Beverly Hills property owners can now build significantly more accessory dwelling units on their lots after the Planning Commission voted unanimously on Thursday, June 11, to amend the city's ADU and junior ADU regulations.
The changes bring Beverly Hills into compliance with two state laws signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2025: Senate Bill 543 and Assembly Bill 1154. Both took effect January 1, 2026.
The biggest shift hits multi-family properties. SB 543 raised the number of detached ADUs allowed on those lots from two to eight, capped at the number of existing units on the property. For single-family lots, owners may now build up to two ADUs plus a junior ADU under state law, plus one additional unit under local rules. Properties larger than 13,000 square feet may qualify for a fourth unit through the city's incentive provisions.
AB 1154 dropped the owner-occupancy requirement for junior ADUs that have their own bathroom. Beverly Hills' amended code follows suit, keeping the requirement only where a JADU shares sanitation facilities with the primary residence.
The city will also remove deed-covenant requirements for standard ADUs, as state law now prohibits cities from imposing recorded restrictions on those units. Covenants remain for JADUs and for the city's incentive ADU program.
For owners of historically designated properties, the revised code requires that ADU conversions preserve character-defining features identified in the property's landmark designation report. City staff will develop objective design standards for historic contexts.
A privacy window requirement adopted by City Council in May was inadvertently applied only to single-family ADU rules. The new amendments extend it to multi-family properties as well.
ADU permits and housing goals
ADUs and JADUs count toward Beverly Hills' Regional Housing Needs Allocation, which requires the city to accommodate 3,104 units through zoning during the 2021–29 planning cycle. The city has issued building permits for 201 ADUs, JADUs, and ancillary living quarters during this cycle, according to the Beverly Hills Courier.
Parking concerns
One written public comment was read at the June 11 hearing. A resident in the city's Zone 9 parking district expressed support for ADUs but raised concerns about overnight parking, noting that street parking is prohibited overnight in the zone. "On my block alone, there are regularly around 20 vehicles parked overnight with disabled parking placards, demonstrating that overnight street parking already exists in practice," the resident wrote.
What happens next
The ordinance now moves to the Beverly Hills City Council for a final vote. No hearing date has been announced. If the council approves it, the city must submit the updated ordinance to the California Department of Housing and Community Development within 60 days. Under SB 543, failing to meet that deadline would render the ordinance null and void.
