Inglewood, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Owner Occupancy (2026)
Key Facts
- Owner-occupancy
- Required for JADU lots, Sec. 12-150(g)
- Where owner may live
- Main house or the JADU
- Exemption
- Govt agency, land trust, housing org
- JADU size range
- 150 to 500 sq ft
- Covenant required
- Recorded with LA County Recorder
Summary
Inglewood requires the single-family lot hosting a junior accessory dwelling unit to be owner-occupied, with the owner living in either the main house or the JADU itself, per Municipal Code Sec. 12-150(g).
The single family residence in which the JADU is permitted must be owner-occupied. The owner may reside in either the remaining portion of the structure or the newly created JADU. Exception: The owner occupancy requirement shall not apply if the owner is another governmental agency, land trust, housing organization, or otherwise exempt pursuant to state law, i.e., to Government Code section 65852.22(a)(2).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4954608; v8 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
Under Inglewood Municipal Code Sec. 12-150, a junior accessory dwelling unit (JADU) is allowed only on a lot with an existing single-family dwelling, and only one JADU per lot. Subsection (g) imposes the city's owner-occupancy condition: the single-family residence containing the JADU must be owner-occupied, and the owner can satisfy this by living in either the remaining portion of the main house or in the newly created JADU. 22(a)(2)). This owner-occupancy condition applies specifically to JADUs; Inglewood's separate ADU standards in Sec. 12-149 do not carry the same live-in mandate, tracking the state-law split between ADUs and JADUs.
Before a building permit issues for either unit type, Sec. 12-148(d) requires the owner to record a covenant with the Los Angeles County Recorder and file a copy with the Planning Division; that covenant runs with the land, binds future owners, and states the ADU or JADU cannot be sold or conveyed apart from the primary residence. 22(a)(1), may share bathroom facilities with the main house, and must measure between 150 and 500 square feet (capped at 50% of the existing home's size, whichever is smaller).
Violations & Fines
Renting, selling, or occupying a JADU in violation of the recorded owner-occupancy covenant breaches the title covenant required under Sec. 12-148(d) and can trigger code enforcement action by the Planning Division, since the covenant is a recorded, binding condition of the building permit rather than a mere guideline. Because the covenant runs with the land, a subsequent owner who fails to occupy either the main house or the JADU is also bound by and can be held to the same requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Inglewood require the owner to live on-site for a JADU?
Is the same owner-occupancy rule required for a regular ADU in Inglewood?
Who is exempt from Inglewood's JADU owner-occupancy requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Inglewood
California rules heatmap·Compare Inglewood to another location·View the California accessory structures overview
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ADU Owner Occupancy in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle adu owner occupancy.