Building an ADU in Torrance

Which rules apply in Torrance

Torrance's ADU and junior ADU rules are in Torrance Municipal Code section 92.2.10. The City Council introduced Ordinance No. 3954 on August 5, 2025 and adopted it on August 19, 2025; it took effect 30 days later. It rewrote section 92.2.10 and repealed the separate JADU section, 92.2.11. The city's ADU page says the Council adopted the amendments in October 2025; the ordinance itself is dated August 19, 2025.

The code's purpose clause says: "In any instance where there is conflict, State law shall govern." ADUs and JADUs are allowed on any residential or mixed-use lot with an existing or proposed home. The city reviews them "ministerially, and without discretionary review or a hearing," and the ADU page says Building & Safety processes them as part of the building permit.

The ordinance says it responds to an HCD letter of September 5, 2024 and to new state laws. That letter found the previous ordinance (No. 3911) out of line with state law on, among other things, limiting single-family lots to one ADU, requiring a covenant on ADUs, banning JADUs on lots with more than one house, and placing door rules on JADUs. [1][2][3][6]

How many units you can build

The city's Table 92.2.10-1 allows, on a lot with one single-family house, either one detached ADU or one attached ADU, plus one JADU. Lots with apartments can have up to two detached ADUs with a new multifamily building, or as many detached ADUs as there are existing units, up to eight, and converted ADUs in non-living space up to 25% of the existing units.

Section 92.2.10(G) separately lists the state's "exempt units," which the city "shall ministerially approve" notwithstanding its other standards: an ADU inside an existing or proposed home or accessory building and a JADU inside the home, or a new detached ADU of up to 800 sq ft with 4-foot side and rear setbacks.

HCD's handbook says these state categories must be allowed together: on a single-family lot, "at least one ADU constructed from existing space, one JADU, and one newly constructed detached ADU." HCD made the same point to Torrance in 2024. If you want all three, confirm with the Planning Division at (310) 618-5990 before you design. [1][5][6]

Size, height and setbacks

• Size: an attached or detached ADU can be up to 1,000 sq ft; a JADU up to 500 sq ft. The minimum is an efficiency unit (150 sq ft). Converting an existing accessory structure has no size cap if you don't expand it beyond 150 sq ft for entry and exit.
• Detached setbacks: 15 feet from the front, 4 feet from the side and rear, and 6 feet from other buildings (wall to wall).
• Attached setbacks: the zone's front setback, 4 feet on the side, and the same rear setback as the house. An attached ADU must share at least 25% of its wall length with the house; a breezeway or patio cover alone doesn't count.
• Conversions: no setback for existing living space or an accessory structure converted in place, or rebuilt in the same location and size.
• Height: citywide, a detached ADU can be 18 feet for one story or 23 feet for two; an attached ADU 18 feet for one story or 25 feet for two. In the Hillside Overlay and Coastal Zone a detached ADU is 16 feet for one story, or more where state law allows. Interior height is capped at 12 feet for one story and 22 feet for two.
• Lot coverage, floor area and open space: the zone's limits apply.

State law says limits on lot coverage, floor area, open space and front setbacks can't block an ADU of at least 800 sq ft with 4-foot side and rear setbacks, and the city's own exempt-unit rules give a detached ADU of up to 800 sq ft 4-foot side and rear setbacks and a height of 16 feet or more where state law allows. [1][5]

Design rules

Torrance applies objective design standards to all ADUs and JADUs. Among them:

• Entry doors can't open on the same side of the building as the house's front door (detached units have a limited exception), and can't face the street unless set back at least 10 feet. Every unit needs a covered entry.
• New stairways must be fully enclosed inside the structure and not visible from the street.
• No new balconies, roof decks, mezzanines or lofts, and no decks more than 2 feet above grade.
• Architecture, materials, finishes and color must match the house, and the roof form and pitch must match the house where possible.
• At least two building materials and two exterior colors, and no wall plane longer than 20 feet without a window, door or other break.
• In the Torrance Tract Overlay, the Torrance Tract Design Guidelines apply to lots with a contributing historic house.

The code also requires a JADU without its own bathroom to have an interior entry to the house so it can share the house's bathroom, and lets a second-story JADU add up to 150 sq ft for an enclosed staircase. In its 2024 letter HCD said door-placement rules can't be applied to JADUs; the 2025 ordinance still lists them for "all ADUs and JADUs." State law also says the state's by-right ADUs aren't subject to local design standards. Ask Planning which rules apply to your project. [1][5][6]

Parking

The code requires one parking space per ADU, on the same lot and in addition to the house's parking. It can be uncovered and tandem on an existing driveway. Only one curb cut is allowed per street frontage. You don't need to replace a garage, carport or parking space you tear down or convert for an ADU, or an attached garage converted to a JADU.

No ADU parking is required when the ADU or JADU is:

• within a half-mile walk of public transit;
• in an architecturally and historically significant historic district;
• part of the house or an existing accessory structure;
• where on-street parking permits are required but not offered to the occupant;
• within one block of a car-share vehicle; or
• applied for together with a new single-family or multifamily home on the lot.

These match the exemptions in state law, except that state law requires the new-home exemption only when the ADU or the lot also meets one of the other exemptions. State law also bars parking requirements for the state's by-right ADUs. Confirm with the Planning Division how the city applies the new-home exemption. [1][5]

Fees

The code says a fee is charged when you apply for the building permit, to cover plan review, permit processing and development impact mitigation. The Planning Division's preliminary plan review is paid by check to the "City of Torrance" in the amount on its fee schedule, and cards cost an extra service fee.

Building permit fees. The city's Building & Safety Fees page posts a residential fee schedule based on project value. The 2026-27 valuation table (effective July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027) values new Type V construction at $187.70 per sq ft and conversions at $132.43 per sq ft.

Other fees listed on that page: a school district fee of $5.38 per sq ft for residential construction; a Park & Recreation Facilities Tax of $550 per dwelling unit; a Dwelling Unit Tax or Rehabilitation & Open Space Fee of $2,055 per dwelling unit; and a Construction Tax of 1.5% of project value. The page doesn't say how these apply to ADUs, so ask Building & Safety at (310) 618-5910.

State limits. An ADU of 750 sq ft of interior livable space or less pays no impact fees, and a larger one pays only in proportion to the house's size. School districts can charge only ADUs over 500 sq ft. For typical costs see our ADU cost guide. [1][5][7][8][9]

Junior ADUs and the covenant

A JADU in Torrance is up to 500 sq ft, entirely inside the house or the walls of an attached garage, with at least an efficiency kitchen. It may have its own bathroom or share the house's. Before the JADU can be occupied, you must record a covenant with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk and file a notarized, recorded copy with Community Development.

The covenant says the JADU can't be sold separately, can't grow past the allowed size, can't be rented for less than 30 days, and is legal "only so long as either the single-family dwelling or the JADU is occupied by the property owner." The city's posted JADU covenant form still cites the repealed section 92.2.11 (Ordinance No. 3910).

State law changed in 2026: owner occupancy may be required only if the JADU shares a bathroom with the house, and a JADU deed restriction may cover only the ban on separate sale and the JADU's size and features. If your JADU has its own bathroom, ask Planning how the covenant applies. See our junior ADU guide and garage conversion guide. [1][3][5][10]

Renting it out, coastal lots and unpermitted units

Renting. Neither an ADU nor a JADU may be operated as a short-term rental or rented for less than 30 days. You don't have to live on the property to rent an ADU.

Coastal Zone. The California Coastal Act applies to ADUs in the Coastal Zone. You file a copy of the Coastal Commission approval (coastal development permit, waiver or exemption) with your building permit application.

Unpermitted units. The city can't deny an ADU permit because of nonconforming zoning conditions, building code violations or unpermitted structures that don't threaten health and safety and aren't affected by the ADU. Owners of an illegal ADU who get a notice of violation can ask for a delay in enforcement as state law allows. [1][3][5]

Permit steps in Torrance

1. Speak with a planner

   Visit the Permit Center (Planning Counter) at 3031 Torrance Boulevard to learn the ADU standards. To book an appointment, call the Planning Division at (310) 618-5990. [7]

2. Hire a designer or use a pre-approved plan

   Hire a designer, architect or engineer and a licensed contractor, or buy one of the city's pre-approved ADU plans from its designer. [4][7]

3. Get a preliminary plan review from Planning

   Book a preliminary review with Planning. Plans are 24 by 36 inches, to scale and folded, with site plan, floor plan, elevations and roof plan showing setbacks, heights, lot coverage, floor area, open space and materials. Pay the fee on the city's schedule. [7]

4. Submit for the building permit

   Submit building plans and required documents to Building & Safety at (310) 618-5910. In the Coastal Zone, include the Coastal Commission approval. The city notifies you when the permit is ready to pay for and pick up. [1][7]

5. Record the JADU covenant (JADUs only)

   Complete and notarize the JADU covenant, record it with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, and return a recorded copy to Community Development before occupancy. [3][10]

6. Build and pass inspection

   Call (310) 618-5901 to schedule inspections. The ADU can be occupied after it passes final inspection. [7]

Pre-approved and sample plans

• Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Program

  Four one-story designs reviewed by Building and Planning (a 440 sq ft studio, a 640 sq ft one-bedroom, and 751 and 798 sq ft two-bedrooms), owned by private designers you buy them from; you still add site details and get a permit. [4]

Who to call

• City of Torrance Planning Division

  ADU standards, preliminary plan review and the JADU covenant

  (310) 618-5990

  3031 Torrance Boulevard, Torrance, CA 90503

  [3][7]

• City of Torrance Building & Safety Division

  Building permits, plan check, pre-approved plans

  (310) 618-5910

  3031 Torrance Boulevard, Torrance, CA 90503

  [4][7][8]

• Building inspection scheduling

  Schedule ADU inspections

  (310) 618-5901

  [7]

Questions people ask