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Check out which L.A. County cities are building the most and the fewest ADUs

Contractor Hector Lopez in front of the ADU he built for his daughter in the San Fernando Valley.
Contractor Hector Lopez in front of the ADU he built for his daughter in the San Fernando Valley.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Terry Castleman. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
By Terry Castleman
Staff WriterFollow
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Since state laws changed in 2016 to encourage the construction of accessory dwelling units, Los Angeles County has been at the forefront of the ADU construction frenzy.

One in five housing units built in 2022 was an ADU, according to a report by California YIMBY, an advocacy group.

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, CA - JULY 20, 2024 - Contractor Hector Lopez, 55, stands in front of the ADU he built for his daughter in the San Fernando Valley on July 20, 2024. It took eight months to build the 1200 square foot property. "Right now what's really pushing are ADU's," Lopez said. Lopez' family business, Bluejay Construction, has built 3 ADUs so far for family members. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

California

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Backyard ADUs booming in L.A. County. Why these surprising cities are building the most

ADUs are sprouting up across California, especially in L.A. County. Here’s why some cities are seeing more construction than others.

In Los Angeles County, permits have been unevenly distributed, with some cities approving many more ADU permits than others, a Times analysis of data from the California Department of Housing and Community Development showed.

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Below is the complete list of cities and the number of ADU permits issued from 2018 through 2023 per 1,000 existing housing units.

CityADU permits per 1,000 housing units
San Fernando69.97
Rosemead56.84
Temple City56.83
Sierra Madre46.06
Hidden Hills36.52
Culver City34.46
San Gabriel29.13
La Puente28.71
Los Angeles28.28
Glendale27.85
Walnut27.79
South Pasadena27.77
San Marino25.99
Burbank24.28
La Cañada Flintridge23.82
Monrovia21.88
Whittier21.49
Pico Rivera21.41
Lynwood21.02
Lakewood19.78
Arcadia19.78
Norwalk19.59
Claremont19.54
Bell Gardens19.35
Santa Fe Springs19.12
Long Beach18.67
Downey18.31
Baldwin Park17.18
Duarte16.63
Covina16.36
Lomita14.97
Hawaiian Gardens14.89
Paramount14.56
South El Monte14.23
Azusa14.02
Rolling Hills Estates13.84
Bellflower13.60
El Segundo13.56
Inglewood13.54
Glendora13.05
Pasadena12.83
Torrance12.73
El Monte12.41
Lancaster12.28
Lawndale11.04
Monterey Park10.62
Agoura Hills9.97
Rolling Hills9.97
South Gate9.88
Alhambra9.82
La Verne9.81
San Dimas9.07
Malibu9.00
West Covina8.56
Gardena8.55
Diamond Bar8.26
Santa Monica8.18
Signal Hill7.94
Huntington Park7.70
Carson7.54
Compton7.46
Pomona7.37
Redondo Beach7.29
Maywood7.28
Calabasas7.23
Montebello7.18
Artesia7.10
Palmdale6.51
Rancho Palos Verdes6.40
Beverly Hills6.06
Manhattan Beach5.94
Bell5.66
Hermosa Beach5.46
West Hollywood5.07
Palos Verdes Estates4.70
La Habra Heights4.44
Santa Clarita4.38
La Mirada4.24
Hawthorne3.78
Commerce3.64
Cudahy2.88
Cerritos2.38
Westlake Village1.16

The map below shows all the cities together:

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Terry Castleman

Terry Castleman is a data reporter on the Fast Break Desk covering breaking news. In 2020, he was named alongside his colleagues as a Pulitzer Prize finalist in explanatory reporting. Previously, he worked at the New York Times and volunteered as a first responder for refugees arriving on the shores of Lesvos.

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