Your Garage Is the Fastest Way to Add a Unit
A garage conversion reuses walls, a roof, and a slab you already have, which usually makes it the most affordable way to add a rental unit or a home for family in Los Angeles. State law also removes two of the biggest obstacles: no replacement parking, and no new setbacks for an existing structure.
What a conversion needs is a plan set that answers LADBS plan check the first time: how the garage door opening is closed in, how the space meets habitable-room and egress rules, and how it complies with Title 24 once it becomes heated and cooled space. That is the set we prepare.
What State Law Gives Garage Conversions
These state rules apply in Los Angeles. For the full picture, see our Los Angeles ADU guide.
- No replacement parking: the city cannot require new parking when your garage becomes an ADU
- No new setbacks: an existing garage can be converted where it stands
- 60-day decision: cities must approve or deny a complete ADU application within 60 days
- Lower fees: ADUs of 750 sq ft or less are exempt from impact fees
- ADU or JADU: an attached garage can also become a junior ADU of up to 500 sq ft
What a Garage Conversion Set Has to Show
These are the items plan checkers most often ask about on garage conversions. We draw them into the set before you submit.
Garage Door Infill
Framing, the new window or door, and weather-resistant details where the garage door used to be.
Slab & Foundation
Whether the existing slab can carry new walls, and the floor buildup where the garage floor meets the living space.
Egress & Ceiling Height
An emergency escape window in each sleeping room and ceiling heights that meet habitable-room rules.
Fire Separation
Rated walls between an attached garage and the house, and for walls that sit close to a property line.
Title 24 Energy
The garage becomes conditioned space, so walls, roof, and windows need insulation values and a CF1R calculated in CBECC.
Utilities
Sewer connection and cleanouts, electrical panel capacity, and the new unit's plumbing and exhaust.
What You Receive, Sheet by Sheet
Delivered as a print-ready PDF, prepared for LADBS submittal.
From Photos to Permit Set
Send Your Garage
Your address, a few photos inside and out, rough dimensions or any existing drawings, and what you want to build.
Fixed Quote
A fixed price for your permit set within 24 hours (business days), with Title 24 included.
First Preview
Your proposed layout in 7–10 business days. We refine it with you until it is right.
Permit Set
A complete set for LADBS submittal. Plan-check corrections within scope are included.
Garage Conversion FAQs
No. California law does not allow cities to require replacement parking when a garage is converted to an ADU.
Yes. An attached garage can become an attached ADU, or a junior ADU (JADU) of up to 500 square feet. The plans show the fire separation from the main house and the entrance the unit needs.
California law gives cities 60 days to approve or deny a complete ADU application. Real timelines depend on how complete the first submittal is and how quickly corrections are answered. Our Los Angeles ADU guide covers LADBS timelines in detail.
Not always. If the slab, foundation, or framing needs changes, we coordinate with your engineer or bring in a California-licensed engineer from our network, who bills you directly.
Your address, a few photos of the garage inside and out, rough dimensions or any existing drawings, and what you would like to build. You get a fixed quote within 24 hours (business days). For construction budgets, see our garage conversion guide.
Ready to Convert Your Garage?
Send a few photos and your address. You get a fixed quote for your LADBS permit set within 24 hours.
You work directly with Younes Hatti, founder of Andalusia Drafting LLC, from first quote to permit approval.