Permit Submittal Coordination in Los Angeles, California

Permit Submittal Coordination in Los Angeles

Assistance coordinating the preparation and submittal of permit applications for California legalization projects. Property owners in Los Angeles with this type of situation can benefit from understanding the general process and what information is typically needed before engaging with the building department or other professionals.

Legal ADU Pro helps Los Angeles property owners gather information, understand the process, coordinate documentation, and connect with qualified professionals when needed. Every project requires individual review.

Common Scenarios

• Property owner discovering unpermitted work when preparing to sell
• Buyer conducting due diligence on a property with potential unpermitted improvements
• Homeowner who received a code violation or stop-work notice
• Property owner wanting to refinance or pull equity from a property with unpermitted work
• Owner wishing to rent out a unit that was converted without permits

Los Angeles Permit Submittal: What's Involved

Permit submittals for Los Angeles properties go through the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Most applications, including plan-check submittals, are filed online through ePlanLA using an Angeleno account. Some simple projects that qualify as Express Permits can be filed through PermitLA without a plan check. In-person submittal is also available by appointment at an LADBS Development Services Center.

Before submitting, it's often useful to confirm a property's zoning and lot information through ZIMAS, LADBS's Zone Information and Map Access System, since zoning affects what can be legalized and how.

Legalizing a Pre-2020 Unpermitted ADU in Los Angeles: AB 2533

If an unpermitted ADU or JADU in Los Angeles was built before January 1, 2020, LADBS offers a streamlined path under Assembly Bill 2533 (Information Bulletin P/BC 2026-161), intended to make legalizing older unpermitted units more accessible. Generally, under this path:

• A full architectural or engineering plan set, licensed architect, or licensed engineer is generally not required for qualifying units
• The unit may be evaluated against the code in effect at the time it was built, rather than current code, for most items
• Compliance with the current California Energy Code is not required
• Certain impact fees are generally waived for qualifying units, though some fees, such as school district fees for larger units, may still apply
• Existing non-conforming setbacks can generally be maintained
• Owners may optionally obtain a confidential third-party inspection before applying

Not every unpermitted ADU qualifies for this streamlined path. Units with a basement, more than one story, location on a steep slope or in a fault, landslide, or liquefaction zone, attachment to an apartment or commercial building, or insufficient separation from other structures generally fall outside this path and follow a different process. An individual review of the property is the only way to know which path applies.

Regardless of path, projects may require clearances from other city departments — commonly the LA Department of Water and Power (if near a utility easement), the Bureau of Engineering (sewer capacity and address assignment), and the LA Fire Department (hydrants and access) — before a permit and Certificate of Occupancy can be issued.

The specific steps, professionals required, and timeline still depend on the property, structure, zoning, and LADBS's current requirements.