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Regional Planning Base Application (with Land Use Application) — ADU Entitlement Filing

The Regional Planning Base Application: Your First Step to a Legal ADU in Unincorporated LA County If you're planning to build an ADU accessory dwelling uni...

Written by 1-800-ADU-Pros

•7 min read

Regional Planning Base Application (with Land Use Application) — ADU Entitlement Filing

If you're planning to build an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) or tiny home in the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, there's one step that trips up a lot of homeowners: before you can pull a building permit, you have to clear a separate planning approval with the LA County Department of Regional Planning. That approval starts with the Regional Planning Base Application, filed online through the County's EPIC-LA portal.

Here's a plain-English walkthrough of what it is, who needs it, and how to file it without losing weeks to avoidable mistakes.

What the Base Application Actually Is

Think of the Base Application as the "folder" you open with Regional Planning for your ADU project. It's the umbrella case in EPIC-LA. Underneath it, you upload the documents that do the real work — most importantly the Land Use Application form, plus your architectural plans and photos of your property.

Regional Planning uses this case to run a Ministerial Site Plan Review: a check that your ADU fits the County's zoning and development standards. "Ministerial" is good news — it means there's no public hearing and no discretion. If your plans meet the rules, they have to approve it.

The key thing to understand: this is a planning approval, not a building permit. It's the County's separate gate that comes first.

Who Needs It (and Who Doesn't)

This process applies only to unincorporated LA County. Not sure if that's you? Enter your address or parcel number into the County's Z-NET tool. If your property sits inside an actual city — the City of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pasadena, and so on — this isn't your path. You'd apply through that city's planning department instead.

If you are in unincorporated County, every ADU and Junior ADU needs this Regional Planning sign-off before Building & Safety will issue a permit.

What You'll Need Before You File

  • A completed Land Use Application form
  • A full set of architectural plans — site/plot plan, floor plans, and elevations
  • Photos of your existing property
  • An EPIC-LA account
  • For a Junior ADU: a recorded covenant (required before plans can be approved)

A designer or architect is worth the cost here. Incomplete or sloppy plans are the number-one reason applications stall before the review clock even starts.

How to File, Step by Step

  1. Confirm jurisdiction with Z-NET. Unincorporated County only.
  2. Check the rules at planning.lacounty.gov/adu to confirm an ADU is allowed on your lot.
  3. (Optional but smart) Talk to Regional Planning first — by phone (213-974-6411), email (info@planning.lacounty.gov), or a virtual appointment — to confirm requirements for your specific parcel.
  4. Prepare your plans and photos.
  5. Open a "Regional Planning – Base Application" in EPIC-LA and upload the Land Use Application, architectural plans, and photos.
  6. Wait for the completeness check. The County reviews your package, then sends you a fee invoice. You don't pay up front.
  7. Pay the fee — this starts your 60-day clock.
  8. Handle any corrections before the deadline they give you.
  9. Get approved. Stamped plans are uploaded to EPIC-LA and emailed to you.
  10. Apply for your building permit with Building & Safety within two years.

Fees and Timeline

For a standard residential lot, the Ministerial Site Plan Review fee is $1,496 (effective March 1, 2026). If your property is in a special district — hillside, coastal, a community standards district — expect more, around $1,995 or higher for coastal reviews. Fees are billed after your application is deemed complete and are updated every March.

Once you pay, Regional Planning must approve or deny within 60 days. The approval is good for 2 years, with a one-time 1-year extension available on request. Use that window — if it lapses, you start over.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Treating this as the building permit. It's a separate, earlier approval. Planning first, then Building & Safety.
  • Assuming it applies in a city. Unincorporated County only.
  • Trying to pay up front. The fee is invoiced only after your package is complete.
  • Missing a correction deadline. That can get your ADU denied — request a delay proactively if you need one.
  • Forgetting the JADU covenant. Junior ADUs need it recorded before approval.
  • Budgeting the base fee for a special-district lot, where the review costs more.

The Bottom Line

The Regional Planning Base Application is the front door to a legal ADU in unincorporated LA County. File a complete package through EPIC-LA, pay when invoiced, clear the 60-day ministerial review, and you'll walk away with stamped plans ready for your building permit. Get the plans right the first time and this stage is more paperwork than obstacle.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements and fees directly with LA County Regional Planning at planning.lacounty.gov/adu.

Reference card

  • Official number: No form number assigned; filed as the "Regional Planning – Base Application" record type in EPIC-LA, with the "Land Use Application" form uploaded under it. The associated fee line is "Site Plan Review, Ministerial, Residential Site Plans."
  • Issuing body: Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning (DRP), filed through the EPIC-LA online portal (epicla.lacounty.gov)
  • What it is: The Regional Planning Base Application is the umbrella planning case you open first when you want to build an ADU on a property in unincorporated LA County. You file it through EPIC-LA and upload your supporting documents under it — the completed Land Use Application form, your full architectural plans (site/plot plan, floor plans, elevations), and photos of your property. DRP uses it to run a Ministerial Site Plan Review confirming your ADU meets County zoning and development standards. It is the County's distinct planning gate, separate from and ahead of the Building & Safety building permit. Approval here gets your plans stamped and uploaded to EPIC-LA so you can then pull a building permit.
  • Who needs it: Required only for properties in unincorporated LA County (verify via the County's Z-NET tool). If your address is inside an incorporated city (e.g., City of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pasadena), you do NOT use this — you apply through that city's planning department instead. Within unincorporated County, every ADU and Junior ADU needs Regional Planning sign-off before a building permit. Junior ADUs additionally require a recorded covenant before plans can be approved.
  • Fees: Ministerial Site Plan Review, Residential Site Plans: $1,496 (LA County DRP fee schedule effective March 1, 2026). Properties in special districts (hillside, coastal, CSDs, ESHA, SERA, etc.) pay a higher rate — $1,995 for the Special Districts ministerial site plan review, and coastal-area reviews run higher still. Fees are billed after the application is deemed complete and are updated annually each March. (Older 2022–2023 guidance listed this at $1,025–$1,252 before the increase.)
  • Timeline: Approve-or-deny within 60 days of fee payment (per state ADU law). The completeness review and any correction cycles happen before that clock starts/while it runs. Regional Planning approval is valid for 2 years, with a one-time 1-year extension available on request — you must apply for the building permit within that window.

Requirements

  • Confirmation the property is in unincorporated LA County (check Z-NET by address or APN)
  • Completed Land Use Application form (uploaded under the Base Application)
  • Full set of architectural plans: site/plot plan, floor plans, and elevations — ideally prepared by a designer or architect
  • Photos of the existing property
  • For Junior ADUs only: a recorded covenant (required before plans can be approved)
  • An EPIC-LA user account to file online

How to file

    1. Verify jurisdiction: enter your address or APN in Z-NET to confirm the property is in unincorporated LA County. If it's in a city, stop and use that city's process instead.
    1. Check the rules at planning.lacounty.gov/adu to confirm an ADU is allowed and what standards apply.
    1. (Recommended) Contact DRP to confirm requirements for your parcel — local office, email info@planning.lacounty.gov, call 213-974-6411, or book a virtual appointment.
    1. Prepare submittals: a complete set of architectural plans (site/plot plan, floor plans, elevations) and photos of the property.
    1. File in EPIC-LA: create/log into your account and start a 'Regional Planning – Base Application.' Upload the completed Land Use Application, your architectural plans, and property photos. (Application materials are listed under 'Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)' on the DRP Applications & Forms page.)
    1. Wait for completeness review: DRP checks that the package is complete, then invoices you for the fee. Do not expect to pay up front — payment is requested after the application is deemed complete.
    1. Pay the fee, which starts the 60-day review clock.
    1. Respond to corrections: if DRP requests plan corrections, resubmit before the stated deadline to avoid denial.
    1. Receive approval: DRP approves (or denies) within 60 days of payment, uploads stamped plans to EPIC-LA, and emails you a download link.
    1. Move to the building permit: apply to Building & Safety (BSD) — online via EPIC-LA or at your district office — within two years, attaching the approved plans plus structural plans/calcs and Title 24 energy calculations.

Common pitfalls

  • Confusing this planning gate with the building permit — they're two separate approvals. Regional Planning (DRP) entitles the ADU; Building & Safety (BSD) permits its construction. You generally need DRP approval first.
  • Assuming it applies in a city. This process is unincorporated-County-only; city addresses use a different department entirely.
  • Trying to pay up front — the fee is invoiced only after DRP deems your package complete.
  • Missing a correction deadline. If DRP asks for plan fixes, blowing the resubmittal deadline can get the ADU denied; you can request a delay but must do it proactively.
  • Forgetting the Junior ADU covenant — a JADU needs a recorded covenant before plans can be approved.
  • Budgeting the base $1,496 when your parcel is in a hillside, coastal, or special district, where the ministerial review fee is higher.
  • Letting the approval lapse — DRP approval expires in 2 years (plus a possible 1-year extension); pull your building permit before it does.
  • Submitting thin plans — a full architectural set (site/plot plan, floor plans, elevations) is required; incomplete plans stall the completeness review before the 60-day clock even starts.

Sources

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