ADUs in Lakewood
The State of California has enacted many housing laws in recent years to address California’s housing shortage, especially affordable housing.
These laws significantly reduce a city’s discretion in approving new housing and place strict timelines on the approval process.
In particular, state housing laws have led to more development applications for additional residential units on single-family lots, generally known as accessory dwelling units, or ADUs.
You can learn more about ADUs in California in the California Department of Housing and Community Development ADU Handbook.
Given the volume and complexity of these housing laws, and the limits they place on local oversight and decision-making, Lakewood staff developed the information below to help residents understand what has changed and what the city is doing in response.
What is an ADU?
Since 2016, the state legislature and governor have passed several laws requiring local cities, including Lakewood, to allow additional housing units on single-family lots. In some cases, state law allows multiple additional units in addition to the main residence.
These additional housing units are generally called accessory dwelling units, or ADUs. Some units are legally called SB 9 units, named after the state legislation that created them. For this page, they are discussed together as additional residential units.
State law says city governments cannot prevent a homeowner from building an ADU that meets state requirements, but cities may apply certain objective standards.
What kinds and sizes of ADUs does state law allow?
Under state law, a property owner may be entitled to build a detached ADU in their backyard between 150 and 1,200 square feet in size. A property owner may also be able to convert a detached garage into an ADU.
An ADU must meet state residential building codes and include permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.
State law also allows a property owner to build one junior accessory dwelling unit, or JADU, within the main residence. A JADU must have a separate exterior entrance and an efficiency kitchen. It may share the main house’s bathroom.
How many units are allowed on one lot?
One aspect of state housing law allows qualifying property owners to split a lot in two and build up to two housing units on each lot. However, any split lot must be at least 40% of the original lot size. This can be difficult in Lakewood because many residential lots are small.
Using state housing laws, a property owner may be able to build an ADU in the backyard, convert a garage into an ADU and convert a room in the house into a JADU. Combined with the original residence, this may allow up to four housing units on what was once a single-family residential lot.
Owner-occupancy requirements vary by unit type and state law. Property owners should review current state requirements and contact the Planning Division before starting a project.
How many ADUs are there in Lakewood?
As of Feb. 1, 2025, there are 320 ADUs permitted and built in Lakewood. Another 349 ADUs are in process, either with plans in review or in the building process.
ADU construction has increased in recent years. There were 46 ADUs built in 2022, 81 in 2023, 120 in 2024 and 10 so far in 2025.
Lakewood has 22,708 single-family residences. With 320 ADUs currently built, about 1.4% of Lakewood single-family homes have an ADU. Another 1.5% have plans currently in process to build an ADU, and that number is expected to keep growing.
Background on state-mandated ADUs and Lakewood’s response
State housing legislation is intended to create more housing in California, an important goal. However, much of the new housing is not required to be affordable housing.
State law also limits what cities can require, including some limits on local parking requirements for new housing units.
As more ADUs are built, Lakewood expects additional pressure on neighborhood parking and concerns about overcrowding in single-family neighborhoods.
What is the City of Lakewood’s position on ADUs?
While the City of Lakewood acknowledges the statewide housing shortage and affordability crisis, the city has consistently opposed state legislation that contributes to overcrowding and parking difficulties for existing neighborhoods and reduces local control over zoning.
Lakewood City Council members and city staff lobbied state legislators throughout the legislative process. The city also informed Lakewood residents of the pending legislation and encouraged residents to express their opinions to state legislators.
The various pieces of legislation were passed into law in several bills over the past several years. Property owners now have the right to build ADUs in every city in California, including Lakewood, and the city must generally allow them when state requirements are met.
The City of Lakewood follows the law. The Lakewood City Council has also passed city ordinances using the limited areas of discretion left to cities, giving Lakewood the maximum amount of local control allowed by state law.
What do Lakewood’s ADU ordinances do?
The Lakewood City Council passed ordinances to preserve as much local oversight as state law allows.
Lakewood requires ADU applicants to submit building plans to the city to help ensure architectural compatibility between the proposed ADU and the existing dwelling unit.
The city requires the quality of materials for the ADU to be the same as, or better than, the primary unit. The city’s review looks at compatibility in building elements such as roofing, paint color, windows and doors, landscaping and proper storage of trash containers.
Lakewood also requires ADUs to meet mobility-friendly design standards. For example, ADUs must include wider doorways and wider shower openings than older residential standards often required.
While the city does not have the level of local control it would prefer, the City Council has said it is working to make the best use of the legal options available.
Is the city taking steps to challenge state housing legislation?
Lakewood joined Rancho Palos Verdes and other general law cities in filing a lawsuit challenging parts of state housing legislation affecting single-family neighborhoods.
Separate lawsuits were also filed by several charter cities because charter cities and general law cities have different legal authority under California law.
In September 2025, the California Court of Appeal affirmed judgment against the general law cities in the lawsuit involving Rancho Palos Verdes, Lakewood, Paramount and Simi Valley.
The court’s decision focused in part on the legal distinction between general law cities and charter cities. General law cities do not have the same constitutional authority over municipal affairs that charter cities have under California law.
Lakewood continues to monitor state housing legislation and legal developments affecting local control, neighborhood impacts and the city’s ability to apply objective development standards.