FAQ
How does SB9 affect my ability to build an ADU or JADU?
It does not automatically block or replace them. On some lots they combine; on others SB9 changes what still fits.
Direct answer
SB9 does not replace an ADU or JADU.
121 Design Build is an Encino / Los Angeles design-build firm. We start with a lot check, then design, permit, and build ADU, JADU, and SB9 work under one roof — so you are not handing a drawing set to one company and a job site to another.
An ADU is a second dwelling on the same lot. A JADU is a smaller junior unit tied to the existing house. SB9 is a California law that can allow an urban lot split and/or a two-unit development. Those are different tools, not interchangeable.
SB9 does not automatically block ADU or JADU options. On some lots they can be combined. On others a split or two-unit path changes setbacks, parking, remaining lot area, and what ADU or JADU is still realistic. This is not legal advice, and it is not a GIS yes/no. City of Los Angeles reviews are site-specific.
On one lot
Combining and sequencing matter more than the acronyms.
ADU
A second dwelling on the same lot — backyard, attached, or a conversion. It is still an ADU even if you are also looking at SB9. The yard, setbacks, and parking have to remain after any other path is mapped.
JADU
A smaller junior unit tied to the existing house, typically inside or attached. Often the least disruptive extra dwelling if you keep one lot instead of drawing an SB9 split.
SB9
Urban lot split and/or two-unit development on a single-family lot. Can sit next to ADU/JADU on some lots. On others the new line or second primary unit uses the space an ADU would have needed. Review them together.
Split vs keep one lot
When SB9 helps an ADU plan, and when it competes.
Keep one lot if the goal is a backyard ADU or a JADU inside the house. Use an SB9 two-unit path when you want a second primary dwelling without splitting. Draw a split only when two parcels is the real goal — and check what ADU or JADU still fits after the line.
121 maps those paths on the same drawing, then designs and builds the one that is actually realistic for the Encino or Los Angeles lot. Sequencing is part of the design, not a later surprise.
How we sequence it
Lot check to a chosen path, under one roof.
01
Lot check
We look up the address and review what ADU, JADU, SB9 two-unit, and SB9 split options the lot may actually support.
02
Map ADU / JADU vs SB9
We see which tools can coexist, which compete for yard, setbacks, and parking, and what sequencing is honest for this address.
03
Choose a path
Keep one lot plus ADU or JADU, add an SB9 two-unit, or split. Tradeoffs are named before drawings get far.
04
Design, permits, build
The same Encino team designs the unit, coordinates City of Los Angeles submittals, and builds. Approvals are never guaranteed.
Honest scope
What 121 actually does on SB9 plus ADU or JADU.
We do
Review the lot as one picture, then design and build
We review ADU, JADU, split, and two-unit options together, design the path that still fits, coordinate permit submittals, and build. That is the design-build path: one team from the first look at the address through construction.
We do not
Legal advice, guaranteed approvals, or a GIS yes/no
We do not give legal advice. We do not guarantee City of Los Angeles approvals. We do not run an automated GIS checker that spits out whether SB9 blocks your ADU. The lot has to be reviewed by people who will also design and build it.
Call, check the lot, or read the related FAQ.
If you want to know whether SB9 still leaves room for an ADU or JADU on your Encino or Los Angeles lot, start with the address. We will review it together.