How many ADU permits each city issues, how many ADUs are finished, and which cities build the most. Every number comes from the reports cities file with the State.
ADUCheck is a free report for any address in Los Angeles: which ADUs fit, where a detached ADU can go, which fees you pay and the pre-approved plans that fit. The video shows an example report.
Example report shown. A report is not a permit; the City decides every application.
From 2018 to 2025, the City of Los Angeles issued 68,900 building permits for ADUs and 30,597 ADUs were finished. In 2025: 12,334 permits, 5,912 finished. An ADU finished in one year was often permitted in an earlier one.
Source: California HCD, Housing Element Annual Progress Reports, read November 12, 2026. Counts are each city's own report to the State.
The City of Los Angeles issued 12,334 building permits for ADUs in 2025, 3 times the 2018 count of 4,079.
Source: California HCD, Housing Element Annual Progress Reports, read November 12, 2026. Counts are each city's own report to the State.
After Los Angeles (12,334), the cities that issued the most ADU permits in Los Angeles County in 2025 were Glendale (695), Long Beach (644), Lakewood (498), Downey (244), Burbank (241).
Source: California HCD, Housing Element Annual Progress Reports, read November 12, 2026. Counts are each city's own report to the State.
5,912 ADUs were finished in the City of Los Angeles in 2025, and 30,597 since 2018.
Source: California HCD, Housing Element Annual Progress Reports, read November 12, 2026. Counts are each city's own report to the State.
San Diego issued 2,165 building permits for ADUs in 2025, 10 times the 2018 count of 216.
Source: California HCD, Housing Element Annual Progress Reports, read November 12, 2026. Counts are each city's own report to the State.
After Fullerton (589), the cities that issued the most ADU permits in Orange County in 2025 were Anaheim (441), Garden Grove (434), Santa Ana (258), Westminster (215), Buena Park (179).
Source: California HCD, Housing Element Annual Progress Reports, read November 12, 2026. Counts are each city's own report to the State.
After San Diego (2,165), the cities that issued the most ADU permits in San Diego County in 2025 were Chula Vista (223), Escondido (117), Vista (100), El Cajon (86), Encinitas (85).
Source: California HCD, Housing Element Annual Progress Reports, read November 12, 2026. Counts are each city's own report to the State.