Van Nuys / Lake Balboa ADUs: what the permit data says

Van Nuys / Lake Balboa has seen 822 ADU building permits issued since 2020, No. 6 in the City of Los Angeles. The count covers zip 91406.

Cherry blossoms Lake Balboa (20140330-0344), Los Angeles
Cherry blossoms Lake Balboa (20140330-0344). Photo: Nandaro, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Van Nuys / Lake Balboa builds big: 33% of its ADU permits issued since 2020 are for units of 1,000 sf or larger, versus 27% citywide.

ADU permits issued by year

ADU building permits issued in Van Nuys / Lake Balboa (91406), by year

90
2020
101
2021
145
2022
120
2023
133
2024
155
2025
78
2026
so far

How Van Nuys / Lake Balboa builds

ADU types on permits issued in Van Nuys / Lake Balboa since 2020

Garage conversion42.2% citywide 40.5%
Detached25.2% citywide 25.4%
Attached2.3% citywide 4.2%
Above garage0.4% citywide 0.5%

ADU types are classified from the free-text work description on each permit, and 29.9% of permits here could not be classified.

How big they build

739 sfmedian size on ADU permits issued since 2020 (citywide 684 sf)

Van Nuys / Lake Balboa

Citywide

Under 500 sf29.8% citywide 33.1%
500 to 749 sf21.4% citywide 22.8%
750 to 999 sf16.2% citywide 16.9%
1,000 sf or larger32.6% citywide 27.2%

Permit records do not include bedroom counts, so we report sizes, not bedrooms.

$63,500

median declared valuation on permits (not market cost)

47.3%

have a Certificate of Occupancy so far (recent permits are still in progress)

2025

busiest full year, with 155 ADU permits issued

What this means

Counts are permits issued, not completed homes; some of these projects are still under construction and some will never break ground. The counts cover the City of LA portion of zip 91406, so anything outside city limits is not included. The busiest full year so far was 2025, with 155 ADU permits issued; the 2026 count runs through July only.

Count your backyard in.

Free test fit: could one fit behind your house? Test fits are quick estimates; humans verify before anything moves forward.

The Census Bulletin tracks these numbers on the A-du blog.

Source: LADBS permits, LA City Open Data. Issued Jan 2020 to Jul 2026. Pulled Jul 30, 2026.

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