Replacing an Encino Garage With a New ADU? Hire for One Simultaneous Demo + ADU Permit Set

Quick answer

When you replace a detached Encino garage with a new accessory dwelling unit (ADU), California Government Code Section 66314(e) requires the local agency to review the demolition permit with the ADU application and issue both at the same time. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) ADU Handbook (March 2026) restates that concurrent demo-plus-ADU rule. Splitting demolition from the ADU into separate hires or separate permit packages risks wrong sequencing, stalled plan check, and a file that does not match how Los Angeles and state law expect the project to be reviewed. Historic districts can differ on demolition notice or placard rules under Section 66314(f). Hire one design-build team for one simultaneous demo + ADU permit set — not a demo contractor first and an ADU designer later.

A garage replacement ADU means the detached garage comes down and a new ADU is built in its place (same location or a redesigned footprint). A garage conversion ADU keeps the existing garage structure and converts it to living space under conversion paths such as Government Code Section 66323(a)(1). A simultaneous permit set means the demolition permit for that detached garage and the ADU building permit are reviewed together and issued at the same time under Section 66314(e). In the City of Los Angeles, ZA Memorandum No. 143 also explains “in conjunction” for parking: the removal and ADU applications are submitted at the same time, or one is submitted while the other application or permit is still open and valid. Encino is in the City of Los Angeles — LADBS and City Planning, not Los Angeles County Building and Safety.

Key Takeaways

• Government Code Section 66314(e) (amended; effective January 1, 2026 per the LegInfo section page): a local ADU ordinance shall “Require that a demolition permit for a detached garage that is to be replaced with an accessory dwelling unit be reviewed with the application for the accessory dwelling unit and issued at the same time.”
• HCD ADU Handbook (March 2026), Summary of Recent Changes: “Adds a requirement for a local agency to review and issue a demolition permit for ‘a detached garage that is to be replaced with an ADU’ at the same time it reviews, and issues permits for, the ADU construction. (Gov. Code, § 66314, subd. (e).)”
• Section 66314(f): the applicant shall not be required to provide written notice or post a placard for demolition of a detached garage replaced with an ADU, “unless the property is located within an architecturally and historically significant historic district.” HCD’s handbook uses the parallel phrasing “architecturally and historically significant district.” ZA Memo 143 Q.24 points to historic districts such as an HPOZ or a state/national register.
• Section 66314(d)(11): when a garage, carport, covered parking structure, or uncovered parking space is demolished in conjunction with ADU construction or converted to an ADU, the local agency shall not require those offstreet parking spaces to be replaced.
• Garage conversion and garage replacement are different hire files. Conversion keeps the structure; replacement is demo plus new ADU and triggers the simultaneous demo + ADU issuance rule in 66314(e).
• Do not hire a demolition-only package before the ADU drawings and ADU permit path are locked. Wrong sequencing is how Encino owners get a garage removed under one contract while the ADU set is still incomplete under another.
• 121 has not published fees, case studies, license numbers, or owner quotes for garage-replacement ADUs in this article, and we will not invent them. This is a hire-decision guide tied to official sources.

Why does state ADU law require demo and ADU permits together for a garage replacement?

Because the Legislature wrote concurrent review and issuance into the ADU ordinance requirements themselves.

Section 66314 tells local agencies what an ADU ordinance “shall” do. Subdivision (e) is not optional guidance: the demolition permit for a detached garage that is to be replaced with an ADU must be reviewed with the ADU application and issued at the same time. HCD’s March 2026 handbook summarizes the same rule under “Demolition Permits,” citing Section 66314(e).

That is the hire signal. If your Encino project is “take the garage down and build a new ADU,” the legal frame is one coordinated file — not a standalone demo job that finishes before anyone submits the ADU plans. A team that only prices demolition is not delivering the permit set state law expects for this product.

How is replacing an Encino garage with a new ADU different from converting the garage?

Conversion keeps the existing garage (or expands it only under limited conversion rules). Replacement demolishes the detached garage and builds a new ADU.

LADBS’s ADU page describes an ADU as a small separate living space that “can be attached to the main house or be a separate structure such as a converted garage or backyard cottage.” That sentence covers conversion and new detached construction as product types — it does not erase the separate demo rule when the detached garage is replaced.

Hire implications:

• Conversion: the structure stays; the question is ADU versus JADU product, sanitation, and conversion standards (see our attached-garage JADU vs ADU hire post for that fork). Section 66314(e)’s simultaneous demo + ADU issuance rule is about a detached garage replaced with an ADU.
• Replacement: demo is part of the ADU project. Section 66314(e) requires the demolition permit to be reviewed with the ADU application and issued at the same time. Do not treat demo as a separate early hire that can run ahead of the ADU set.

If the owner has not decided convert versus replace, stop drawing. The permit spine and the contractor scope change with that choice.

What happens if you split demolition and the ADU into separate hires or packages?

You create sequencing risk the statute was written to avoid.

Common failure modes on Valley lots:

• A demolition contractor pulls or pursues demo while the ADU drawings are incomplete — then the ADU plan check cannot line up with the “reviewed with / issued at the same time” structure in Section 66314(e).
• An architect-only package prices the cottage without owning the demo coordination, and a later GC discovers the garage came down under a different file that was never paired for concurrent issuance.
• Parking and “in conjunction” language get confused with the replacement rule. ZA Memo 143 Q.13 defines “in conjunction” for when removal and ADU applications count together for replacement-parking purposes: submitted at the same time, or one submitted while the other is still open and valid. That City definition supports coordinated submittal — it is not a license to demolish first and invent the ADU later.

The hire decision is simple: one team accountable for one simultaneous demo + ADU permit set. Split packages are how owners buy delay.

Do Encino / LA historic districts change demolition notice or placard rules?

They can. Read Section 66314(f) before anyone posts a placard or skips one.

Outside an architecturally and historically significant historic district, Section 66314(f) says the ADU ordinance shall not require — and the applicant shall not otherwise be required — to provide written notice or post a placard for demolition of a detached garage that is to be replaced with an ADU. Inside such a district, that notice/placard bar does not apply the same way.

HCD’s March 2026 handbook repeats the exception for an architecturally and historically significant district. ZA Memo 143 Q.24, applying the same Government Code sections in Los Angeles, states that applicants may not be required to provide written notice or post a placard for demolition of a detached garage unless the property is located within a historic district such as an HPOZ or a state/national register.

Confirm the lot on ZIMAS for HPOZ or other historic designations before anyone promises “no notice needed.” Do not invent district status from a street name.

Does demolishing the garage for an ADU require replacement parking?

State ADU law generally says no — when the garage is demolished in conjunction with ADU construction or converted to an ADU.

Section 66314(d)(11): “When a garage, carport, covered parking structure, or uncovered parking space is demolished in conjunction with the construction of an accessory dwelling unit or converted to an accessory dwelling unit, the local agency shall not require that those offstreet parking spaces be replaced.”

ZA Memo 143 Q.13 ties the City’s “in conjunction” reading for that parking rule to simultaneous or open-and-valid paired applications. Q.28 adds that ADUs or JADUs created through Section 66323 shall not be required to replace removed parking spaces. The hire lesson is still coordination: parking relief is not a reason to demolish first; it is a reason to keep the removal and ADU files aligned.

We are not publishing fee amounts, parking counts for a named lot, or case studies. Confirm the path on the specific address with LADBS and City Planning.

Design-build versus architect-now, contractor-later for garage replacement ADUs

Hire the team that will own both sheets: demolition of the detached garage and the new ADU, under one calendar that targets concurrent review and issuance under Section 66314(e).

Architect-now / contractor-later is how Encino owners get a pretty cottage while demo is treated as “someone else’s permit.” The ADU designer stamps living space; the demo contractor clears the pad; nobody is responsible for the simultaneous issuance statute. That split is the opposite of what 66314(e) and the HCD handbook describe.

A design-build hire gate for garage replacement looks like this on paper:

• Confirm convert versus replace before schematic hardens.
• If replace: write “detached garage demolition + ADU” on the same project title and permit strategy.
• Check ZIMAS for historic district / HPOZ before promising notice or no-notice under 66314(f).
• Coordinate LADBS submittal so demo and ADU are reviewed together for concurrent issuance — not demo-first, ADU-whenever.
• Refuse a retainer that only funds garage knock-down while the ADU set is undefined.

If you already have an architect you trust, keep them — and put concurrent demo + ADU ownership in writing before anyone schedules a wrecking date.

How can 121 Design Build help Encino owners hire for one simultaneous demo + ADU permit set?

121 Design Build is an Encino design-build firm. We will not take a retainer to demolish a detached garage first and “figure out the ADU permit later.” For an owner replacing a garage with a new ADU on a Ventura Boulevard–corridor, south-of-the-Boulevard, or Valley lot, our ADU & JADU service is the direct fit: one file that ties site design, demolition coordination, and the LADBS ADU path to the simultaneous review-and-issuance rule in Government Code Section 66314(e) and the HCD ADU Handbook (March 2026).

We have not published fees, case studies, license numbers, or owner quotes for garage-replacement ADUs in this article, and we will not invent them. What we will do is put the live hire questions next to the lot: Is this conversion or replacement? Is the garage detached? Is the property in an HPOZ or other historic district for 66314(f)? Who owns concurrent demo + ADU issuance on the calendar? Ask those before anyone schedules demolition.

121 Design Build Inc. is at 17801 Ventura Blvd, 2nd floor, Encino, CA 91316. Call (424) 600-2100, email info@121designbuild.com, or visit https://www.121designbuild.com/. To review an Encino or Los Angeles garage-replacement ADU hire — including a simultaneous demo + ADU permit set under Section 66314(e) — contact 121 Design Build or call (424) 600-2100. Bring the address, photos of the existing garage, and whether you intend to convert or replace. We will read it against LegInfo Section 66314, the HCD March 2026 handbook, ZA Memo 143, and the LADBS ADU path — not against a demo-first pitch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Must the demolition permit and ADU permit be issued together when replacing a detached garage?

Yes, under Government Code Section 66314(e): the demolition permit for a detached garage that is to be replaced with an ADU must be reviewed with the ADU application and issued at the same time. HCD’s March 2026 ADU Handbook restates that requirement.

Is converting a garage the same hire as replacing it with a new ADU?

No. Conversion keeps the structure; replacement demolishes the detached garage and builds a new ADU. Section 66314(e)’s simultaneous demo + ADU rule applies to replacement of a detached garage with an ADU. Pick the product before anyone draws or schedules demo.

Do I need a demolition placard or written notice for a garage replaced by an ADU?

Generally no under Section 66314(f), unless the property is in an architecturally and historically significant historic district. ZA Memo 143 Q.24 cites historic districts such as an HPOZ or state/national register. Confirm the lot on ZIMAS.

Will Los Angeles require replacement parking if the garage comes down for an ADU?

Section 66314(d)(11) says the local agency shall not require replacement of those offstreet parking spaces when a garage is demolished in conjunction with ADU construction or converted to an ADU. ZA Memo 143 Q.13 defines “in conjunction” for City parking practice as simultaneous or open-and-valid paired applications. Confirm the path for your address with LADBS.

Should I hire a demolition contractor before the ADU designer?

No — not for a garage-replacement ADU. Section 66314(e) expects concurrent review and issuance. Demo-first / design-later is wrong sequencing for this hire.

Is Encino under Los Angeles County for this garage-replacement file?

No. Encino is in the City of Los Angeles. File with LADBS and City Planning. County Building and Safety / EPIC-LA is the wrong window.

Has 121 published fees or case studies for garage-replacement ADUs?

No. This article does not invent fees, case studies, license numbers, or owner quotes.

Is this legal advice?

No. This article is general information from a design-build and permitting perspective. Confirm live Government Code Section 66314, the HCD ADU Handbook, ZA Memorandum No. 143, and the lot’s overlays with LADBS, City Planning, and, if needed, your own attorney.

Sources

• California Government Code Section 66314 (ADU ordinance standards; demolition concurrent with ADU; notice/placard; parking replacement)
• California HCD: Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook (March 2026 PDF)
• California HCD: ADU Handbook landing page
• Los Angeles City Planning / LADBS: ZA Memorandum No. 143 (December 30, 2024)
• LADBS: Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) page
• City of Los Angeles: ZIMAS

This article is general information from a design-build and permitting perspective and is not legal, tax, or investment advice. Confirm live Government Code Section 66314, the HCD ADU Handbook (March 2026), ZA Memorandum No. 143, and LADBS / City Planning requirements on your specific address. Quotes follow the official LegInfo and HCD text: Section 66314(e) requires the demolition permit for a detached garage replaced with an ADU to be reviewed with the ADU application and issued at the same time; Section 66314(f) generally bars written notice or placard requirements except in an architecturally and historically significant historic district; Section 66314(d)(11) bars replacement parking when a garage is demolished in conjunction with ADU construction or converted to an ADU. Historic-district practice in Los Angeles is further described in ZA Memo 143 Q.24. 121 has not published fees, case studies, license numbers, or owner quotes for this topic.

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