Thinking about adding a small second home to your Torrance property?

The City has created a shortcut that some homeowners may not know exists.

Torrance’s Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Program provides architectural plans that have already been reviewed by both the Building and Safety Division and Planning Division. The City says the designs are approximately 80 percent complete for permitting.

There are currently four listed designs:

798 square feet — two bedrooms
751 square feet — two bedrooms
640 square feet — one bedroom
440 square feet — studio.

The idea is to reduce some of the design work, cost and review time involved in starting an ADU from scratch.

There is an important catch, however.

Pre-approved does not mean automatically approved for every property.

A homeowner must obtain permission from the designer to use the plan, provide site-specific information and still secure the necessary City permits. Lot conditions can also trigger additional requirements involving grading, drainage, soils, utilities, retaining walls or fire sprinklers.

The City specifically requires a complete site plan showing details such as setbacks, easements, lot dimensions and distances between structures.

So this is not a plug-and-play backyard house.

But for a Torrance homeowner already interested in an ADU, beginning with a design the City has previously reviewed could eliminate a significant portion of the early uncertainty.

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