Where
Reseda, City of Los Angeles, RA zone.
The project
A second primary home on the lot, created by converting existing accessory living quarters, with related garage and ADU work.
What the City said
On April 15, 2021, LADBS returned the submission incomplete: “A second Single Family Dwelling is not allowed on an RA zoned lot.” The alternatives offered were to remove the second dwelling or revise it to accessory living quarters. Three years later the permit comments for the second house set the fire conditions: NFPA 13D sprinklers, Type V-A construction, and a 20-foot driveway built to the H20 standard. In May 2025 the City required consistent dimensions, construction type and use codes across the permits before a certificate of occupancy could issue.
What we did
When SB 9 took effect, we took the project to preconsultation as a two-unit development and carried it through the fire access design, the approved-plan packages, and the matching of drawings to permit descriptions that a multi-permit site needs. In 2025 we supplied the original approved plans to clear the inventory and use-code discrepancies and requested the certificate of occupancy on July 10.
Outcome
On July 20, 2025 the owner reported the certificate of occupancy for the second house issued.
Status as of October 2026
Certificate of occupancy for the second home reported July 2025.
What it shows
A zoning answer has a date on it. The 2021 refusal was correct under the code of 2021; SB 9 made the same lot eligible, and the work after that was paperwork consistency, which is where multi-permit projects stall. See the duplex, triplex and fourplex service page →
Next case: A fourplex from 1994, brought through plan review under today’s code →
Have a project like this one?
Send us the address and what the city has said so far, or call (626) 214-8651.