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What are Glendale's ADU rules?

Glendale has its own ADU code, Glendale Municipal Code section 30.34.080; nothing from the City of Los Angeles applies there 1. As of October 2026 that code caps a new ADU at 850 sq ft, or 1,000 sq ft with more than one bedroom, guarantees one detached unit of up to 800 sq ft with 4-foot setbacks, and waives the city's development impact fee for any ADU under 750 sq ft 3418. The city is also amending the code under an October 2025 agreement with the state housing department, and says it will process applications under state law meanwhile 26.

Edited by Ryan Rambo, construction managerFacts checked 2026-10-13

Does Glendale use the City of Los Angeles ADU rules?

No. Its ADU rules sit in Glendale Municipal Code section 30.34.080, which is written to be ministerial, meaning no hearing and no discretionary review 1. ADUs are also exempt from Glendale's design review, though street-facing new units must meet the objective design standards in the ADU section 2.

State law does carry over. The Glendale code commits the city to the permitting timelines in Government Code sections 66314 and following 1, and the state handbook says a complete ADU application must be approved or denied within 60 days when there is an existing house on the lot 31. For the LA side of the line, start with our guides on height limits and setbacks.

How big and how tall can an ADU be in Glendale?

A new ADU, attached or detached, is capped at 850 sq ft, or 1,000 sq ft if it has more than one bedroom, and an attached unit also cannot exceed 50 percent of the main house's floor area 3. The 1,200 sq ft figure on some builder websites is the state default for cities without a compliant ordinance, not Glendale's number 7.

Two guarantees sit under those caps. One detached new unit of up to 800 sq ft with 4-foot interior setbacks is allowed no matter what the zone's floor-area ratio, lot coverage or open-space rules say, and up to 800 sq ft of any ADU is left out of the lot's floor-area and lot-coverage math 4. A junior ADU is different: up to 500 sq ft entirely inside the house, attached garage included 32; see our JADU guide.

Height limits 5:

A new ADU cannot sit between the house and the street, and no second driveway is allowed from the street, unless the unit is one of the state-guaranteed types 13. And Glendale does not allow a new ADU above a detached garage or carport 6. The state told the city in 2023 it may not prohibit that, and the ban is one of three items in the 2025 agreement below 2526.

My Glendale house is on a hillside. What is different?

Glendale's ADU section has no hillside rule of its own, but the zone your lot sits in does. Most hillside houses are in the R1R zone, written to preserve low-density hillside neighborhoods while permitting reasonable use of the property 8. The ADU code makes units follow that zone's floor area ratio, lot coverage and ungraded open space rules, with only the 4-foot setback and the 800 sq ft exclusion carved out 12:

The Hillside Development Review Policy in section 30.11.040 applies only to discretionary decisions 9, and an ADU permit is ministerial and exempt from design review 12, so it is not a hearing you must pass; the numbers above are what plan check applies. The 32-foot, two-story cap in the R1R zone is written for the primary building 10; the ADU has its own 16-foot limit 5.

No ADU rule waives grading, retaining walls or the soils report; see our soils report guide and, for LA's hills, the Hillside Ordinance guide.

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Is my Glendale lot in the fire zone, and does that block an ADU?

More likely than a year ago, and no, it does not block one. In late July 2025 the Glendale City Council adopted CAL FIRE's updated fire hazard maps, the first since 2011, moving 7,410 more parcels into the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, for a total of 16,383 homes, and growing the zone from 12,242 acres to nearly 15,000 14. State law gave the city 120 days to adopt them and bars lowering any area below the state's level 15.

Glendale's ADU code does not mention fire hazard zones at all, and the state ADU handbook says the presence of a fire hazard zone is not a conclusive rationale for restricting ADUs; the maps exist to govern building materials and defensible space 16. In the zone:

Our fire zone guide and sprinkler guide cover the LA version of the same state building rules.

What does Glendale charge in fees for an ADU?

Most ADUs skip the biggest one, the development impact fee. Any ADU under 750 sq ft is exempt from the city's development impact fee, including the parks and libraries fee; at 750 sq ft or more, the parks and library fee is charged in proportion to the main house's size, up to the amount in the city's fee resolution 18. The city's ADU page puts the fee it waives at approximately $5,000 19. State law draws the same 750 sq ft line 22.

The owner still pays sewer, water, school district and other applicable fees 18, though an ADU is not a new residential use for water and sewer connection fees unless built with a new house 20.

School fees go to Glendale Unified, not LAUSD. GUSD charges $5.38 per sq ft of residential space, applies it only to an ADU of 500 sq ft or more, and prices its own example of a 963 sq ft ADU at $5,180.94; an ADU under 500 sq ft pays $0, per a board resolution of February 21, 2026 21. A 749 sq ft unit skips the city impact fee but pays GUSD about $4,030; a 499 sq ft unit skips both. Compare LAUSD's fees and our property tax guide.

Why is the state making Glendale rewrite its ADU rules, and what does it mean for me?

Because the state housing department (HCD) has found the ordinance out of compliance twice: Ordinance 5957, adopted December 8, 2020, in a March 2022 letter 24, and Ordinance 5997, adopted November 15, 2022, in a December 2023 letter 25. The city amended the code with Ordinance 6034 on December 3, 2024 23, but HCD's August 2025 follow-up still listed three problems: the ban on a detached ADU where the lot already has an accessory living structure, limits on mixing unit types, and the ban on ADUs above detached garages 26. On October 3, 2025 the city signed an agreement with HCD to amend the ordinance, said it would process applications under state law meanwhile, and promised a draft by January 15, 2026 and council introduction by March 31 26.

As of October 2026 all three rules are still in the code text we read: a lot with one house may have an ADU or an accessory living quarters, such as a pool house, but not both 27; no new ADU above a detached garage 6; and a detached unit combines with a JADU only in limited cases 4. We could not find an adopted 2026 amendment on the city's code site. If one of those rules is why a planner says no, ask in writing whether state law is being applied, as the agreement says it will be 26.

Quick answers

Do I have to live on the property to build an ADU in Glendale?

Not for an ADU: state law bars cities from imposing owner-occupancy on ADUs 29. A junior ADU is different: the owner records a covenant and must live in the house or the JADU, and any ADU rental must run longer than 30 days 28. See our owner-occupancy guide.

Can I sell a Glendale ADU separately from the house?

Not as of October 2026, apart from a narrow state exception for nonprofit-built units; a JADU can never be sold separately 28. See our separate sale guide.

Does a Glendale ADU need a parking space?

At most one space per unit or per bedroom, whichever is less, and none at all within a half-mile walk of a public transit stop. Parking lost when a garage is converted or demolished for an ADU does not have to be replaced 30. Compare with LA's parking rules.

How long does Glendale have to approve an ADU?

Sixty days from a complete application when there is already a house on the lot 31. Glendale's own code commits the city to the state's permitting timelines 1.

Sources

  1. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (A) Intent and Purpose, (B) Applicability, and (D)(21) state permitting requirements (text as of 2026-10-04), City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  2. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.47.020(G)(10), Design Review exemptions, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  3. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (D)(6) and (D)(7), maximum ADU size, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  4. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (D)(3) 800 sq ft exclusion and (E)(4)(b) one detached new-construction ADU, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  5. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (E)(2), height limits on single-family lots, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  6. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (E)(6), no new ADU above a detached garage, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  7. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Can minimum and maximum unit sizes be established for ADUs?, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  8. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.11.010, purpose of the R1R zone, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  9. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.11.040(A), Hillside Development Review Policy, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  10. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.11.040, R1R and ROS height limit and ungraded open space, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  11. Glendale Municipal Code Table 30.11-B, ROS/R1R/R1 floor area ratio and lot coverage, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  12. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (E)(1), underlying zone standards apply to ADUs, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  13. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (D)(10), location relative to the street, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  14. Glendale adopts new fire hazard zones, talks weed abatement (July 31, 2025), Glendale News-Press (Outlook Newspapers). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  15. California Government Code § 51179 (a) and (b)(3), California Legislature (public.law mirror). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  16. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Can local agencies restrict ADUs based on Fire Hazard Severity Zones?, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  17. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (D)(13) fire sprinklers and (E)(4)(a)(iii) 3-foot setback for fire safety, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  18. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (D)(15) and (D)(16), fees and the development impact fee exemption, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  19. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), Development Services page, City of Glendale, Community Development. Facts checked 2026-10-13
  20. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (D)(18), utility connection fees, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  21. Developer Fees, Glendale Unified School District. Facts checked 2026-10-13
  22. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Can impact fees be charged for an ADU less than 750 square feet?, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  23. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080, ordinance history note, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  24. Review of Glendale's Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance, letter of March 25, 2022, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  25. Review of Glendale's Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance under State ADU Law, letter of December 7, 2023, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  26. Glendale pressed to comply with state ADU laws (Oct. 24, 2025), Glendale News-Press (Outlook Newspapers). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  27. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (D)(9), ADU or accessory living quarters, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  28. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (D)(11) rental term, (D)(12) separate sale, and (I) JADU covenant, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  29. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Can local agencies require owner-occupancy for an ADU?, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  30. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (H), parking standards for an ADU, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  31. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Summary of Recent Changes: 60-day approval, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-13
  32. Glendale Municipal Code § 30.34.080 (C), definition of junior accessory dwelling unit, City of Glendale (GoCodebook mirror of Title 30). Facts checked 2026-10-13

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Greenlight is not a contractor, architect or engineer, and this is not legal advice. Rules change; every fact here shows the date we last checked it.