ADUCheckby ViviendaCheck a propertyCheck

How do I rebuild in Altadena after the Eaton fire, and can I add an ADU?

Yes, you can add an ADU. LA County lets a like-for-like rebuild grow by 10% or 200 sq ft, whichever is greater, and include new ADUs and junior ADUs. You can live in a standalone ADU while the main home is built, until January 7, 2030. Owner-occupied homes destroyed in the fire get their permit fees deferred, and plans can be self-certified by a qualified architect or engineer.

Check your address

The hazard zone, the department that inspects, past fires nearby and every rule that applies to your home.

Like-for-like or a new design

A like-for-like rebuild replaces what burned: the same size, in the same location, for the same use. LA County approves changes that don't increase the floor area, size, height or footprint by more than 10% or 200 sq ft, whichever is greater.

Anything bigger is a non-like-for-like rebuild and follows current zoning, including the Altadena Community Standards District. Its minimum front setback is 20 ft.

These rules come from the Eaton Fire Disaster Interim Ordinance, which the Board of Supervisors extended on July 28, 2026 to August 22, 2027. That is the last extension the law allows.

Adding an ADU

ADUs with a like-for-like rebuild
A like-for-like rebuild may include new ADUs and junior ADUs, as long as they meet the county's ADU rules (Title 22).
The ADU first
You may live in a standalone ADU while the main home is rebuilt, until January 7, 2030.
Parking
An ADU built where a burned garage stood needs no replacement parking.
Pre-approved plans
LA County's pre-approved plan catalog includes ADUs, some only for the Eaton fire foothill communities. The designs can't be customized.

Permits and fees

One-stop permit center
464 W Woodbury Rd, Suite 210, Altadena. Walk-in weekdays 8:00 to 4:30; last call for permits at 3 p.m.
Fee deferrals
Owner-occupied single-family homes destroyed in the fire, owned and lived in before January 7, 2025, qualify, including a garage or ADU that was the only structure lost. There is no deadline. LLCs, rentals and temporary housing don't qualify.
Self-certified plans
A California-licensed architect or engineer with three or more years of LA County code work and errors-and-omissions insurance can certify plans for replacing a home, garage or ADU, skipping full plan check. Not in geologically sensitive areas. The county audits at least 20% of self-certified plans.
Progress
By May 2026 the county had issued more than 2,300 residential permits, with more than 1,200 homes under construction in the Eaton fire area. The permitting dashboard has current numbers.

Temporary housing and the site

RVs and manufactured homes
Allowed while you rebuild if the home or ADU was destroyed, but not on an existing debris field.
Debris
The Army Corps of Engineers finished Phase 2 debris removal in September 2025.
Soil
County Public Health found more Eaton soil samples with lead above health screening levels than in the Palisades, and suggests residents consider testing their soil.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Your fire department and city have the final word for your property.

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