For homeowners
Enter your Los Angeles or San Diego address. In plain English, see what your lot may hold, the rules behind it and what to plan next. The preview is free. Potential, subject to a survey and an architect.
Why it matters
A typical house in Los Angeles or San Diego now costs over $1 million. At today’s rates, the loan payment alone runs well over $5,000 a month. Rent from an ADU could offset part of it.
Los Angeles
Left to pay
$3,599 a month
Rent could offset about 37%. With a 1-bedroom ADU at HUD's $2,328, about 41%.
Based on a median Los Angeles house at today's rate. Yours may be lower or higher.
Example math, not a quote or financial advice. Rents, rates and your costs will vary.
Building an ADU costs money, takes time and needs permits. Potential, subject to a survey and an architect.
San Diego
Left to pay
$3,583 a month
Rent could offset about 39%. With a 1-bedroom ADU at HUD's $2,459, about 42%.
Based on a median San Diego house at today's rate. Yours may be lower or higher.
Example math, not a quote or financial advice. Rents, rates and your costs will vary.
Building an ADU costs money, takes time and needs permits. Potential, subject to a survey and an architect.
One real San Diego garage-conversion ADU leased at $3,698 a month in late 2025 (ZIP 92115, public listing). One unit, not typical. Rental listing, ZIP 92115
Not about rent? An ADU can also give a parent or adult child their own door, close by.
See what your lot may hold. The preview is free.
Enter your address. The free preview shows your zone, the ADU paths that may apply and your permit record.
Check a lotThe full report explains the state and city ADU paths side by side, with setbacks (how far a structure must sit from the property line), size limits and every source cited. Anything public data can't settle is marked Verify.
A licensed land surveyor confirms your property lines. Residential boundary surveys typically run $600–$1,400 in Los Angeles and $650–$1,500 in San Diego. Surveyors.io, Los Angeles property line survey Surveyors.io, San Diego boundary survey
Bring your report. They turn what may fit into a design for your lot and family.
Los Angeles offers a preliminary plan check for $226.72, and San Diego a preliminary review for $1,600.89. LADBS, Preliminary Plan Check City of San Diego IB 513 (September 2026)
Once your application is complete, California requires the city to decide on an ADU permit within 60 days when there's an existing home on the lot. HCD ADU Handbook, March 2026, Gov. Code § 66317(a)(3)
You'll still need a survey and an architect. The report helps you walk in prepared.
Your lot, researched for ADU potential: the answer up front, the rules behind it, and what to check next. Every finding is cited. Potential, subject to a survey and an architect.
Zone and lot size from the city's record, before you pay for a survey.
State path and city path, side by side, each rule cited.
Fire, flood, hillside, and coastal flags called out.
Permits on this parcel, with open, expired, or final status.
The path from this report to the city's submittal page.
Full report: $99, one-time.
Check a lotThe report doesn't estimate building costs. It helps you avoid paying for plans on a lot that won't work. Small ADUs can also skip impact fees: none on an ADU of 750 sq ft or less. Gov. Code § 66311.5
The report puts the rules in plain English, one lot at a time, and lists what a survey and an architect still need to confirm. The city must decide on a complete ADU application within 60 days. HCD ADU Handbook, March 2026
You'll usually see that in the free preview, before you pay. Some homes may still allow a junior ADU inside the house, up to 500 sq ft. HCD ADU Handbook, March 2026, Gov. Code § 66313(d)
Every day I see investors burn weeks and real money on due diligence that dies on one question: can this lot hold an ADU? The ones who win move fast. I built ADU Clear so you get that answer, with the rules cited, before your competition does.
Research, not a builder. ADU Clear doesn't design, build or sell construction, so the report has nothing to sell you after it.
Los Angeles preliminary plan check
$226.72
San Diego preliminary review
$1,600.89
ADU Clear full report: $99.
The report doesn't replace the city, a survey or an architect. It helps you decide whether to take the next step.
Real estate agent or architect? See the investor page.
No. ADU Clear is a research report built from public data. It isn't a zoning decision, survey, permit or design service. Confirm with a licensed surveyor, an architect and your planning department.
For an ADU, California generally doesn't let cities require it. A junior ADU that shares a bathroom with the house does require the owner to live there.
Cities may require ADU rentals to be longer than 30 days, and junior ADUs can't be short-term rentals.
A junior ADU is up to 500 sq ft of living space inside the existing house. An ADU can be attached, detached or a converted garage.
Not for a junior ADU, and ADU parking can't exceed one space per unit or bedroom. Many ADUs need none, depending on location. The report shows what applies to your lot.
Federal data shows California homes with ADUs had a median appraised value of $1,064,000 in 2023, versus $715,000 without. Those are different homes, not before-and-after. Past results don't predict future ones.
A builder's consultation usually leads to a bid. ADU Clear doesn't build or design, so the report has nothing to sell you after it. The preview is free either way.
We use your address only to look up public records for your report.
We use it to look up public records for your report. Our site analytics don't record the address.
ADU Clear reports are research estimates of ADU potential based on public data. They are not a zoning decision, survey, permit or professional design service. Confirm with a licensed surveyor, architect and your local planning department. Potential, subject to a survey and an architect.