Missing Middle LA

Missing Middle LA is a new Los Angeles City Planning initiative to make both for-sale and rental housing more accessible by streamlining the city’s review and removing barriers to building smaller, neighborhood-scale homes – also known as “missing middle” housing. The program will implement and build upon recent state laws allowing duplexes, small-lot townhomes, and for-sale of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in all residential zones. Rather than a one-size-fits-all program, Missing Middle LA will offer a context-sensitive approach tailored to the unique policy priorities of Los Angeles.

Why Missing Middle LA?

With a median home price in excess of $1 million, homeownership is out of reach for most Angelenos. Only 36% of Angelenos own a home - one of the lowest rates in the US. These trends place enormous pressure on working families, young adults, and longtime residents who want to stay in the city they call home. Missing Middle LA is designed to address this challenge by opening new pathways for Angelenos to stay rooted in their communities in line with the goals of the City’s Housing Element.

The program will incorporate recommendations and lessons learned from the Department’s Low-Rise Design Lab, an initiative that began in 2024 to analyze real world lot configurations and address the regulatory and economic barriers inhibiting development of missing middle housing.

The Missing Middle LA initiative will be implemented through targeted zoning code amendments organized around three pillars:

This code amendment will implement State Assembly Bill 1033 (2023) locally to allow the sale of ADUs (commonly known as casitas or backyard homes) as individual condominium units. It will also update the City’s 2018 ADU Ordinance to align with current state law and incorporate City Council direction to expand protections in Hillside Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Additionally, the Small-Scale Homes Code Amendment will create a new code section incorporating the HOME Act’s (Senate Bills 9 & 450) Two Unit Development provisions. Additional updates and enhancements informed by stakeholder feedback may also be included.

This code amendment will update the City’s Small Lot Subdivision (SLS) Ordinance in accordance with the state Starter Home Revitalization Act (Senate Bills 684 & 1123), which streamlines the review of up to 10 for-sale homes.  The updated SLS Ordinance will facilitate a range of more affordable ownership models in both single & multi-family residential zones, including townhomes, bungalow or cottage courts, and community land trusts. An implementation memo on the Starter Home Revitalization Act is available here.

The third pillar of the Missing Middle LA program will create objective design standards for missing middle housing Citywide, including specialized standards for the City’s Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs).

Through a local City ordinance - providing a City “door,” or an alternative to the state law - these clear and predictable objective standards will help advance Citywide priorities that support gentle density and design quality in our communities. Some of the standards will be tied to incentives and public benefits that promote more functional site design optimizing usable open space, the retention and reuse of existing buildings alongside infill housing, and incentives for preserving mature trees.


A draft ordinance is expected to be released for public review and comment by early next year. Planning staff will host a series of webinars and public events in local communities to gather input and refine the ordinances prior to formal hearings and adoption.

Resources

Missing Middle LA Webinar Recording/Grabación (October/Octubre 2025) 
Missing Middle LA Fact Sheet/Hoja Informativa

Contact Us

All questions and feedback on the Missing Middle LA program can be directed to planning.missingmiddlela@lacity.org

Stay up to date on the Low-Rise Design Lab and Missing Middle LA work effort by signing up for updates here and selecting Missing Middle LA under ‘Current Planning Initiatives.'
 

We Want to Hear From You
 

Share your experience with small-scale multifamily housing or the housing affordability crisis to help inform Missing Middle LA.