The “Missing Middle LA” ordinances will expand pathways to homeownership by making it easier to build starter homes, duplexes, ADUs, and other smaller-scale housing across the city
LOS ANGELES – This week, Mayor Karen Bass announced the public release of four draft Missing Middle LA ordinances. The proposed measures will help expand the production of “missing middle” housing—including duplexes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and small lot homes—in residential neighborhoods across Los Angeles.
Prepared by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, the ordinances represent the latest step in Mayor Bass’s comprehensive effort to address the city’s housing and affordability crisis by streamlining how housing is approved, built, and delivered across Los Angeles. The full text of the draft measures are now available for public review and feedback. After incorporating public input, the proposed ordinances will move forward to the City Council for consideration later this year.
“When I took office more than three years ago, our city was at a crossroads: the dream of homeownership was slipping further out of reach for too many Angelenos,” said Mayor Bass. “Missing Middle LA is about changing that—building the homes our communities need, expanding pathways to ownership, and helping more families build generational wealth while staying rooted in the communities they call home.”
The newly released ordinances are part of the Missing Middle LA program, an initiative created through executive action (ED7) by Mayor Bass. This effort aims to make it easier to build smaller, more affordable options for homebuyers and renters alike by updating local zoning rules and policies to align with recently passed state housing laws.
A central feature of the newly released ordinances is a faster, simpler approval process for qualifying housing projects. Those that meet clear standards would move forward without lengthy reviews or public hearings, cutting delays, lowering costs, and giving homeowners and builders more certainty that their projects will be approved.
“Missing Middle LA opens doors to more diverse and attainable housing options across the city,” said Vince Bertoni, Director of the Los Angeles Department of City Planning. “Townhomes, duplexes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and courtyard apartments create vital new pathways to renting and owning a home in Los Angeles. By dismantling the zoning barriers that have stalled development, we are urgently creating more options for people to call home.”
The Missing Middle LA ordinances will:
Make it easier to build small, more affordable homes by:
Allowing ADUs to be sold separately as condominiums.
Allowing lot splits on eligible residential properties.
Giving homeowners more flexibility to add ADUs and create additional homes on their property.
Create more starter homes by:
Making it easier to build townhomes and single-family homes in more areas across Los Angeles.
Helping eligible starter home projects with up to 10 homes move forward faster.
Offering incentives for starter home projects that are designed to fit the character of surrounding neighborhoods.
Establish clear design standards that:
Support walkable neighborhoods, stronger communities, and housing built within existing residential areas.
The Missing Middle LA ordinances build on the Mayor’s leadership as the most pro-housing mayor in the city’s history. Immediately after taking office, Mayor Bass used her executive authority (ED1) to fast-track the construction of affordable housing projects, helping put more than 42,000 units in the pipeline, with more than 6,000 units now under construction.
Mayor Bass has continued to make housing production a cornerstone of her administration. Key initiatives include expanding the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance citywide to facilitate the conversion of vacant office buildings and parking lots into housing, and advancing the Citywide Housing Incentive Program (CHIP)—the largest rezoning effort in modern city history—which creates capacity for more than 500,000 new homes. This spring, the Mayor also issued a sweeping executive directive (ED19) to slash approval delays, streamline permitting, and further speed up the delivery of new homes across Los Angeles.
The City Planning Department will host an informational webinar on Wednesday, June 24 to provide an overview of the new ordinances and their impact on Los Angeles. Members of the public interested in attending should RSVP here.