Published: 8 Oct 2026 · Last verified: 8 Oct 2026 · Next review: Jan 2027 Cost figures are re-checked against permit records quarterly. Changes are logged in Corrections.
Four cities. Same county. Same 800 square foot detached ADU. Four different totals — and the $7,000 spread between cheapest and priciest is almost entirely fees, not construction.
This is the first comparison post in the series. Every city below was priced with the same six-phase ledger and the same construction baseline; only the local fee layer changes. That makes the differences a clean read on what each city’s bureaucracy actually costs.
The four totals
| City | Total (800 sq ft) | $/sq ft | vs. LA baseline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach | $313,000 | $391 | −$7,000 |
| Torrance (post forthcoming — figures from research brief) | $317,000 | $396 | −$3,000 |
| Glendale | $318,000 | $398 | −$2,000 |
| Burbank | $320,000 | $400 | at parity |
Torrance’s figure carries seven unconfirmed items (city taxes, valuation rate, fee schedule year) — it will be updated when the city replies to our 7 Oct 2026 inquiry.
Where the $7,000 goes: the fee layer compared
Impact fees (DIF): four philosophies
This is the biggest differentiator, and no two cities agree on the method:
| City | ADU impact-fee method (750+ sq ft) | 800 sq ft ADU pays |
|---|---|---|
| Long Beach | ADU-specific reduced rates (“third way”) | Lowest in series |
| Glendale | Pro-rata vs. primary dwelling, capped at $4,700 | Up to $4,700 |
| Burbank | Pro-rata vs. primary dwelling + 5% admin surcharge | ~$7,078 on an 1,800 sq ft house |
| Torrance | Flat $2,243.47 per ADU — no pro-rata math | $2,243.47 |
Torrance’s flat rate is the series’ first. Burbank’s pro-rata-plus-surcharge is the most expensive structure. Long Beach’s ADU-specific rates are the most favorable to builders.
Building permits: a $2,400 spread
| City | Permit + plan check (800 sq ft example) |
|---|---|
| Burbank | $3,692 — series highest |
| Glendale | Valuation-based, ~$2,700–$3,000 range |
| Torrance | Valuation-based, ~$2,100–$2,500 range |
| Long Beach | ~$1,900 — among the lowest |
Burbank is also the first city to write “Accessory Dwelling Unit” as a named line item in its fee schedule ($1,728 Planning + $274 Public Works).
School district fees: nearly identical
All four cities land within a $184 band — $4,136 to $4,320 on 800 sq ft. This line barely moves the comparison, which is itself a finding: the school fee is the most predictable line in the ledger.
Sewer: the Burbank outlier
Burbank is the only city in the series with a 750 sq ft cliff on the sewer facilities charge — $0 below 750, ~$908 above it on an 800 sq ft ADU. Long Beach, Glendale, and Torrance charge no ADU-specific sewer capacity fee in the published analysis.
What this tells a homeowner
- City choice is a fee choice. Within a single county, the all-in spread is $7,000 on identical construction — and the gap widens at larger sizes where pro-rata structures bite harder.
- The 750 line matters more in some cities than others. In Burbank, crossing it triggers impact fees, the sewer cliff, and the full permit stack. In Long Beach, the ADU-specific rates soften the landing.
- SB 1117 reshuffles this table on 1 Jan 2027. The marginal fee structure (fees only on square footage above 750) will compress the pro-rata cities’ numbers most. Our fee calculator will reflect the new math after the quarterly re-verification.
Methodology note
Construction phases 2–6 are carried from the Los Angeles County baseline in all four cities; none of the four publishes phase-level construction costs. Only the fee layer (permits, impact fees, school fees, utilities, taxes) is city-specific, sourced from official fee schedules, ordinances, and district resolutions. Unconfirmed items are marked in each city post.