California’s 4-foot setback rule opened up thousands of LA backyards for detached ADU construction. IBA Builders maps your buildable envelope before any design begins — soils, slope, utilities, and setbacks confirmed first.
CSLB License #1074505
Itamar Assulin on every project
Valley · Westside · South Bay
A detached ADU built on its own foundation is one of the most permittable projects on Los Angeles residential lots today — and most homeowners underestimate how much of their backyard qualifies.
California law (AB 68) allows new detached ADUs to sit as close as 4 feet from rear and side property lines. That single rule change opened up thousands of LA lots that looked too small on paper. Stand in a typical mid-city backyard and picture a line 4 feet in from each fence — everything inside that line is potentially buildable.
A proper site analysis maps the buildable envelope — the legally permitted construction area after setbacks, easements, and existing structures — on your specific property. Trees, sheds, and sloped corners make backyards feel smaller than they measure. Our assessments are ground-level reviews, not satellite guesses.
IBA Builders specializes in detached ADU construction in Los Angeles County under CSLB License #1074505. If you’re weighing whether a detached build is right for your situation, our guide to comparing a backyard ADU to a garage conversion walks through the key differences. For a detailed breakdown of how setback rules apply to your parcel, see our guide to LA zoning rules for R1 and R2 lots, or review LADBS ADU permit requirements directly on the city’s website.
No shortcuts based on unit size or budget tier — every project meets the same compliance and documentation standard.
We confirm the legal construction area on every project before the architect draws a single line — setbacks, easements, and existing structures verified first.
Foundation type — slab-on-grade, raised wood frame, or concrete perimeter — is determined by the geotechnical report, not by what’s fastest.
Water, sewer, gas, and electrical connection points located and routed before construction begins. No utility surprises mid-project.
We contact LADWP at permit submission — not after final inspection. Avoids the most common cause of move-in delays on otherwise complete projects.
Plans prepared to the ‘deemed complete’ submission standard. Correction notices responded to within the review window — no application restarts.
Foundation, framing, MEP rough-in, insulation, final — we schedule and manage every LADBS inspection through Certificate of Occupancy.
Ground-level review of soil, utility locations, slope, drainage, and legal setbacks. Buildable envelope confirmed in writing before any architectural work begins.
Architect designs to the actual envelope. We coordinate structural engineering, Title 24 compliance, and the full LADBS submission as a single complete package.
Foundation, framing, rough-in MEP, insulation, finish. Each LADBS inspection scheduled and passed before the next phase begins.
LADWP service connection initiated early so electrical and water are ready at completion. Project closes with the Certificate of Occupancy.
San Fernando Valley clay soils that affect foundation depth. Westside utility infrastructure installed decades before ADU rules. Silver Lake and Eagle Rock hillside slopes that demand structural grading. Torrance and Lawndale rear yards big enough for 800+ square foot two-bedroom envelopes. We work the full county — from Sherman Oaks out to the South Bay and foothills — with assessments specific to your address, not your zip code. If you’re weighing project feasibility, our breakdown of what a backyard ADU costs to build in LA is a useful starting point.
A homeowner in Silver Lake had already been told the lot was too tight for a detached ADU. She wanted a second opinion before giving up on the idea. We walked the property with a tape measure — standard 5,000-square-foot R1 parcel — and found something different.
“I walked a Silver Lake backyard the homeowner had written off — and found 550 buildable square feet. California’s 4-foot setback rule applies on all four sides, not just two. Utility connections were already running along the east side of the lot, close to where the ADU would sit. Less trenching. Lower connection cost. We designed to the envelope, submitted to LADBS, and had the permit in hand within the timeline we projected at the first meeting.”
— ITAMAR ASSULIN, OWNER, IBA BUILDERS
The Silver Lake hillside also shaped the foundation decision — slope warranted a concrete perimeter foundation rather than slab-on-grade, identified and budgeted upfront, not mid-construction. That kind of read comes from walking the property. Learn more about our ADU permitting services and what the LADBS permit process actually involves, or about Itamar and IBA Builders.
Smaller than most homeowners assume. California’s AB 68 set the rear and side setback minimum at 4 feet for new detached ADUs, which makes thousands of LA lots eligible that wouldn’t have qualified before. The only way to know your specific lot is an on-property assessment that maps the buildable envelope after setbacks, easements, and existing structures are accounted for.
The buildable envelope is the area on your lot where construction is legally permitted — calculated after setbacks from each property line, easements, and the footprint of any existing structures (house, garage, sheds). We confirm the envelope in writing during the assessment, before any architectural work begins. If the envelope can’t support the unit you have in mind, you know that at the assessment stage — not after you’ve paid for plans.
One of three: slab-on-grade, raised wood frame, or concrete perimeter wall. The geotechnical (soils) report determines which one is right for your lot. Flat yards with stable, well-draining soil typically work with slab-on-grade. Expansive clay or hillside lots usually require a perimeter foundation or other engineered solution. LADBS requires the soils report for most new detached ADU structures, and the structural engineer designs the foundation to match what the report found.
LADWP — the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power — runs on its own connection timeline, separate from LADBS. Waiting until after the permit is issued (or worse, after construction is complete) to contact LADWP is one of the most common causes of move-in delays. We initiate that process at permit submission so electrical and water service are ready by the time the unit is.
No. Bring us the address. The site assessment is the first step — ground-level review of setbacks, soil, slope, utility connections, and easements. You don’t need a design, a budget, or a finalized plan before reaching out. We’ll tell you what the lot can support and what scope fits your goals.
You don’t need a design, a budget number, or a finalized plan to reach out. Bring us the address. We’ll take it from there. Verify our CSLB license online at cslb.ca.gov — License #1074505.
