU is pre-approved in the city of LA, we've actually worked with multiple homeowners to modify the plan, at the same price, for their own property.
This is not something most other designers can say.
FAQ About Pre-Approved ADU Plans
Can you use a LA City Pre-Approved ADU As it Is?
Unfortunately, no you can not. While pre-approved plans in the city of Los Angeles have been pre-approved, the city still requires you to modify the plans for the site specific features of a property.
Specifically, the city of Los Angeles will require a site plan be made that shows how the pre-approved ADU will fit on your specific property. Additionally, depending on where your home is located, you may need to get a grading plan, soils reports, tree reports, etc. The good news about using a pre-approved plan though, as stated above, is you save time by already knowing what design you will use.
Can you use a LA City Pre-Approved ADU plan in a different city?
Not yet. For right now you are limited in using the LA City pre-approved ADU plan in other cities. As of the date of this writing, only the city of Burbank has officially said they will accept plans from LA City, for example, and only a few made the cut.
However, once AB 1332 goes into full effect in 2025, you can expect to see this barrier drop as cities will be required to accept the pre-approved plans of other cities, unless they provide their own.
Can you make modifications to a Pre-Approved ADU Plan
Yes and no. Yes, you can work with the original Designer or Architect of a pre-approved plan to make modifications, however, once you change anything within that plan, no matter how small it may be, you will lose your ability to expedite or fast track the process and will have to apply for the ADU building permit as you would for a custom ADU design.
Therefore, it's important to carefully consider the plan you choose ahead of time, to avoid what can be costly modifications down the line. Other designers will charge as much as $2,000 even more to make modifications to their existing pre-approved plans. For us, we only charge a nominal fee, however, we still discourage modifications of a pre-appoved plan to avoid the delays and increased city processing and other fees that can come with the changes.
Can I copy a pre-approved ADU plan without using a Designer or Architect?
No, you can not. All residential home and ADU plans are considered copyrighted material, meaning if you otherwise copy or use their floor plan, design, specifications, or any other feature of their plan without their permission they would have a legal right to come after to you. No matter how tempting this may be, it is certainly not worth it, especially because cities will also be able to tell if a plan has been copied without the original designer's permission. Because this potentially opens them up to liability as well, they have a motivation to tell the original designer.
Can a pre-approved ADU plan be used for a garage conversion?
Sadly, the answer is also no. The city of Los Angeles standard plan program, or pre-approved ADU plan program, can only be used for new construction detached ADU structure. In other words, it can only be used for ADUs that will be built from the ground up and won't be attached to any existing structure on the site. What we tell clients here at Mei Li Homes, though, is if you still want to use the same floor plan of our pre-approved design for your detached garage conversion, we can definitely do so. Just know upfront, we'll have to submit a standard ADU application, as opposed to a expedited one through the pre-approved ADU program.
How long does it take for a pre-approved ADU plan to get approved?
Assuming your property is not in a hillside area, not subject to Grading Pre-Inspection, and not in a specific plan area that requires clearances, your pre-approved plan can get approved in as little as 4 weeks. Otherwise, a standard ADU application, under the same assumptions, can take 60 days (this is our average for properties without any special requirements like those listed above).
Getting Started with a Pre-Approved ADU Plan
If you're ready to go ahead and get started with our own LA city pre-approved ADU plan, the Dom ADU, then reach out to us at meilihomes@gmail.com, or make your purchase here.
If you happen to be outside of the city of Los Angeles and want to use our plan with your own Designer or Architect, we do sell the plan as it is here.
A representative will get in touch with you within 24 hours on the next steps.
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