Pre-approved ADU plans
The pre-approved plan catalogs city by city: what each program includes, what a pre-approval actually shortens, and where the free plans are.
A pre-approved plan is a design a building department has already reviewed. It does not skip plan check and it is not a permit, but it removes the review that most often comes back with corrections. These posts cover the catalogs city by city, what each program includes, and the fine print on the ones that are free.
Start here: Pre-approved ADU plans in Los Angeles
14 posts on pre-approved adu plans
Oregon Cities Give Away ADU Plans. Portland Borrowed Eugene's.
Portland, Eugene, Ashland, Bend, and Salem now hand homeowners free pre-approved ADU plans, and Portland's four came straight from Eugene. The blueprint is the cheap part. The site work and the fees it skips are not.
August 30, 2026
LA Pre-Approves 20 ADU Designs. Picking One Is Still on You.
Los Angeles pre-approves about 20 ADU designs from 14 firms, which can cut plan check to a single day. The free catalog picks your structure, not your lot, and the site sheets are still yours to draw and pay for.
August 16, 2026
California Made Every City Pre-Approve ADU Plans. Check Yours.
A 2023 state law ordered every California city to pre-approve ADU plans and post them online, promising a 30-day permit. A year on, one city posts 37 designs while another just let its catalog expire.
August 12, 2026
In San Diego, a Pre-Approved ADU Plan Buys a 30-Day Clock
San Diego has to rule on a detached ADU built from a pre-approved plan within 30 days, but the clock only holds if you leave the drawings alone. Here is how the city's accepted-plan rosters really work.
July 31, 2026
Seattle Rewrote Its ADU Code. The Free DADU Plans Are Catching Up.
Seattle's free pre-approved DADU plans still get you a permit in about six weeks, but the catalog was drawn under a zoning code the city rewrote in 2025. Here is how to use it without inheriting the old rules.
July 28, 2026
Four Zones Where San Francisco Won't Hand You a Free ADU Plan
San Francisco gives away ADU plans for free, but its own program bars them on slope, liquefaction, Maher, and flood lots, often the cheaper parcels a first-time owner can afford. Read your dirt first.
July 23, 2026
LA Has Two Free ADU Plan Catalogs. Your Address Picks One.
LA City and unincorporated LA County each run a free pre-approved ADU plan catalog from a different permit counter. Your address decides which one you get, and the city's free menu is now a single 455-square-foot plan.
July 20, 2026
LA's Free YOU-ADU Plan: 455 Square Feet, Four Ways to Build It
Los Angeles is the only California city that will hand you a permit-ready ADU design for free. The YOU-ADU is 455 square feet with four garden configurations, but the download is where the easy part ends.
July 16, 2026
San Francisco Pre-Approves ADU Plans for $1,472. Mind the Fine Print.
San Francisco pre-approves detached ADU designs for a flat $1,472, but the plans fit only 25-foot lots, expire each code cycle, and are barred from the slope, liquefaction, and flood zones that cover much of the city.
July 4, 2026
NYC's ADU for You: Check Your Lot, Pick a Plan, and File in DOB NOW
WXY's ADU for You platform, built for NYC's HPD, helps homeowners check lot eligibility by address, browse pre-approved backyard cottage and basement designs, and connect to DOB NOW: Build to file.
June 27, 2026
NYC's First ADU Plan Library: 11 Designs and Up to $395K in Financing
NYC launched its first pre-approved ADU plan library in March 2026, offering 11 DOB-reviewed backyard cottage designs and up to $395,000 in Plus One ADU financing. The application round closed June 12.
June 17, 2026
California's Pre-Approved ADU Plans: City Programs, Side by Side
Los Angeles, Riverside, San Jose, and San Mateo County each run a pre-approved ADU plan program. What is in each catalog, what it costs, and how A-du's plan map helps you find yours.
June 15, 2026
California's Free ADU Plans: When the Catalog Beats a Custom Architect
AB 1332 required every California local agency to publish a pre-approved ADU catalog by January 2025. LADBS and Riverside DWELL show what good ones look like and when the free plan wins over a custom architect.
June 5, 2026
Pre-Approved ADU Plans in Los Angeles: The Catalog, Updated for 2026
The LADBS Standard Plan Catalog lists more than 90 pre-approved ADU designs for Los Angeles, from 200 to 1,200 square feet. One design, the 455 sf YOU-ADU, is provided by the city at no cost.
May 29, 2026