About this data
- Neighborhood pages cover 2020 onward: City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety permits in this neighborhood's Neighborhood Council area, which may not match every local definition of the neighborhood. Build type is classified automatically from permit descriptions.
- Costs are declared permit valuations (single-ADU permits only), not final construction costs.
Permits by year
Permits by year and type (table)
| Year | All ADU permits | Garage conversions | Detached |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 81 | 61 | 11 |
| 2021 | 104 | 59 | 27 |
| 2022 | 131 | 59 | 42 |
| 2023 | 114 | 49 | 32 |
| 2024 | 125 | 53 | 34 |
| 2025 | 138 | 56 | 41 |
| 2026 so far | 96 | 37 | 32 |
“—” means the source for that year does not report ADU type.
Read more: ADU types explained
Not counted: 5 expired or cancelled permits.
How Lake Balboa compares
- Lake Balboa has the 15th-most ADU permits (789) among Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley neighborhoods (28 on this site).
- Garage conversions are 47% of Lake Balboa's ADU permits, higher than across Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley neighborhoods (43%).
- The median time from application to permit here is 122 days, about the same as the median across Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley neighborhoods (123 days).
- The median declared value of a detached ADU here is $119,000, higher than the median across Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley neighborhoods ($110,000).
ADU rules
Los Angeles' ADU rules apply citywide, with extra rules for hillside, fire-zone and coastal lots: see the rules table.
How long permits take
| Type | Median days, application to permit | Middle half | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached ADU | 191 | 96 – 336 | 219 |
| Attached ADU | 147 | 90 – 263 | 79 |
| Garage conversion | 104 | 54 – 189 | 372 |
| Junior ADU (JADU) | 84 | 38 – 136 | 95 |
| Unclassified | 118 | 60 – 200 | 22 |
Middle half: the range covering the middle 50% of permits (a quarter were lower, a quarter higher).
Read more: How long ADU permits take in Los Angeles (and other cities) · How long ADUs take to build
What happened to these permits
Of the 435 ADU permits issued in Lake Balboa from 2020 through 2023, including ones that later expired or were cancelled, 86% have been signed off by the city as finished. Where the certificate of occupancy date is recorded, it came a median of 13 months after the permit.
| What became of the permit | Share |
|---|---|
| Finished (signed off by the city) | 86% |
| Still open | 12% |
| Expired or cancelled | 1% |
| Closed or other status | 1% |
Expired and cancelled permits aren't in this page's totals; they're included here so the table covers every permit issued. A still-open permit may be under construction or stalled.
What neighbors declared as cost
| Type | Median declared value | Middle half | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached ADU | $119,000 | $80,000 – $130,000 | 211 |
| Attached ADU | $50,000 | $30,000 – $120,000 | 60 |
| Garage conversion | $50,000 | $30,000 – $75,000 | 357 |
| Junior ADU (JADU) | $30,000 | $20,000 – $50,250 | 88 |
| Unclassified | $50,000 | $19,300 – $82,500 | 20 |
Declared permit valuations often understate real construction cost.
Read more: What ADUs cost in Los Angeles
Read more: How to choose an ADU builder
An ADU builder serving Los Angeles? Feature your business on this page.
Recent ADU permits in Lake Balboa
- Garage conversion on Caldus Ave (Oct 2026)
- Detached ADU on Sherman Way (Oct 2026)
- Garage conversion on Haynes St (Oct 2026)
- Garage conversion on Wish Ave (Oct 2026)
- Garage conversion on Jellico Ave (Oct 2026)
- Garage conversion on Covello St (Oct 2026)
Street names only. See each permit on the map.
Questions about ADUs in Lake Balboa
How many ADUs have been permitted in Lake Balboa?
The City of Los Angeles issued 789 permits for ADUs in Lake Balboa from 2020 through Oct 31, 2026, including 374 garage conversions and 219 detached ADUs.
How long does an ADU permit take in Lake Balboa?
From application to issued permit, the median in Lake Balboa was 104 days for garage conversions and 191 days for detached ADUs.
How much does an ADU cost in Lake Balboa?
The median value declared on permits was $50,000 for garage conversions and $119,000 for detached ADUs. Declared permit values often understate the full construction cost, so get several builder quotes.
How long does it take to build an ADU in Lake Balboa?
Of the 435 ADU permits issued in Lake Balboa from 2020 through 2023, including ones that later expired or were cancelled, 86% have been signed off by the city as finished. Where the certificate of occupancy date is recorded, it came a median of 13 months after the permit.
Can I build an ADU on my property in Lake Balboa?
California law allows ADUs on most residential lots with a house, but what you can build depends on your lot, zoning and hillside or fire-zone rules. This site shows permits, not eligibility; check with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety or a licensed builder.
How current is this?
- City of Los Angeles permits: through Oct 31, 2026 (published about weekly)
How our data works · Download the data · Free to reuse with credit to SoCal ADU Tracker (socaladutracker.com), under CC BY 4.0.