ADU Rules in Burbank (2026): What You Can Build

An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a self-contained second home on the same lot as a house, with its own entrance, kitchen and bathroom. Burbank permits ADUs under California ADU law (Government Code 66310–66342) and its own Ordinance 23-4,002, in effect since 8 December 2023 as Burbank Municipal Code 10-1-620.3. Green Design and Build is a licensed general contractor (CSLB #1110975) based in Van Nuys, serving homeowners across Los Angeles County, Orange County, Ventura County, western Riverside County and western San Bernardino County. The headline number: a Burbank lot with a house on it can take a new ADU of up to 850 sq ft, or 1,000 sq ft with two or more bedrooms, unless it is in the Mountain Fire Zone or the Rancho horsekeeping district.

Who we are

Green Design and Build is led by Dekel Sofer. We have completed hundreds of projects and hold a 4.7-star rating across 146 Yelp reviews. We are a full-service residential general contractor and design-build remodeler, not an ADU specialist; ADUs and garage conversions are one part of what we build alongside kitchens, bathrooms, additions and whole-home renovations, from an office about 15 minutes from Burbank.

ADU rules in Burbank at a glance

Size, height and setbacks

Burbank’s size caps sit exactly at the state floor. Two local twists change that. In the Mountain Fire Zone, the hillside streets above Glenoaks Boulevard, the ordinance caps an ADU at 800 sq ft and allows one ADU or one JADU, not both; state law says a city’s maximum may not fall below 850 sq ft, so ask the Planning Division how it applies the cap before designing a two-bedroom unit there. In the R-1-H Rancho horsekeeping district, no new ADU construction is allowed; an ADU can only come from converting a permitted garage, guest house or space inside the main house, and barns, stables and sheds cannot be converted.

On height Burbank is more generous than the state floor, 17 ft rather than 16 ft for a standard detached unit, and the city publishes the transit map that unlocks 18 ft plus 2 ft for roof pitch. The catch is inside: interior space taller than 12 ft counts as two stories and an attic over 5 ft counts as floor area, so a vaulted studio can eat the size allowance. Condensers must be ground-mounted or in the attic.

Setbacks are 4 ft side and rear for anything new, balconies and stairs included, plus 5 ft from any other building. ADUs are exempt from floor-area-ratio and lot-coverage limits, which matters on 6,000–7,000 sq ft Magnolia Park lots where the house and garage already use the allowance. Two things the ADU ordinance does not address, and Planning should answer at pre-clearance: whether a hillside lot’s Hillside Development Permit rules (grading, a new pad, or a structure over 16 ft to the roof) touch your ADU, and the Chapter 7A ignition-resistant construction required in the fire zone. Our ADU rules calculator shows the state-law floor for any lot.

Garage conversions and JADUs in Burbank

Converting a detached garage is the most common Burbank ADU, and the rules favor it. The garage keeps its existing setback even on the property line, may grow up to 150 sq ft beyond its footprint, and may be built out to the greater of 850 / 1,000 sq ft or its existing size. The garage door must be replaced with windows or an entry door. Lost parking never has to be replaced, though if the old driveway is shorter than 18 ft by 8 ft 6 in, Burbank requires the driveway and curb cut removed. Fire sprinklers follow the main house: required in the ADU only if the primary dwelling requires them, and an ADU never triggers sprinklers in the existing house. What a rear-yard garage does face is the one-hour-rated, no-window wall rule within 5 ft of a property line.

A junior ADU is up to 500 sq ft carved out of the house or attached garage, with its own entrance, an efficiency kitchen and a bathroom that may be shared. A deed restriction is recorded before the certificate of occupancy; the owner must live in the house or the JADU only when the JADU shares a bathroom with the house (Gov. Code 66333); for water, sewer and power a JADU is not a new unit, so no connection fees apply.

Pre-approved plans, fees and utilities

Burbank runs the Burbank Pre-Approved ADU Program (BPAP) under AB 1332. The library lists a city-designed 432 sq ft studio (BPAP 24001) and a 360 sq ft studio from the LADBS standard-plan program; the city’s 2024 FAQ says twelve LADBS designs matching Burbank’s code are accepted. A pre-approved plan gets a 30-business-day first review and 15-day rechecks. The program excludes garage conversions and stacked or side-by-side units, and does not apply in the Rancho. You still buy the plans from the designer, prepare lot-specific site, energy and structural sheets, and pay plan-check and permit fees by square footage.

Fee categories to budget for, none quoted here because Burbank sets them per project: plan check and permit, Burbank Water and Power aid-in-construction and capacity charges, water connection charges for a new detached unit, school district facilities fees above 500 sq ft, and development impact fees only above 750 sq ft. Under Government Code 66311.5 (formerly 66324) a conversion of existing space cannot be charged a connection fee or capacity charge or required to have a separate utility connection; a new detached unit can.

Power comes from Burbank Water and Power, not LADWP or Edison. BWP allows one meter for house and ADU up to 400 amps; a separate ADU meter must be grouped with the house meter, and BWP may require the main panel relocated or the service put underground if the overhead drop cannot carry the load. BWP charges are paid before the meter is unlocked, so we file with BWP alongside the building permit.

The permit process in Burbank, step by step

1. Zoning pre-clearance with the Planning Division at 150 N. Third Street: zone (R-1, R-1-H or fire zone), transit-map height allowance, Hillside Area rules.
2. Design, engineering and Title 24: plans, structural sheets, energy report and, for a new detached unit, the rooftop solar the energy code requires.
3. Submit through ProjectDox. The application goes to Building and Safety, the city sends a ProjectDox invitation, we upload the set and pay plan-check fees online. Planning, Public Works, BWP Electric, BWP Water, Fire and the school district each review it.
4. Corrections and approval. State law requires a decision within 60 days of a complete application; Burbank’s first review runs up to eight weeks, so we clear every comment in one cycle.
5. Permit issuance and survey. Burbank requires a licensed surveyor to certify setbacks before the first foundation inspection.
6. Construction and inspections, booked in the Burbank Online Permits portal up to three days ahead, through to the BWP meter set.
7. Final inspection and certificate of occupancy. Solar must be installed before final on a new detached unit, and Public Works assigns the ADU its own address.

End to end, a Burbank ADU typically takes six months to a year: four to eight weeks of design, one to three months in plan check, and three to eight months of construction.

What an ADU costs in Burbank

Our published Los Angeles ranges apply in Burbank: a garage conversion ADU $100,000–$200,000; a detached 500 sq ft unit $180,000–$260,000; 700–800 sq ft $225,000–$350,000; a 1,000 sq ft unit $300,000–$450,000 and up. The rule of thumb for new construction is $300–$450 per sq ft all-in, and $500+ per sq ft on difficult lots. Burbank’s cost drivers are a hillside lot above Glenoaks (geotechnical report, engineered footings, possibly a Hillside Development Permit), the fire zone (Class A roofing, ember-resistant vents, ignition-resistant siding) and a BWP service upgrade or underground conversion, one reason ADU quotes vary so much between contractors. Our guide to how much it costs to build an ADU walks through a real project budget line by line. These are budgeting ranges, not a quote. What a Burbank lot actually costs turns on the geotechnical report, the fire-zone assemblies and the BWP service, and those are priced from the site rather than from a table.

See our ADU rules by city hub for the neighboring jurisdictions.

Frequently asked questions

How big an ADU can I build in Burbank?

A Burbank lot with an existing or proposed house can take an ADU of up to 850 sq ft, or 1,000 sq ft with more than one bedroom, attached or detached. In the Mountain Fire Zone the city caps the unit at 800 sq ft, and in the R-1-H Rancho district an ADU can only be created by converting a permitted garage, guest house or part of the main house.

Do I need to live on the property to have an ADU in Burbank?

No. Burbank’s ADU ordinance states that the city shall not impose owner-occupancy on a standard ADU, following state law, and the unit can be rented separately from the house for terms longer than 90 days. A junior ADU is the exception only when it shares a bathroom with the main house: then the owner must live in the house or the JADU. A JADU with its own bathroom has no owner-occupancy requirement (Gov. Code 66333); every JADU still records a deed restriction.

Does Burbank require parking for an ADU?

Burbank may require one on-site space per ADU, tandem in the driveway, but no space is required if the lot is within a half mile of public transit, the ADU converts existing space, the property is in a historic district, or the street has permit parking. When a garage is converted or demolished for an ADU, Burbank cannot require the lost parking to be replaced.

How tall can a detached ADU be in Burbank?

A standard detached ADU in Burbank may be 17 ft tall to any architectural feature, one foot above the state minimum. Lots within a half mile of a major transit stop or high-quality transit corridor get 18 ft plus 2 ft to match the main house’s roof pitch, and a unit above a garage may reach 23 ft.

What is the Burbank Pre-Approved ADU Program?

The Burbank Pre-Approved ADU Program (BPAP) is a library of ADU designs that Burbank’s Building and Safety Division has already plan-checked, so a homeowner who uses one gets a 30-business-day first review. It currently lists a city-designed 432 sq ft studio and an LADBS standard-plan design, excludes garage conversions, and still requires lot-specific site, energy and structural sheets.

How long does it take to get an ADU permit in Burbank?

State law requires Burbank to approve or deny a complete ADU application within 60 days, and Burbank’s own guidance says a first plan-check review can take up to eight weeks. With design and BWP clearance in front and construction behind, a Burbank ADU usually takes six months to a year from first meeting to certificate of occupancy.

The state has written to Burbank about its ADU ordinance

On 5 December 2025 the California Department of Housing and Community Development sent Burbank a Letter of Technical Assistance. It is not a formal finding of non-compliance, but it warns that the city’s ADU ordinance “may be outdated and out of compliance with State ADU Law”, and it names six points:

• Deed restrictions on ADUs are prohibited — HCD treats them as impermissible additional standards.
• Third-party homeowners’ association review would violate state ADU law; “no other local ordinances, policies, or regulations may be applied.”
• A local agency “may not require parking as a condition to permitting a JADU.”
• The law now “prohibits a local agency from requiring owner occupancy for an ADU.”
• A city must determine whether an application is complete and give written notice “not later than 15 business days.”
• No impact fees on an ADU of 750 sq ft or less, and proportional fees above that.

HCD asked for a response by 4 January 2026. A technical-assistance letter is a prompt rather than an order and does not change the ordinance by itself. What it does tell you is where the friction is likely to be — and where a local rule is more restrictive than the statute, the statute controls.

Sources

Burbank’s ADU rules come from the city’s own ordinance and from California ADU law. Both change — the Legislature amends ADU law most years and the city amends its ordinance separately. Confirm the current position before you design, and note the review date below.

• City of Burbank, Accessory Dwelling Units — the city’s own ADU page, with its current handouts and submittal route.
• Burbank Ordinance No. 23-4,002 — the ADU and JADU ordinance, effective 8 December 2023, which sits in the Burbank Municipal Code at section 10-1-620.
• California HCD, Letter of Technical Assistance to Burbank (5 December 2025) — the six points above, and HCD’s warning that the ordinance “may be outdated and out of compliance with State ADU Law.”
• California HCD, Accessory Dwelling Unit fact sheet (April 2026) — ADU law at Government Code sections 66310–66342: a city may not require rear and side setbacks greater than four feet for a new ADU, may not impose impact fees on an ADU of 750 sq ft or less or on a JADU, and must act on an application within 60 days (Gov. Code section 66317). It also records the 15-business-day completeness determination added by SB 543.
• California HCD, Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026) — Government Code section 66321(b)(3), the rule that local standards may not prevent at least an 800 sq ft ADU with four-foot setbacks at up to 16 feet.

Last reviewed 17 September 2026.

Find out what your Burbank lot can take

Send us your address and we will check the zone, the transit map and the fire-zone map, tell you the largest ADU the rules allow on your lot, and give you a written, itemized estimate after a free site visit.