Ordinance No. 318-26 was adopted on October 14, 2026, and took effect thirty days after passage. It brings the city's accessory dwelling unit rules in line with state law on owner occupancy, impact fees, parking, deed restrictions and permit timelines. Westlake Village also planned on ADUs to help meet its housing target, and in five years it has received six complete ADU applications.
Why the city updated its ADU rules
The September 30, 2026 staff report from Planning Director Kristen Asp explains why the update was needed. The city last revised its ADU rules in 2022, and state bills including SB 9, SB 543 and AB 1154 have taken effect since then, on January 1, 2025 and January 1, 2026. If the city hadn't updated, state law could have overridden parts of its code. The minutes of that meeting describe the Council's view that the changes were required by state law and that the city had limited discretion. The introduction passed 4–0.
The number that barely moved
The city's 2021–2029 Housing Element, adopted in December 2021, assigned Westlake Village 142 units under its regional housing allocation. It counted 16 potential ADUs toward that total, or 11.3%. One of its programs set a goal of permitting two ADUs a year.
Here is what the city reported to the state, according to the California HCD Annual Progress Report data, last updated November 6, 2026:
| Year | Complete ADU applications, Westlake Village |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 |
These figures count applications the city deemed complete. They are not finished units. So across 2021 through 2025, even the step before a building permit happened six times. That is fewer than the ten the two-a-year goal implies for those five years, and well short of the 16 the plan counted on.
State law kept loosening ADU rules throughout that period, and owners still filed only a handful of applications.
A built-out town
The Housing Element names the constraint plainly. It describes Westlake Village as:
"predominantly built out, with residential lands mostly governed by CC&Rs and not likely to redevelop"
Notice of the September hearing was posted at City Hall, published in The Acorn, and mailed to representatives of every homeowners association in the city.
Another hearing
The Council also scheduled another public hearing on an ADU and JADU ordinance for Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at City Hall, 31200 Oak Crest Drive. The city's public notice lists Planning Director Kristen Asp at (818) 706-1613 as the contact for questions.
Work with Nico Torres.
