Burbank ADU Regulations

• ✓Burbank Preapproved ADU Program (BPAP) for streamlined plan check
• ✓Airport-adjacent properties often need extra acoustical review
• ✓Tighter ADU rules in R-1-H (horse) and Mountain Fire Zone
• ✓Detached height capped lower than many neighbors (17 ft typical)

Detached studio/1BR ADU max 850 sq ft. Above 850 sq ft requires ≥2 BR and caps at 1,000 sq ft. Mountain Fire Zone or front-yard setback placement capped at 800 sq ft.

State guarantee: California requires every city to allow at least an 800 sq ft ADU exempt from local lot coverage, FAR, and front-setback rules.

Height baseline: 16 ft for detached, rising to 18 ft within ½ mile of major transit. Attached ADUs follow the primary home, capped at 25 ft.

No on-site space if within ½ mile of public transit or on a permit-parking street. Otherwise 1 space per ADU.

Updated local ordinance (Council Ord. 23-4,002, Nov. 7, 2023) aligns ADU standards with state law. Ministerial review framework per city materials.

State backstop: A complete ADU permit must receive a decision in 60 business days. If the city stalls past 30 business days, AB 253 lets you hire a certified private plan checker to force a 10-business-day decision.

See city adopted fee schedules and the ADU handout for plan-check and impact components.

SB 543: No impact fees on ADUs ≤750 sq ft. Above 750 sq ft, fees scale to the ratio of ADU size vs the main home.

Visit the official Burbank ADU page (link in hero) for current eligibility and downloads.

Standard ADUs in Burbank: no owner-occupancy required (made permanent in 2023).

JADUs: limited to 500 sq ft of interior livable space within an existing single-family home. Owner occupancy is required only when sanitation facilities are shared with the main house. JADUs cannot be used as short-term rentals (AB 1154 / SB 543).