1. Applicant submits plans to LADBS, if plan check is required
2. LADBS reviews plans and issues corrections, and mandates separate City and County approvals as needed
3. Applicant corrects plans
4. LADBS verifies corrections, and issues permit
5. Applicant starts construction after permit is issued
6. As construction progress, applicant requests inspections from LADBS before work is covered.
7. LADBS inspects construction.
8. After approval of all construction and final inspection, LADBS issues Certificate of Occupancy to applicant.

LADBS offers a money-back guarantee on Express Permit times. If a walk-in customer waits longer than 30 minutes for service to begin, or if the customer waits longer than 60 minutes for the processing of the permit from the time that service begins, then the permit fee is waived.

No.

Yes, unless the work is performed by a contractor that holds a valid Certificate of Registration from LADBS as a Certified Licensed Contractor (CLC). 

The CLC is limited to the replacement of a water heater of equivalent capacity in gallons, BTU rating, and vent capacity.

No.

A plumbing permit is required for the installation of any gas piping, except piping less than 6 feet in length between an existing gas outlet and a gas appliance in the same room.

If it is a building code issue, you may file a request for modification. Please refer to the Request for Modification (Mod.00) form for reference. In approving such a request, the Department needs to determine that the slight modification is reasonably equivalent to the ordinance requirement involved, that a special individual reason makes the strict letter of the ordinance impractical, and that the slight modification is in conformity with the spirit and purpose of the Code involved.

If the request is denied by the Department, it may be appealed to the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners.

If it is a Planning Code issue, this Department can only review and act on items stipulated in Section 12.26, specifically, yard variances not exceeding 20% of the required yard and parking facility design as published in Sec. 12.21A5. (Reprint from Planning Code Section 12.26). All other request for changes from the Planning Code shall be filed with the Planning Department.

Building permit fees are calculated based on the valuation of the project. Please refer to the Los Angeles City Building Code section 91.107 , or Contact Us at 3-1-1 for assistance.

See detailed information regarding the codes we follow at the "LA City Code Amendments" page.

Our Code Amendments can also be accessed through the L.A.M.C on the "American Legal Publishing Corporation" website.

Plan check is when your building plans are reviewed to make sure they comply with basic safety, engineering and planning rules. LADBS plan check engineers will review the design of such things as the structure, plumbing and electrical systems to make sure they are safe and properly designed. They will also look at other items, like building setbacks, heights and lot coverage to see that the construction is compatible with the neighborhood.

Plan check is part of the permit process. If your project disqualifies you from directly receiving an Express Permit, you will need to have a plan check. If it's a small project, a Counter Plan Check will suffice. If it's a large project, you might need to have a Regular Plan Check, where your plans are submitted and reviewed over the period of several weeks.

Projects that qualify for Express Permit do not require plan checks. Other plan checks, including plan checks by other City departments, county and state agencies may also be required for the work being performed.

For small to medium projects, you may visit the Metro (Downtown), Van Nuys, and West LA offices on a walk-in basis for a Counter Plan Check. Your plans are reviewed same day, in about 45-60 minutes

For large, complex projects, plans are sent in for a Regular Plan Check and reviewed within weeks.

For major developer projects, the design and permit process are allowed concurrently, in the Parallel Design - Permitting Process.

Plan check applications expire 18 months after the plan check fees are paid. However, within 30 days of its expiration, an extension of time to extend a permit application may be filed with the Department using a Request for Modification of Building Ordinances. The request may be filed with any Plan Check office, preferably with the office where the plan was reviewed. A fee shall accompany each request.

At the time of filing:

1. For single family or duplex submittal, one set if the job is not in a hillside area, and two sets if it is.
2. For apartment or commercial project submittal, two sets of plans are required. If it is a Title 19 project, a third set is required for Fire Department review.

• At permit issuance
  1. For residential project permit issuance, two sets of plans if the job is not in a hillside area, and three sets if it is.
  2. For commercial project permit issuance, two sets of plans are required.

Yes, if the house is one story and will be built from plans based on the Department standard "Wood Frame Prescriptive Provisions One Story Residential Construction Only."

Generally speaking, any changes to Department-approved plans shall be approved by the plan review engineer who reviewed and issued the permit. 

Sometimes, the changes can be handled over the counter on the same day it is brought in; other times, the changes may need to be resubmitted for further review with an additional plan review fee. In either case, it is always a good idea to first call the plan review engineer who issued the permit and ask for his/her help.

Call 3-1-1 to find out the current status of your plan check.

All construction work for which a permit is required shall be subject to inspection by authorized inspectors. An inspection must be performed before work is concealed or covered. It is your responsibility to notify the inspector when the work is ready for inspection. Work is generally inspected and approved in succession and no work may continue beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining the approval of the inspector. 

Common items to be inspected are foundation excavations, concrete work, wood framing, ventilation equipment, plumbing, electrical, shear wall nailing, roof nailing etc. When completed, there shall be a final inspection and approval of the completed project.

Once you obtain a permit, you can commence with the work. However, you must call for inspection before you cover or conceal any work. If you are unsure of when to call for inspection, please contact our Customer Call Center at 3-1-1.

When the work is ready, request an inspection using one of three options:

1. Request an inspection online using our Request For Inspection system. Requests made before 4:00 pm can be scheduled for the next business day.
2. Dial 888-LA4-BUILD / (888)-524-2845 for inside Los Angeles County or (213) 482-0000 for outside Los Angeles County and choose Option 1 to request an inspection using our Automated Inspection Request System. The AIRS Sequence Chart is helpful to have when using our Automated Inspection Request System (AIRS)
3. Dial 3-1-1 for inside L.A. County or (213) 473-3231 for outside L.A. County. Automated inspection requests may be made anytime (except between 2:00 am and 3:00 am). Requests made before 4:00 pm can be scheduled for the next business day. When calling for an inspection you will need to know the permit number, the site address, and type of inspection needed. To request an inspection for the next business day with one of our staff members, you must call in prior to 4:00 p.m. Automated inspection request systems will accept next day inspections prior to 4:00 p.m. We will attempt to contact you on the morning of the inspection.

For requests of four (4) or more seismic gas shut off valve inspections, please complete the Seismic Gas Shut Off Valve Inspection Request Form. To schedule fewer than four (4) seismic gas shut off valve inspections, please call 3-1-1 for inside Los Angeles County or (213) 473-3231 for outside Los Angeles County.

Deputy Inspection Notification

Deputy Inspection notification may be made by calling 3-1-1 or by completing a Deputy Fax Notification form and faxing it to (213) 482-6838 or 6839 by 3:30 pm one working day before the day of the inspection. Deputy Inspection Notification is not currently available on the Automated Inspection Request form.