Los Angeles building department

The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) requires a permit for any construction, alteration or repair of buildings on private property in the City of Los Angeles. A Los Angeles mailing address doesn’t mean LADBS has jurisdiction. LADBS’s own first step is to look the parcel up in ZIMAS, the city’s zoning map. If ZIMAS can’t find the property, it is probably outside city limits and handled by another city or by Los Angeles County. The county Public Works Service Locator shows which agency serves an address.

Choosing a permit path

LADBS has four review tracks. Which one you get depends on how complex the project is:

Track	What it covers	How long review takes
Express Permit	Simple work that needs no plan check. Issued online through PermitLA or by appointment at a service counter	No plan review
Counter Plan Check (CPC)	Simple projects that need plans	Same day, about 45 minutes or less, at a Development Services counter
Expanded Counter Plan Check (ECPC)	Moderate projects, such as multi-floor tenant improvements and mid-size home additions	Same day, typically 2 hours or less
Regular Plan Check (RPC)	Large or complex work, such as new single-family homes and new commercial or apartment buildings	Plans are left for review, and you set up recheck appointments with the plan check engineer

ePlanLA handles fully electronic plan check, from submittal and verification through permit issuance. If your project went through ePlanLA and all clearances are approved, you may be able to have the permit issued online through the ePermit RTI (“Ready to Issue”) portal.

Submittal requirements depend on your scope of work and are listed in LADBS Information Bulletins. Building permit applications also need:

• proof of ownership (a recorded grant deed, plus operating agreement or articles if the owner is an LLC or corporation)
• a hauler from the city’s Permitted Waste Haulers list (not needed for mechanical, electrical or plumbing permits)

Other departments may have to sign off before a permit is issued, including City Planning, Fire, Public Works, LADOT, Housing, DWP, Cultural Affairs and County Health. LADBS lists them in its Building Permit Clearance Handbook.

What qualifies as an Express Permit

LADBS bulletin P/GI 2026-003 (revised March 27, 2026) lists the work that can get an express permit with no plan check. Highlights:

• Building: same-size window and door change-outs on residential buildings; kitchen or bath remodels with no structural changes; re-stucco; re-roofing with Class A or B material under 6 lb per sq ft (Class A required in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones); Standard Plan #1 foundation bolting and cripple-wall bracing for houses and residential buildings up to 3 stories and 4 units; dry-rot or termite repairs under 10% of replacement cost; and residential concrete-block fence walls up to 6 ft, outside the required front yard
• Plumbing: replacing water heaters, adding or replacing fixtures, sewer repairs, and gas piping with up to 10 outlets
• Electrical: non-engineered work under 600 volts and up to 400 amps in existing office, retail and residential buildings, and EV charging
• Solar and batteries (contractors only, online only): rooftop PV of 10 kW or less on a one- or two-family home, and AC-coupled battery systems up to 10 kWAC

If your project isn’t on the list, it needs one of the plan check tracks.

Who can pull the permit

You can get a permit as the owner, as a contractor, or as the agent of either. Agents must have a letter of authorization from the owner, either notarized or signed with a copy of the owner’s ID. Owners who are pulling permits themselves also file an Owner-Builder Declaration.

Contractors must be licensed by the CSLB and must provide:

• workers’ comp information
• a City of Los Angeles Business Tax Registration Certificate
• a subcontractor form for the Office of Finance

On single-family homes, homeowners can apply for all four express permit types: building, mechanical, electrical and plumbing. LADBS’s FAQ says a homeowner can get an electrical permit after living in the house for 12 months or more.

Fees and payment

Plan check and permit fees are based on project valuation. LADBS has an online Permit Fee Calculator for estimates. You can pay by eCheck, by credit card (online or in person, with a 2.7% service fee), or by cash or check at an office. Checks must be for the exact amount. If you overpay, you have to request a refund, which takes 30 to 90 days.

Inspections

Request inspections online, through the LADBS Go mobile app, or by calling 311 ((213) 473-3231 from outside the area).

Rule	Detail
Regular inspections	Request one day ahead, before 2 p.m. Inspections are done weekdays, 7 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Saturday inspections	Request by 1 p.m. the Friday before. These are generally billed as off-hour inspections
Off-hour inspections	Anything after 3:30 p.m. LADBS says the hourly charge averages $100, and inspector travel can add $300 or more
Cancellations	Cancel online, by calling (888) 524-2845, or through your inspector
Inspection questions	(213) 482-7210, Mon–Fri, 7 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Inspectors take calls 7–8:30 a.m.

At every inspection, have these on site:

• the permit
• the approved plans
• the Building Card (B-8)
• a safe ladder if one is needed

Work has to pass each stage before you continue. After the final inspection, LADBS issues the Certificate of Occupancy where one applies.

Offices and hours

LADBS runs five Development Services Centers:

• Metro, 201 and 221 N. Figueroa St.
• Van Nuys, 6262 Van Nuys Blvd.
• West LA, 1828 Sawtelle Blvd.
• South LA, 8475 S. Vermont Ave.
• San Pedro, 638 S. Beacon St.

The Metro center is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It stops issuing queue tickets at 4 p.m. All LADBS offices close on weekends and City holidays. Express permits are handled at the counters by appointment.

Codes

The 2025 California Building Standards Code (Title 24) took effect statewide on January 1, 2026. Los Angeles applies it through its own amended city codes. LADBS’s 2026 express-permit bulletin cites the Los Angeles Residential Code with a January 1, 2026 effective date.

Building records

Search Online Building Records (ladbsdoc.lacity.org) has building permits from 1905 on and certificates of occupancy from 1940 on. The Permit and Inspection Report shows permit, inspection and code enforcement history for a property.

If a record isn’t online, email a Records Research Request Form to [email protected], or book an appointment at the Metro or Van Nuys records counter. To get copies of blueprints, you need the current owner’s grant deed plus written authorization from the owner and from the architect or engineer of record.