Insights
What the rules actually say, what they mean for a project in this part of California, and where to verify each of them. Every regulatory claim on these pages links to the agency it came from.
ADUSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
What an ADU really costs in Los Angeles: the fees, not the price per square foot
Construction cost gets all the attention. The fees are where California law hands you real money — and where a 751 sq ft design quietly costs more than a 750.
6 SOURCES
ADUSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
How long an ADU permit takes: the clock the statute gives you
Fifteen business days to completeness, 60 days to a decision, then deemed approved. And a gap in the law: junior ADUs get the deadline without the remedy.
5 SOURCES
ADUSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
ADU size, setback and height limits in California (2026)
The ADU size, setback and height floors your city cannot go below, cited to the statute that governs now — Gov. Code §§ 66310–66342, not the repealed § 65852.2.
6 SOURCES
PERMITSSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
When you need a Coastal Development Permit in Malibu
The Coastal Act defines development far more broadly than the word suggests. Grading, vegetation removal and changing a structure's size all count.
6 SOURCES
PERMITSSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
Do I need a licensed architect for a home addition in California?
For most single-family work, no — Business & Professions Code § 5537 says so. But subdivision (b) decides the real cases, and almost no guide mentions it.
6 SOURCES
ADUSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
Converting a garage into an ADU in Los Angeles: what state law protects
Garage conversions get their own protected path in California law: no parking replacement, no sprinklers if the house has none, 150 sq ft for a doorway.
5 SOURCES
PERMITSSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
Do you need a soils or geology report for a hillside project?
In a mapped seismic hazard zone the city must require one before approving your project — unless your addition stays under 50% of value or floor area.
6 SOURCES
ADUSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
JADU vs ADU in California: which one your house can actually take
A JADU is capped at 500 sq ft, must sit inside the walls of the house, and carries an owner-occupancy rule and a recorded deed restriction an ADU does not.
6 SOURCES
PERMITSSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
Plan check is taking too long: what AB 253 now lets you do about it
Since October 2025 your city must give you an estimated review time — and if it exceeds 30 business days you may hire your own licensed plan checker.
5 SOURCES
FIRE REBUILDSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
What "like-for-like" actually means when you rebuild after a fire
In the coastal zone it has a statutory definition: same use, same location, and not more than 10% over the destroyed structure's floor area, height or bulk.
5 SOURCES
STRUCTURALSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
Removing a load-bearing wall in California: gravity is the easy part
The beam that replaces the wall is straightforward. What the wall was doing for the house in an earthquake usually is not.
4 SOURCES
STRUCTURALSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
Can your foundation take a second storey?
The existing footings were sized for the house that is there. Adding a floor roughly doubles what they carry and changes what the house does in an earthquake.
5 SOURCES
ADUSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
Can you sell an ADU separately in California? Two paths, both narrower than advertised
The condominium route needs your city to have adopted an ordinance, and your mortgage lender can refuse consent outright. Gov. Code §§ 66341 and 66342.
5 SOURCES
PERMITSSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
Title 24 explained, and what AB 130 froze until 2031
Title 24 is twelve parts, not one energy rule. The 2025 edition took effect January 2026 — and your city is barred from adding its own residential amendments.
5 SOURCES
FIRE REBUILDSEPTEMBER 10, 2026
Building in a very high fire hazard severity zone: the two systems you have to satisfy
Defensible space and fire-resistant construction are separate obligations under separate law. Zone 0 is the five feet against the wall.
5 SOURCES
STRUCTURALSEPTEMBER 8, 2026
Do I need a structural engineer for my remodel?
When a California residential permit requires stamped structural drawings, what the engineer produces, and how to tell before you commit to a designer.
4 SOURCES
PERMITSSEPTEMBER 5, 2026
Who issues your building permit in the west Valley and Conejo Valley
Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Malibu and Thousand Oaks are minutes apart and permitted by five different agencies. Which one reviews your project.
7 SOURCES
TOPICS — ADU · PERMITS · FIRE REBUILD · STRUCTURAL
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Tell us the property and roughly what you want to build. We come back with what the zoning allows, the likely permit path, and a fixed fee for the first phase.