Building and Safety addresses issues for single-family residential, commercial, industrial and vacant buildings inside the City of Los Angeles. You can report a code violation online, or call 3-1-1 to request an investigation

During the regular plan check submittal process, an additional set of plans is collected and routed for Green Building section for review and approval process, if required.

Height of an ADU is generally measured as any other structure would be measured under the LAMC, given the governing height limit standards in the applicable zone, Height District, Hillside Area, Specific Plan area, or other Overlay. For the purposes of applying the 16 feet maximum height standard as required by state law (referenced in LAMC Section 12.22 A.33(c)(1)(iii), (g)(1), and GC Section 65852.2(e)(1)(D)), height shall be measured according to the standard Zoning Code definition of Height of Building or Structure in LAMC Section 12.03.

Walking distance is measured by the shortest distance that can be traveled by walking on public streets and sidewalks from a transit stop to the closest point on the subject Lot, as determined by  generally available mapping systems, such as Google Maps.

Our goal is to assign an application in approximately 5 weeks to one of our engineers and an additional 3-7 weeks (depending on the complexity of the submittal) for the evaluation to be completed, a draft copy of the research report to be written, and the final copy of the research report signed. If the substantiating data is incomplete, such as missing test reports, testing not conducted by an approved testing agency, incomplete or missing engineering calculations, etc., the time to obtain a Los Angeles City Research Report may take longer. 

Expedite report review is available pursuant to section 98.0422 of the Los Angeles City Municipal Code. The amount of the fee for this service is in addition to the normal review fee and is equal to one-half of the review fee.

The intent of the expedite service is to reduce the time to assign your application from approximately 5-weeks to 2- weeks. 

For an estimate of the current assignment time for the expediting service you may call the Building Research Section at (213) 202-9812.

A claim for refund of fees paid to the Department of Building and Safety must be filed:

1. Within one year from the date of payment of the fee (L.A.M.C. Section 22.12 & 22.13)
2. Within one year from the date of expiration of extensions on building or grading permits granted by the Department of Building and Safety (L.A.M.C. Section 98.0420).

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.

1. The Appeal processing Fee is $130.00 for the first item plus $39.00 for each additional item and a 6% surcharge. Additional fees may be added for research ($104.00/hour) and inspection ($84.00/hour).
   
   Board Fee is based on Table 4-A (found in LAMC Section 98.0403.2) (see Table 4-A below). The cost to file the appeal consists of the appeal processing fee and the Board fee combined.
   
   Applications for import/export have a filing fee of $529.00 for the first 1000 cubic yards and $100.00 additional for each 1000 cubic yards or portion of 1000 cubic yards, plus surcharges (17% + $10.00).
2. Department of City Planning Case applications have an Appeal processing fee of $130.00 with a 6% surcharge. Additional fees may be added for research ($104.00/hour) and inspection ($84.00/hour)

Table 4-A  FILING FEES * FOR APPEALS  FIRST ITEM FOR SINGLE BUILDING TYPE OF BUILDING **  GROUP OCCUPANCY  V IV and II-N  III  I and II EXCEPT II-N   Each Additional Item  R-3 and U  $215  $215  $215  $215  $76  A,B,E,F,H,I,M,S and R-1 and R-2  $354  $354  $354  $632  $215  All other filing fees not covered in the above schedule including appeals   pursuant to Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 12.26, shall be $500.00 for the first item and $150.00 for each additional item. Table 4-A Table 4-A  FILING FEES * FOR APPEALS  FILING FEES * FOR APPEALS  FIRST ITEM FOR SINGLE BUILDING TYPE OF BUILDING **  FIRST ITEM FOR SINGLE BUILDING TYPE OF BUILDING **  GROUP OCCUPANCY  V IV and II-N  III  I and II EXCEPT II-N   Each Additional Item  GROUP OCCUPANCY VIV and II-N III I and II EXCEPT II-N  Each Additional Item  R-3 and U  $215  $215  $215  $215  $76  R-3 and U $215 $215 $215 $215 $76  A,B,E,F,H,I,M,S and R-1 and R-2  $354  $354  $354  $632  $215  A,B,E,F,H,I,M,S and R-1 and R-2 $354 $354 $354 $632 $215  All other filing fees not covered in the above schedule including appeals   pursuant to Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 12.26, shall be $500.00 for the first item and $150.00 for each additional item.  All other filing fees not covered in the above schedule including appeals   pursuant to Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 12.26, shall be $500.00 for the first item and $150.00 for each additional item.

Charges for copying public records are in accordance with California Public Records Act Sections 6253(b), 6253.9(a)(2), and 6253.9(b); Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 98.0405, and Los Angeles Administrative Code Sections 12.40 and 19.44 and are as follows:

The charge for copying public records maintained on paper is $1.00 per request (file or media type) and $0.10 per page for pages 8.5x14 inches or less, and $1.00 per page for pages of 11x17 inches.

Architects, Engineers, Designers and Builders are responsible for paying the necessary plan check and permit fees required to have their designs reviewed and pre-approved for inclusion in the Standard Plan Pilot Program.

For Homeowners, under the Mayor’s Emergency Executive Order No. 7, the collection of fees associated with permits are currently suspended for projects that are to repair, restore, demolish, or replace property or facilities substantially damaged or destroyed by the Wildfires; and shall only apply to property owners who held ownership of their homes on or before January 7, 2025.

This means homeowners can select and use these plans without paying additional city permitting fees, though other agency clearances may apply.