Where new homes are being built in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is an old housing market: the median home in the city was built in 1965, according to the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey. Large new-home tracts with model homes are rare inside city limits. When we checked builder sites on November 1, 2026, the two active collections of new detached homes we could confirm in the city were both by Toll Brothers, in Porter Ranch and Chatsworth at the north end of the San Fernando Valley, and both were selling their final homes.
Most new for-sale housing in the city comes from smaller projects instead: small-lot homes and townhouses on former apartment and commercial lots, accessory dwelling units behind existing houses, two-unit projects and lot splits under SB 9, and the rebuilding of homes lost in the Palisades Fire. Many of these never get a sales office. They show up as single listings marked new construction, so set a listing-site alert and ask an agent to watch for them. For a planned community with amenities and a builder warranty, buyers can also look at Santa Clarita, Montebello and the South Bay.
New home communities in and near Los Angeles
Bella Vista at Porter Ranch, Ridge Collection (Toll Brothers)
Toll Brothers describes Porter Ranch as a gated, master-planned community of single-family homes with resort-style amenities, hiking and biking trails, a 14-acre park named for Holleigh Bernson and a nearby town center. The Ridge Collection was priced from $2,749,000 for homes of 4,563 square feet and up, with one quick move-in home listed, when we checked. Toll's page says the community has no Mello-Roos tax and is in Los Angeles Unified. The sales center is at 12040 Northstar Lane, Porter Ranch, CA 91326. This is the final collection, so expect resales to set prices from here on.
Hidden Oaks, Chatsworth (Toll Brothers)
A community of 33 estate homes in Chatsworth, with plans of 4,205 to about 5,280 square feet and five or six bedrooms. It was priced from $2,099,000 with four quick move-in homes listed, three move-in ready and one due in January 2027, when we checked, and Toll lists it as a final opportunity. The page says there is no Mello-Roos tax. The sales center is at 22841 W. Seaqua Circle, Chatsworth, CA 91311. Ask for the HOA budget and the lot size of each remaining home.
Metro Heights, Montebello (Toll Brothers)
East of the city, Toll Brothers sells condos at Metro Heights in four collections. Prices started at $815,000 at Ironridge, $1,248,000 at Skyview, $1,339,000 at Silverstone and $1,699,000 at Viewpoint when we checked, with 18 quick move-in homes listed. It is one of the few places near Los Angeles where a new home starts under the city's typical home value.
Santa Clarita Valley: Valencia and Tesoro Highlands (Toll Brothers)
North of the city, Toll Brothers listed Skylar II at Toll Brothers at Valencia from $1,349,000 and Toll Brothers at Tesoro Highlands, with its Bella Terra and Alta Monte collections, from $1,699,000. Newer master plans can carry Mello-Roos special taxes as well as HOA dues, so ask for the tax bill estimate and the public report before you compare them with a city resale.
South Bay townhomes: Toll Brothers at Redondo Beach
For the beach cities, Toll Brothers listed three-bedroom townhomes of 1,730 to 2,123 square feet at Toll Brothers at Redondo Beach from $1,976,995. That is a separate city with its own property tax rate, schools and permit rules.
| Community | Location | Home type | Priced from (checked Nov 1, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bella Vista, Ridge Collection | Porter Ranch, Los Angeles | Single-family | $2,749,000 |
| Hidden Oaks | Chatsworth, Los Angeles | Single-family | $2,099,000 |
| Metro Heights | Montebello | Condo | $815,000 |
| Toll Brothers at Valencia, Skylar II | Valencia | Single-family | $1,349,000 |
| Toll Brothers at Tesoro Highlands | Santa Clarita | Single-family | $1,699,000 |
| Toll Brothers at Redondo Beach | Redondo Beach | Townhome | $1,976,995 |
Builder prices change weekly and often exclude lot premiums and options. Check the builder's page and ask for a written price sheet.
Building or buying new on a Los Angeles lot
Small-lot homes and townhouses
The city's Small Lot Subdivision rules allow free-standing single-family homes and attached townhouses on land zoned for apartments or commercial use. City Planning describes them as a homeownership option that makes more of existing space. Each home sits on its own lot, often with little or no yard and shared driveways, so ask for the maintenance agreement or HOA documents.
Accessory dwelling units in Los Angeles
Los Angeles adopted its ADU ordinance (Ordinance 186,481) on December 11, 2019, adding local standards in Municipal Code Section 12.22A.33. The Department of Building and Safety runs a Standard Plan Program with pre-approved plans, and it has guidance for legalizing an unpermitted unit as an ADU under AB 2533. Our California ADU guide covers state size and setback limits.
SB 9 two-unit projects and lot splits
SB 9, a state law in effect since January 1, 2022, added Government Code Sections 65852.21 and 66411.7. In Los Angeles, Building and Safety handles two-unit developments and urban lot splits on single-family lots. Ask the seller of any SB 9 home for the recorded parcel map, the final inspections and any owner-occupancy covenant.
Rebuilding in Pacific Palisades
City Planning runs a Palisades Rebuild and Recovery program with its own procedures and maps. If you buy a burned lot or a rebuilt house there, ask for the permit set, the final sign-offs and the brush clearance record, and get an insurance quote early.
Fees on new construction
Building and Safety notes that Los Angeles Unified's new Level 1 developer fee rates took effect August 11, 2026. If you are building, add school fees, permit fees and utility connection costs to the budget.
Mello-Roos, HOA dues and property tax on a new LA home
Both Toll Brothers communities inside the city say they carry no Mello-Roos tax, which is unusual for new master plans in Southern California. Check that against the preliminary title report and the tax bill estimate anyway, and ask for the Department of Real Estate public report, which lists HOA dues and any special assessments. Our Mello-Roos guide shows how to look up a district.
A new home is assessed at its purchase price. In City of Los Angeles tax rate area 67, the 2026-27 rate is 1.185825%, so a $2,099,000 home, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption, would owe about $24,807 a year in ad valorem tax before direct assessments. That is our calculation. The county also sends supplemental bills after you close. See the Los Angeles County property tax guide.
New vs resale prices in Los Angeles
Redfin's median sale price for the City of Los Angeles was $1,032,508 in the three months to September 2026, down 1.7% on a year earlier. For the San Fernando Valley ZIPs with new homes, Redfin's single-family medians were $1,287,675 in 91326 (Porter Ranch) and $1,084,476 in 91311 (Chatsworth). New homes in both areas were priced at roughly double those medians, because they are larger, newer and built to current codes. Compare a new home with recent resales of the same size and age, not the area median, and add HOA dues to the monthly cost. The Los Angeles housing market page has the trend.
Inspections and warranties on a new LA home
Hire an independent inspector for a new home, before the drywall goes up if you can and again before closing. California's Right to Repair Act (SB 800) gives buyers of new homes a claims process with the builder; ask the builder for its written warranty, what it covers and for how long, and how to file a claim. On a small-lot home, an ADU or an SB 9 unit built by a small developer, ask for the permits and certificate of occupancy from Building and Safety, and look up the contractor's license on the Contractors State License Board site. Older lots may have hidden problems too, so ask for the soils report on any hillside build.
Buying a new Los Angeles home with an agent
The sales team at a model home represents the builder. If you want your own agent, most builders ask that the agent register you on your first visit, so bring them along or call ahead. Since August 17, 2024, you sign a written agreement with your buyer's agent before touring, which sets how they are paid; ask the builder whether it pays a co-broker fee. Our featured Los Angeles agent can compare new and resale options, and the commission guide explains the rules.