Every builder in this directory is CSLB license-verified, bonded, and insured before they ever reach your shortlist. We pre-screen LA's top ADU contractors so you don't have to gamble with your backyard — or your savings.
See if your property qualifies — freeWe match you with vetted, California-licensed ADU builders in your area — no guesswork, no cold-calling contractors.
Los Angeles is the epicenter of California's ADU boom — and a documented hotspot for contractor scams. We exist to take that risk off the table.
Los Angeles County now permits more accessory dwelling units than anywhere in the state. LA city went from 80 ADU permits in 2016 to over 7,160 in 2022, and roughly one in three newly permitted homes in LA is now an ADU (CA YIMBY, 2024). With that gold rush came a wave of bad actors: in one widely reported case, a Southern California ADU contractor took deposits from 450+ homeowners before going bankrupt (NBC Bay Area investigation).
That's the problem this directory was built to solve. 1-800-ADU-Pros is a referral and pre-qualification service — not a contractor. We don't hold a construction license and we don't build anything ourselves. What we do is vet the builders so you only ever talk to pros who are actively licensed, bonded, and insured, with their CSLB number on file and shown on their profile. Construction is performed by independent California-licensed contractors.
The order of operations matters too. Most homeowners call a contractor before they confirm their property can even support an ADU — which is backwards. Before you talk to any builder, find out for free whether your lot qualifies, then meet a pre-screened pro who knows your zone cold.
No builder appears here until they clear all four checks. We re-verify license and bond status on an ongoing basis.
We confirm a current, active California State License Board number in the right classification (typically Class B General Building) — and re-check that it stays active, not lapsed or suspended.
Every builder carries the required $25,000 contractor's bond, plus general liability and active workers' compensation coverage for their crews.
We review CSLB complaint and disciplinary history and look for verifiable, recently completed LA projects — addresses you can confirm on the LADBS permit portal under their name.
We screen for real Los Angeles permitting fluency — ZIMAS, ePlanLA, LADBS Standard Plans, and your zone (R1 / RD2 / R3). A pro should answer "what zone is my lot?" in seconds.
A snapshot of pre-screened, CSLB-licensed LA ADU contractors. We match you to the right fit for your zone, lot, and budget — get matched below.
We don't hand you a phone book. We qualify your property first, then connect you with the right vetted pro — at no cost and no commitment.
Enter your address and we'll review zoning, lot size, setbacks, and overlays — then tell you straight whether your lot can likely support an ADU. No cost, no commitment, no contractor in your inbox yet.
See if your property qualifies — freeIf it looks viable, we send a vetted, CSLB-licensed pro to check your electrical panel, water and sewer, access, and layout in person — and give you an honest read on what's possible.
Request a Free IntroWe do this for every listing in our vetted builder directory — but you should know the checks too. See exactly how we vet every builder, then protect yourself in California with the steps below.
California requires a contractor's license number on every ad and contract (Business & Professions Code §7030.5). Take any builder's number to the CSLB "Check a License" tool and confirm four things:
This is the single biggest protection against abandonment scams. In California, a contractor cannot legally collect a down payment of more than $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less (Business & Professions Code §7159.5). On any ADU — which runs well over $10,000 — that means the legal cap is effectively $1,000 up front (CSLB).
Scammers disguise oversized deposits as "material reservation," "lumber-lock," or "pre-construction onboarding" fees. They're often repackaged illegal deposits. If a builder demands tens of thousands before any work begins, walk away.
Want the full breakdown of the LA process the builders in this directory handle for you? See our guides on how to get an ADU permit in Los Angeles, what an ADU really costs in LA, and whether your property can even support an ADU.
Start by confirming your property qualifies, then shortlist only contractors who are actively CSLB-licensed (Class B), bonded, and insured, with verifiable recent LA projects and real LADBS permitting experience. 1-800-ADU-Pros pre-vets builders against exactly those criteria and matches you to the right fit for your zone, lot, and budget — so you skip the cold-calling and only talk to pre-screened pros.
No. 1-800-ADU-Pros is a referral and pre-qualification service, not a licensed contractor. We don't build anything ourselves and we don't hold a construction license. All construction is performed by independent, California-licensed builders, and each builder's CSLB license number is shown on their profile.
Use the free CSLB "Check a License" tool at cslb.ca.gov. Enter the contractor's license number and confirm the status is ACTIVE, the classification fits an ADU (usually Class B General Building), a $25,000 bond is on file, and workers' compensation is current if they have employees. California law requires the license number to appear on all ads and contracts.
In California, a contractor cannot collect a down payment of more than $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less. Because an ADU costs far more than $10,000, the legal deposit cap is effectively $1,000. Any "material reservation," "lumber-lock," or "pre-construction" fee that pushes your up-front payment above $1,000 is a red flag for an illegal deposit.
State law gives the city 60 days to approve or deny a complete application, and pre-approved LADBS Standard Plans can be permitted in roughly 21–30 days. But the 60-day figure is statutory, not a real-world guarantee — custom ADU permits in LA realistically take about 3–6 months once you factor in completeness review and correction cycles. Be wary of any builder who promises a 30-day permit on a custom build.
No — the CalHFA $40,000 ADU grant is currently paused and out of funds. The last round was fully allocated within days in December 2023, and there is no confirmed relaunch date. It may reopen if the state appropriates new funding, so verify directly at calhfa.ca.gov before counting on it. Most homeowners pay with cash or home equity (HELOC or cash-out refinance); see our financing guide for the current options.
Ask for their CSLB license number and verify it yourself; ask what zone your lot is in (a real builder answers in seconds); ask for a fully itemized fixed-price quote that names utility connections as a line item; ask for recent LA project addresses you can verify on LADBS; ask who handles permitting and how the timeline works; and confirm the deposit is no more than $1,000.
Answer a few quick questions and we'll match you with a pre-screened, California-licensed ADU builder in your area. Step 1 is a free property qualification check — no cost, no commitment, no contractor in your inbox until you say so.
Request an intro to a verified builderBy submitting, you agree to be contacted by phone, text, and email about your project. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg & data rates may apply.