What are the ADU rules in Torrance?
Ike Mbelu, Principal Partner · Last checked
On this page: The short answer · What Torrance's code sets · What state law guarantees
The short answer
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§92.2.10
One ADU plus a junior ADU
Torrance, in LA County, approves ADUs ministerially, with no hearing. A single-family lot can add one ADU plus a junior ADU. Either kind of ADU can reach 1,000 square feet. A detached unit can go two stories and 23 feet, with a 15-foot front setback and four feet at the side and rear. Torrance Municipal Code §92.2.10.
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What Torrance's code sets
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01
Size
Attached or detached: up to 1,000 square feet. Junior ADU: 500. §92.2.10(E)(6)(A).
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02
Height
Citywide, a detached ADU can be 18 feet at one story or 23 feet at two. Attached: 18 and 25. In the Hillside Overlay and Coastal Zone, a detached one-story unit is held to 16 feet unless Gov. Code §66321 allows more. §92.2.10(E)(4).
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03
Setbacks
Detached: 15 feet at the front, four at the side and rear, six between buildings. §92.2.10(E)(3)(A).
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04
Parking
One space per ADU, uncovered or tandem on the existing driveway. None within a half-mile walk of public transit. Give up the garage for the ADU and it need not be replaced. §92.2.10(E)(7).
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05
Design
No new balconies, roof decks, or decks more than two feet above grade. New stairs go inside the building. The roof matches the house in form and pitch. §92.2.10(E)(8).
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06
Apartment lots
Convert storage or garage space into ADUs, up to a quarter of the existing units and at least one. Plus up to eight detached ADUs, never more than the existing unit count. §92.2.10(G)(2).
What state law guarantees
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01
The unit count
An ADU and a junior ADU on any single-family lot. A detached ADU up to 800 square feet gets approved regardless of other local limits. Gov. Code §66323(a).
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02
Size and height floors
A city can't cap an ADU below 850 square feet, or 1,000 with more than one bedroom. It must allow 16 feet detached and 25 feet attached, or the zone's limit if lower. Torrance's code says state law governs on any conflict. §66321(b).
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Next door and county-wide
Read the LA County ADU rules, Redondo Beach ADUs or garage conversions. More on building in Torrance.
This is a summary of the Torrance Municipal Code and state law, not legal advice. Confirm the current code for your site.
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