ADU Permits and Approvals in Agoura Hills

How the City of Agoura Hills Reviews ADU Applications

ADU permits in Agoura Hills are handled by the Community Development Department in two stages. The Planning Division goes first. Its review is limited to objective standards, such as setbacks, height and unit size, because state law requires ADUs to be approved ministerially, without a public hearing or discretionary design review. Once Planning clears the project, the Building and Safety Division takes the construction drawings into plan check.

Everything is submitted online through the City's MyGovernmentOnline portal, known locally as MGO. We set up the submittal, file the drawings and supporting documents on your behalf, and monitor the portal for comments. Corrections come back as written lists, and we revise and resubmit until both divisions are satisfied.

What the Agoura Hills ADU Checklist Requires

The City publishes an ADU checklist, and several of its items reflect local conditions rather than generic state rules. The site plan must locate existing oak trees and show their canopy and protected root zones, and a footprint, trench or stockpile that crosses into one needs its own oak tree permit. Properties in the equestrian overlay, common in Old Agoura, must show the required equestrian area on the plans.

Utilities bring outside reviewers into the process. If the property relies on septic, the ADU needs Public Health approval. A detached ADU needs SCE approval for its electrical service. Grading, utility and fire sprinkler reviews may also apply depending on the lot. We identify these early so the outside approvals run alongside the City review instead of stalling it at the end.

• Site plan with oaks, canopy and protection zones
• Oak tree permit for work inside a protection zone
• Public Health approval for lots on septic
• SCE approval for detached ADUs
• Equestrian area shown in the equestrian overlay

State ADU Permit Timelines That Apply in Agoura Hills

State law sets the clock. Since January 1, 2026, the permitting agency must decide within 15 business days whether an ADU application is complete and tell you in writing what is missing, if anything. From the day a complete application lands, on a lot that already holds a house, the agency gets 60 days to say yes or no. If it says no, it must put in writing what falls short and what would cure it.

Owners also get an appeal route, and the agency owes a final written answer within 60 business days of the appeal being filed. These rules now sit in Government Code sections 66310 through 66342, after SB 477 renumbered the older ADU statutes. Some older City documents may still cite the previous section numbers, which is normal and does not change the rules.

The clocks only start once the application is truly complete, and correction rounds take time on both sides. A clean, consistent drawing set is the best way to keep the process short.

ADU Permits in Oak Park, Malibou Lake and Cornell

Not every property with an Agoura Hills mailing address is in the city. Oak Park, across the county line, is unincorporated Ventura County, and its ADU permits go through the County's planning and building divisions rather than City Hall on Ladyface Court. Malibou Lake and Cornell are unincorporated Los Angeles County, where the County's planning department applies the Santa Monica Mountains North Area Plan and County building officials handle plan check.

The state ADU laws are the same in all three places, but the local forms, fees, fire department and review steps differ. Pulling the parcel record to see which agency has authority is our first step, because filing with the wrong agency is a common and avoidable delay.

Final Inspection and the Agoura Hills ADU Covenant

The City adds one step before the building permit is finaled. The owner pays a restrictive covenant fee and records a covenant that limits the ADU to residential use, which excludes short-term rentals and commercial occupancy. We prepare the paperwork and schedule it so it does not hold up the final inspection.

After final, the ADU is a legal dwelling. Its new construction value is added to your property tax assessment, and it can be occupied or rented on a long-term basis.