Lakewood, CA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

21a(D)(12), 'ADU Rental,' sets the terms under which an accessory dwelling unit may be leased once it's built. Subsection (b) requires every rental or lease of an ADU to run thirty-one days or more and flatly states that an ADU 'shall not be rented as a short-term home-share rental,' closing off Airbnb-style bookings in a backyard unit even though the primary house next door isn't restricted the same way. For any ADU permitted on or after January 1, 2025, subsection (c) requires the City to record a Notice of Condition (NOC) against the property.

The recorded NOC restates the thirty-one-day minimum, bars renting the ADU as a 'short-term home-share or whole home rental,' and adds that the ADU cannot be sold separately from the primary dwelling except as state law allows. Because the restriction runs with the land under item (6), it binds any heir, buyer, or other successor in ownership, so a new owner inherits the same limits rather than being able to negotiate around them. 1(B) that determines whether the property owner must live on site at all; an ADU can satisfy the residency rule and still violate the rental-term rule if it is booked for stays under thirty-one days. Community Development administers the NOC recording at permit issuance.