What permits a full homerenovation needs in Los Angeles

Who issues a remodel permit depends on where the house is. In the City of Los Angeles, including Pacific Palisades, it is the Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). In unincorporated areas such as Altadena, it is LA County Public Works, Building and Safety. Other cities in the county run their own departments. This guide covers the City and the County as their codes and pages stood in October 2026.

When a remodel needs a permit

City code is broad: no one may build, alter, repair or demolish a building without a permit, unless the work is on the exempt list. Since December 31, 2025, that list exempts work valued at $2,500 or less, unless it affects the building's structure or public safety, follows a Department order, or changes the use or occupancy. Painting and papering are exempt. Interior changes that alter the floor plan need plans approved before the permit is issued.

The County's exempt list includes painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work where disabled access rules do not apply. Its own list of work that does need a permit names kitchen remodels, stucco, window and door changeouts, garage conversions and changes in use.

Electrical, plumbing and heating or cooling work each need their own permit when they are not part of the building permit. A full renovation usually touches all of them.

Express permits or plan check

In the City, simple projects that need no plan check get an Express Permit, online or at the counter. LADBS's express permit bulletin lists kitchen and bathroom remodels with no structural changes, same-size window and door changeouts, re-stucco, drywall replacement without new walls, insulation, plumbing fixtures, water heaters and like-for-like air conditioners.

Anything bigger goes to plan check:

• Counter plan check reviews small and medium projects, including alterations to a house or duplex, on the day the plans are submitted.
• Expanded counter plan check handles larger work such as a medium-size home addition.
• Regular plan check takes large projects; plans come back within weeks, depending on workload, and paying 50% more of the plan check fee expedites the review.

Other approvals can come first. Historic monuments need the Cultural Affairs Commission, Specific Plan areas need City Planning, and in a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone most exterior changes need written approval from City Planning. In the County, Express Permits are self-issued online for simple residential work such as a water heater or air conditioner replacement. Plans that can be checked in 15 minutes or less may be reviewed over the counter. Plans may be prepared by a licensed civil engineer, architect or drafter, and structural elements must be stamped by a licensed engineer.

Inspections and the final sign-off

City code sets the order of inspections: foundations, then framing once the pipes, vents and ducts are in place, then the wall covering when the backing and lath or drywall are up, then a final. No work may be covered until it has been approved. In the County, inspections are booked through EPIC-LA at least 24 hours ahead, and the work has to stay exposed until it is inspected.

A remodel does not always end with a new certificate of occupancy. Under City code, an existing building that keeps the use it was originally permitted for does not need one, and LADBS notes that not all construction work receives one.

How long a permit lasts

In the City, a permit is valid for two years. It expires 12 months after issue if work has not started, and plans filed for checking expire after 18 months if no permit is taken out. In the County, a permit expires if work has not started within 12 months or stops for more than 180 days, and extensions of 180 days can be requested in writing.

The energy code when you remodel

California's 2025 Energy Code applies to permit applications filed on or after January 1, 2026. The Energy Commission's manual defines an alteration as any change to a water-heating, space-conditioning or lighting system, or to the building envelope; plain repairs are not covered. When a remodel changes the envelope, the heating or cooling, or the water heating, a compliance form (CF1R) goes in with the permit application, and changes to heating and cooling will likely need field verification and testing by a third party. Only the lighting that is altered has to comply, and the solar panel requirement for new homes does not apply to alterations. LADBS's express permit bulletin also asks for labeled dual-glazed units when windows are replaced.

Lead and asbestos in older homes

• Lead. For homes built before 1978, the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces to be certified, with trained workers and lead-safe work practices. Small jobs of 6 square feet or less per room inside, or 20 square feet outside, are excluded, but window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces are always covered.
• Asbestos. The South Coast AQMD's Rule 1403 requires an asbestos survey by a Cal/OSHA-certified person before demolition or renovation, and written notice to the district at least 10 working days before work begins. For a single-family home, the survey requirement does not apply when less than 100 square feet of asbestos-containing material is removed, and the rule does not apply to an owner-occupant doing the work personally.

CRG Construction handles the plans and permits for the renovations it builds, from the design package to the final clean. Estimates are free.

Rules and programmes change. We confirm the current requirements with the permitting office for every property; nothing here is legal advice.