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Can your Pacoima lot fit an ADU?

On most Pacoima single-family lots, the answer is yes. The median single-family parcel in ZIP 91331 is 6,968 sq ft 1, and state law protects a detached ADU of up to 800 square feet with 4-foot side and rear setbacks on a lot with a single-family house 2. What usually decides the project is not room in the backyard but the sewer, the meters and the paperwork on what is already built 1420.

Edited by Ryan Rambo, construction managerFacts checked 2026-10-08

How big is a typical Pacoima lot, and is that enough room for an ADU?

For most owners, yes. We counted every City of Los Angeles single-family parcel in 91331 on the LA County Assessor's parcel map: 12,709 parcels, a median lot of 6,968 sq ft, and half of all lots between 6,122 and 7,568 sq ft 1. An 800 sq ft backyard house takes up about 11 percent of a median lot.

The same count found no single-family parcel in 91331 touching the city's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone map 1. That map layer was last edited in 2019, so confirm your own parcel, but the fire-zone limits that complicate ADUs in the foothills rarely come up on Pacoima's flat tract lots.

Here is one way to picture it. If your lot is 50 feet wide and the backyard house sits 4 feet off one side line, you still have 46 feet of width to work with, and a building 20 feet by 40 feet is 800 sq ft. Your actual lot lines, the house, the driveway and any large trees decide where it really goes.

What does my zoning allow, and how do I check it?

Look up your address on ZIMAS, the City Planning map, which shows a parcel's zoning and its building permit history 4. Los Angeles then gives you two tracks.

If ZIMAS shows a zone other than R1, such as RD or R2, ask a planner what that zone adds before you design. The 800 sq ft state-law option still applies to a lot with a single-family house 2.

Can I convert my garage instead of building something new?

Yes, and on many Pacoima lots it is the simpler path. State law allows detached garages and other existing accessory structures to be converted to ADUs 7, and no setback is required for an ADU built inside an existing structure or rebuilt in the same spot to the same dimensions 3. That matters when an old garage sits close to the rear or side property line.

You do not have to replace the parking you lose. When a garage is converted or torn down for an ADU, the city cannot require those parking spaces to be replaced 8.

The catch is the garage's history. Before you pay for plans, look at the permit history on ZIMAS 4. LADBS also checks when the lot was created, and lots divided after certain dates must meet zone rules or get a Certificate of Compliance 9. If you already have an unpermitted unit built before January 1, 2020, state law limits the city's ability to deny a permit for it, unless correcting the problem is needed for health and safety 10.

Check your own lot, free.

Put in your address and see your zoning, lot size, fire and hillside zones, sewer distance and what is already built, from the city's own records.

Get my free Lot Snapshot →

Could I add a JADU inside the house instead?

Yes, if you have the space. A JADU (junior ADU) is a unit of no more than 500 sq ft built entirely inside the single-family house 11. For a JADU, an attached garage counts as part of the house, and only one JADU is allowed per lot 12. You can pair it with a detached backyard house 2.

As of March 2026, the owner must live on the property only if the JADU shares bathroom facilities with the main house. With its own bathroom, owner occupancy is not required. A JADU also cannot be a short-term rental; if you rent it, the term must be longer than 30 days 13.

What are the utility traps on a Pacoima lot?

Space is rarely the problem; pipes, wires and meters are. Check these before anyone draws plans.

  1. Sewer. Find the public sewer main near your house on NavigateLA, the city map Bureau of Engineering staff use to confirm a public sewer is available 14. You are responsible for keeping your house lateral in working order from its connection at the main up to your property line 15. If a property is more than 200 feet from a sewer main, the Bureau notes the owner may choose septic instead 16.
  2. Water meter. An ADU or JADU created inside existing space cannot be required to get a new or separate utility connection; a new detached unit can be 17. If you choose your own LADWP water service, the 2025-26 charge for a 1-inch domestic service and meter is $6,715 to $6,773 18.
  3. Electrical panel. A new unit adds electrical load. Ask an electrician to run a load calculation on your current service before design, because the answer can change the budget.
  4. Easements and sign-offs. Any work within 10 feet of an LADWP easement, including a conversion, needs written LADWP approval 19. LADBS warns that some departments can take months to clear a project 20. For new construction valued at $50,000 or more, a fire lane or a Fire Department clearance applies where any part of the building is 150 feet from an improved street 21.

Are other Pacoima homeowners actually getting ADU permits?

Yes, and the pace is rising. LADBS issued 142 ADU and JADU building permits in 91331 in 2023, 144 in 2024 and 156 in 2025, plus 140 more from January 1 through October 3, 2026 22. At that rate 2026 would finish near 184 permits, about 18 percent above 2025.

Of the 296 permits issued since January 2025, 122 were filed as alterations to an existing building, 91 as new buildings and 83 as additions 22.

Two cautions. These numbers count permits, not homes: one project can carry more than one permit, so read them as a trend. And a permit issued is not a unit finished.

What should I check first, and in what order?

Work from the cheapest answer to the most expensive one.

  1. ZIMAS: your zone, any special overlays, and the permit history of the house and garage 4.
  2. Lot history: whether the garage was permitted and when the lot was created 9.
  3. Sewer: where the main is and how far your lateral runs, on NavigateLA 14.
  4. Power and water: the amp rating on your panel and whether you want a separate meter 1718.
  5. Easements: any LADWP easement within 10 feet of where you want to build 19.

This is the kind of thing a lot check settles in one pass, before you pay for plans on a lot that has a problem.

Quick answers

Is there a minimum lot size for an ADU in Pacoima?

No. State law does not allow cities to set minimum lot size requirements for ADUs 23.

How long does the city have to decide on my ADU application?

Once your application is complete, the city must approve or deny it within 60 days, or it is deemed approved 24.

Do I have to replace my garage parking if I convert it?

No. The city cannot require you to replace parking spaces lost when a garage is converted or demolished for an ADU 8.

Will a garage conversion trigger water and sewer connection fees?

An ADU built from existing space is not treated as a new residential use for connection fees or capacity charges, unless it is built together with a new single-family house 25.

Is Pacoima in a very high fire hazard zone?

On the city map layer we checked, no single-family parcel in 91331 touches it, but that layer dates from 2019, so confirm your parcel on ZIMAS 14.

Sources

  1. LA County Assessor parcel layer (LACounty_Parcel), single-family parcels in ZIP 91331, City of Los Angeles; with LA City GeoHub Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones layer, LA County Assessor / City of Los Angeles GeoHub (Greenlight analysis). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  2. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), 66323 Units: Single-Family Detached ADUs, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  3. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Setbacks, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  4. Zoning Search (ZIMAS), Los Angeles City Planning. Facts checked 2026-10-08
  5. ZA Memo No. 143 Revision 1, Accessory Dwelling Units (August 2025), Los Angeles City Planning, Office of Zoning Administration. Facts checked 2026-10-08
  6. ZA Memo No. 143 Revision 1, ADU types summary table (Ordinance ADU vs State ADU), Los Angeles City Planning, Office of Zoning Administration. Facts checked 2026-10-08
  7. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Detached ADUs, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  8. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Parking, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  9. Accessory Dwelling Unit Plan Check Correction Sheet, item B.2, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  10. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Unpermitted Structures and ADUs, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  11. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), What is a JADU?, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  12. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), 66323 Units: JADUs, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  13. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Summary of Recent Changes: JADU Owner Occupancy, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  14. Sewer (S) Permits: S-Permit Processing Procedures, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering (BOE) Permit Manual. Facts checked 2026-10-08
  15. Sewer (S) Permits: Maintenance of the HC Lateral, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering (BOE) Permit Manual. Facts checked 2026-10-08
  16. Sewer (S) Permits: Sewerage Facilities Charge notes, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering (BOE) Permit Manual. Facts checked 2026-10-08
  17. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Utilities: new or separate connections, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  18. Schedule for Water Facility Charges 2025-2026, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  19. Accessory Dwelling Unit Plan Check Correction Sheet, item B.8, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  20. Accessory Dwelling Unit Plan Check Correction Sheet, item B.1, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  21. Accessory Dwelling Unit Plan Check Correction Sheet, item B.7, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  22. Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (N), dataset pi9x-tg5x, ZIP 91331, LADBS via City of Los Angeles Open Data (Greenlight query). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  23. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Lot size, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  24. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Summary of Recent Changes, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08
  25. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026), Fees, California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Facts checked 2026-10-08

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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.