New homeconstruction

Who reviews a new house

Where the lot sits decides who issues the permit. 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 building departments.

In the City, every required clearance from another department has to be approved before LADBS issues the building permit. Zoning plan check is now done by City Planning's Zoning Review Division, and LADBS routes projects there automatically through ePlanLA. Other clearances a new house often meets are the Fire Department's review of hydrants and access, which applies to all new buildings in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and the Bureau of Engineering's sewer availability clearance. LADBS's submittal list for a new single-family home includes soils and geology reports, and grading plans when grading is proposed.

In the County, plan check issues an agency referral, and the applicant is responsible for getting every agency's approval before the permit is issued. A private septic system needs Health Department approval. Regional Planning has to approve some projects, such as a home on a lot under 5,000 square feet, and where grading is involved, rough grading approval comes before the building permit.

The energy code for new homes

The 2025 California Energy Code applies to permit applications filed on or after January 1, 2026. New single-family homes must have solar panels, with five exceptions. The prescriptive baseline for space heating is a heat pump; gas heating remains possible through the performance path, and a home with gas or propane appliances must also be wired electric-ready for them. A new home with electrical service over 125 amps must be ready for a battery, unless a battery is installed. Under the state's green building code, a new home with an attached garage needs a raceway and a 40-amp circuit marked "EV CAPABLE" for a future charger.

The City of Los Angeles adopted an all-electric requirement for new buildings in 2023 and repealed it with Ordinance 188716, effective October 13, 2025.

Building in a fire hazard zone

With the 2025 code, California moved its wildfire construction rules into a new Wildland-Urban Interface Code. They apply to new buildings in the state's fire hazard severity zones and in High and Very High zones that cities and counties designate, and the property has to meet the vegetation management requirements before the permit is finaled. LA County adopted updated hazard maps for its areas on July 22, 2025, and state law requires the City of Los Angeles to adopt CAL FIRE's recommended maps by ordinance.

Automatic fire sprinklers are required in every new single-family home, ADU and duplex. The County's referral sheet for Eaton fire rebuilds says the state fire code requires them, and the City's 2025 building code ordinance requires a residential sprinkler system in every new one- or two-family dwelling. The City notes that Pacific Palisades has been a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone since 1999.

Plan check, fees and time

LADBS returns regular plan check comments within weeks, depending on workload, and expedites the review if the owner pays 50% more of the plan check fee. LA County may charge more for plan checks needed after the second one.

School district fees apply to new homes, and no building permit is issued without the school district's certification. In the City, a permit is valid for two years but expires after 12 months if work has not started. In the County, a permit expires if work has not started within 12 months or stops for more than 180 days.

Rebuilding after the Eaton and Palisades fires

A fire rebuild follows its own rules. In Altadena, a like-for-like home can grow by up to 10% or 200 square feet, whichever is greater, and skips current zoning; in Pacific Palisades, the Mayor's orders allow up to 110% of the old footprint and height without discretionary review. The Governor's Executive Order N-37-25 lets these rebuilds use the 2022 building code instead of the 2025 code, except for the State Fire Marshal's fire and public safety rules, and suspends the solar panel and battery requirements while keeping the Solar Ready rules. Our guides cover each step: rebuilding in Altadena and rebuilding in Pacific Palisades.

For a new home, CRG Construction prepares the architectural plans, and structural plans where the design needs them, and handles the city submittal and permit process.