Del Aire Homeowner Guide: County Permits, ADUs and Selling As-Is

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Last updated November 13, 2026. Reviewed by the Cash Home Buyers CA team.

Del Aire is an unincorporated community, so building permits and ADU review for a Del Aire home run through Los Angeles County rather than a city hall, with the county’s Public Works Building and Safety division handling plan check and inspections.

This guide is for Del Aire homeowners who are weighing a sale and want to know who they deal with on permits, what the county says about accessory dwelling units, and how an unfinished or unpermitted project affects a sale. It uses the county’s own published pages. Where a detail was not on those pages, the guide says so rather than guessing.

Del Aire at a glance

Governing agency	Los Angeles County (unincorporated area), not a city government
Permits and inspections	Los Angeles County Public Works, Building and Safety division
ADU planning review	Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning
Online record lookup	County eDev Services: Building Permit Viewer and a Building and Property Code Violations lookup
Maximum ADU size (county page)	1,200 square feet for an ADU; 500 square feet for a junior ADU
Detached ADU separation (county page)	Fire-related wall setback: detached ADU at least 6 feet from the main structure
Planning contact for ADUs	info@planning.lacounty.gov

Who governs a Del Aire property

Because Del Aire sits in unincorporated Los Angeles County, the county is the permitting authority. The county describes Building and Safety as the division that enforces building codes and standards, and says it has done so since 1933. For a homeowner, that means one agency reviews plans and inspects work, and a separate county department, Regional Planning, reviews land-use matters such as ADU plans.

If you are not sure whether an address is inside a city or the unincorporated area, confirm it before you call anyone, because the wrong office will send you back to start. The county’s Building and Safety site and the eDev Services page are the starting points the county itself publishes.

Looking up permits and violations on your own address

The county’s eDev Services page lists two tools that matter before a sale: a Building Permit Viewer and a Building and Property Code Violations lookup.

Running both on your address gives you a picture of what is open, what was finaled and whether any enforcement record is attached to the parcel. Do this early.

A buyer, an appraiser or a title company will check the same records, and it is better to know what they will find.

The pages reviewed for this guide did not state how far back the permit records go or how quickly a record appears after an inspection, so do not assume the viewer shows everything. If a permit you remember is missing, ask the Building and Safety district office that serves your area.

How the county says ADU permits work

The county’s Building and Safety ADU page lays out an eight-step path. You submit a complete set of architectural plans, structural plans and Title 24 energy calculations. Regional Planning approved plans can be submitted, or you sign a waiver form for plans that have not been approved by Regional Planning.

Building code plan check is processed at the local Building and Safety district office or online through the EPIC-LA system for unincorporated areas.

The plan check engineer then gives you an agency referral sheet listing any county, state, federal or other agencies whose approval you need before a permit is issued. The engineer reviews the documents and notes corrections, you correct and resubmit, and the cycle repeats until the plans are approved.

You then submit the approvals from every agency on the referral sheet, with Regional Planning approval obtained at that point. Only then is the project ready for permit issuance, followed by construction and inspection.

The same page states a maximum size of 1,200 square feet for an ADU and 500 square feet for a junior ADU, and a minimum of 6 feet between a detached ADU and the main structure for the fire-related wall setback.

It does not list setbacks, height limits or parking requirements, and the Regional Planning page did not either, so confirm those with the county before you design or sell anything based on an ADU.

Pre-approved ADU plans

Regional Planning runs a Standard ADU Plans Program with two catalogs. The County Catalog holds free plans pre-approved by Regional Planning and Public Works Building and Safety.

The Private Designer Catalog holds plans from professional architects and designers that are pre-approved; the homeowner picks a plan and works directly with the designer to buy, complete and submit it for county review.

The county’s page does not give review times or fees, so ask before you count on a schedule.

If you are selling, a pre-approved plan can be a talking point, but an ADU that exists only on paper adds nothing to the sale price you can count on. A cash buyer values the house as it stands.

What an unfinished or unpermitted project means for a sale

A garage conversion, a backyard unit or an addition built without a permit is a common reason Del Aire owners hesitate to list.

On a traditional sale, the buyer’s lender and inspector may ask for permit history, and an open permit or an unpermitted structure can slow or end the deal.

Closing a permit means inspections and, sometimes, corrections to finished work, which costs time and money that many sellers do not have.

Selling as-is for cash avoids that sequence. The buyer takes the property in its current condition, and the seller does not manage plan check, corrections or inspections. You should still be honest about what is on the property. California sellers generally have to disclose known material facts, and your agent or attorney can tell you what applies to your situation.

Code enforcement, fire and hillside rules: what was not found

The county pages reviewed for this guide cover building permits and ADUs. They did not describe a code enforcement process specific to Del Aire, and no overlay, hillside or fire-hazard rule specific to Del Aire was found in the sources used here.

This guide therefore makes no claim about those topics. If you have received a notice from the county, the violations lookup on eDev Services and the issuing department’s contact on the notice are the reliable next steps.

How to sell a house in Del Aire

Pull the permit and violation record for your address from the agency named above.
Gather permits, final inspection records and any notices you have received.
Request a no-obligation cash offer for the house as it stands.
Choose your closing date.
Close with no repairs, cleanup or showings required.

Own a Del Aire home with unfinished or unpermitted work? Sell as-is for cash.

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Frequently asked questions

Who issues building permits for a house in Del Aire?

Del Aire is unincorporated, so Los Angeles County Public Works Building and Safety handles building code plan check and inspections. Planning approvals for ADUs come from the Department of Regional Planning.

Can I check my permit history online?

The county’s eDev Services page lists a Building Permit Viewer and a Building and Property Code Violations lookup. The pages reviewed did not say how far back the records go, so ask the district office if something looks missing.

How big can an ADU be in unincorporated Los Angeles County?

The county’s Building and Safety ADU page states a maximum of 1,200 square feet for an ADU and 500 square feet for a junior ADU. It also states a minimum of 6 feet between a detached ADU and the main structure for the fire-related wall setback.

Are there pre-approved ADU plans?

Yes. The county’s Standard ADU Plans Program offers a free County Catalog of pre-approved plans and a Private Designer Catalog of plans from architects and designers.

Do I have to finish permits before I sell?

No law in the sources reviewed requires you to finish a project before you sell. A cash buyer can purchase the home as it stands, and you should disclose what you know about unpermitted or unfinished work.

Does the cash offer depend on repairs or permit cleanup?

No. We buy as-is, so there are no repairs, no cleanup and no permit corrections required of you. Request an offer and choose your closing date.

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Sources

This guide is general information from public sources, not legal advice. Confirm current rules, fees and hours with the city.