_1781464136662-DVw5IPjt.png)
Frequently
Asked Questions
Clear answers about the permit expediting process and how we operate.
What happens between an application and permission to build?
Start with the parcel, not the mailing address. A San Fernando Valley address can belong to the City of Los Angeles, an independent city, or unincorporated County territory. Our City of San Fernando permit guide explains why that incorporated city uses its own Building and Safety Division rather than LADBS. For City of Los Angeles sites, check the permit history and ZIMAS parcel information before assuming a use, overlay or previous addition is approved.
For LADBS work, LAMC Section 91.106 establishes the permit framework and Section 91.107 addresses fees. The building application, any Planning entitlement and separately required trade permits are not interchangeable. A permit expediter coordinates the application and approval record; the architect, engineer and licensed contractor remain responsible for their designs and construction. We do not promise approval, bypass code requirements or replace the City's plan checker.
| Stage | Planning allowance | What must be resolved |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel and scope research | Several days to 2 weeks | Jurisdiction, existing permits, use, overlays, notices and the owner's complete project scope. |
| Design and application readiness | 2–8+ weeks | Coordinated drawings, structural calculations, energy forms and any required site investigations; complex design can take substantially longer. |
| Eligible express scope | Potentially same day after eligibility and documents are accepted | Only work that qualifies for the City's express route. A small project is not automatically eligible. |
| Standard plan check and corrections | Several weeks to several months | Review queue, corrections, designer responses and required building, planning, fire or other clearances. |
| Permit issuance | After all issuance conditions are satisfied | Approved sheets, required signatures, contractor or owner-builder documentation and assessed fees. |
| Construction and final inspections | Linked to the construction schedule | Call for required inspections before covering work; obtain finals and any required occupancy authorization. |
Which costs belong in a permit budget?
Keep four amounts separate: government plan-check and permit charges; outside-agency or utility charges; design, engineering and testing; and Ocean Permits' written coordination proposal. LADBS charges depend on valuation and scope under its official fee schedules. An independent city's fees are not calculated by copying a Los Angeles estimate. Additional reviews, changes after approval and reinspection can add costs. No number on this page is an Ocean Permits price quote.
A useful consultation package includes the address and parcel number, existing plans and permit records, proposed scope, construction valuation, any enforcement notice, and the desired opening or move-in date. For complicated scopes, our permit feasibility study identifies review dependencies before design spending increases. A stable or riding arena, for example, needs the use and grading analysis described in our equestrian facility permitting service, not just a small accessory-building application.
During plan check, maintain one correction log with the reviewer comment, responsible designer, response and next submittal date. Reconcile revisions across the architectural, structural and trade sheets before sending them back. For a commercial opening, review tenant improvement permit coordination and the certificate of occupancy guide; approved drawings do not, by themselves, authorize occupancy.
A permit expeditor coordinates permit applications, plan check comments, city department communication, resubmittals, and approval tracking to help construction projects move through the permitting process faster. Instead of architects or contractors spending hours navigating city bureaucracies, we prepare the application packages, route them to the correct departments (Building & Safety, Planning, Fire, etc.), address reviewer comments, and aggressively track progress to secure approvals with fewer delays.
Permit timelines in Los Angeles vary based on project scope, location (e.g., hillside or coastal zones), and the current backlog at LADBS. Simple tenant improvements may take a few weeks, while complex ground-up commercial developments can take several months. Our value is ensuring your submittal does not face unnecessary delays due to incomplete formatting, missed clearances, or routing errors — significantly reducing the overall timeline.
A permit expeditor focuses on moving an existing permit application through the municipal process — managing submittals, tracking approvals, and resolving city comments. A permit consultant provides advisory services earlier in the process, including feasibility analysis, code research, and entitlement strategy. Ocean Permits & Development does both: we can advise during design and then shepherd the permit through to approval.
A qualifying ADU follows a ministerial review path, but that is not the same as an over-the-counter permit or a guaranteed construction-start date. State decision deadlines depend on the applicable application and completeness rules; design, correction responses, separate utility work and inspection scheduling are different milestones. For preliminary scheduling, allow several weeks to several months for a complete building package, and confirm the current review queue with the actual issuing city. Hillside access, existing unpermitted work, structural changes and missing documentation can extend the schedule. Our ADU permits guide in Related Resources explains how we prepare and coordinate the application.
The most common causes of permit rejections and delays in Los Angeles include: incomplete or inconsistent plan sets, missing departmental clearances (Planning, Fire, Public Works, etc.), zoning non-compliance, insufficient documentation for special conditions (hillside, coastal, historic), and incorrect fee calculations. Our pre-submittal review process identifies these issues before they reach the plan checker, reducing the chance of a correction notice.
Yes. We specialize in managing permit rollouts for national retail brands and restaurant chains across California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida. We provide centralized management and standardize the process across varying local jurisdictions, reducing the administrative burden on your internal team and accelerating your store opening schedule.
The earlier, the better. We offer Pre-Submittal Consulting during the design phase to review architectural plans against local municipal codes. Catching potential compliance issues before final drawings are complete prevents costly and time-consuming resubmittals later. For entitlement projects, early engagement allows us to develop a strategic approval roadmap before you invest in full construction documents.
Yes. We assist property owners who need to legalize unpermitted work or resolve active code violations. This involves assessing existing conditions, obtaining the actual notice and permit history, determining whether the work can be approved as built or requires changes, coordinating with the assigned inspector, and tracking the required inspections through final sign-off. A new application alone does not close an enforcement case. See our code violation permits service in Related Resources for the full process.
We primarily serve the Greater Los Angeles area, including the City of Los Angeles (LADBS), Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, and surrounding cities. We also manage projects in Arizona, Texas, and Florida for rollout clients. Contact us to confirm coverage for your specific jurisdiction.
Yes, Ocean Permits & Development is a certified Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), founded in 2021 by Katherine Amaya.
Permit expediting fees in Los Angeles are typically scoped to the complexity of the project rather than a flat rate — a simple over-the-counter residential permit costs far less to expedite than a commercial tenant improvement with multiple department clearances, or a discretionary entitlement requiring a Planning Commission hearing. Most clients pay either a flat project fee or an hourly rate depending on scope. We provide a specific, written quote after a free consultation where we review your plans, project type, and jurisdiction — so there are no surprise fees once work begins.
It depends heavily on the permit type and submittal quality. A straightforward Express Permit for simple electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work can be issued the same day. Standard plan check for a residential addition or ADU typically runs 4 to 8 weeks. Commercial tenant improvements and larger projects can take 2 to 4 months, and discretionary approvals requiring a public hearing can add several more months. The single biggest factor within your control is submittal completeness — a package that's missing a clearance or has inconsistent drawings goes to a correction cycle, which is where most avoidable delay happens. We prepare and pre-check every submittal to minimize that risk.
Yes. ADU and JADU permits — including detached new construction, attached additions, and garage conversions — are one of our most common project types. Most ADUs in California qualify for a ministerial (non-discretionary) review pathway, which is faster than a standard permit, but the plans still have to satisfy setback, height, parking, and fire-separation requirements specific to the jurisdiction. Garage conversions add their own wrinkles around existing foundation conditions and utility relocation. We review plans against local ADU ordinances before submittal to prevent the most common causes of rejection.
Yes. We regularly manage tenant improvement (TI) permits for restaurants, retail, medical and dental offices, and general commercial space across Los Angeles and surrounding cities. Commercial permits typically involve more departments than residential work — Building & Safety plan check, Fire Department clearance, health department coordination for food service, and sometimes Planning sign-off for signage or use changes. We coordinate all of these tracks in parallel rather than sequentially, which is usually the difference between a TI that opens on schedule and one that slips by months.
We help property owners resolve active code violations and legalize unpermitted work — a common issue that surfaces during a sale, refinance, or insurance review. The process starts with an assessment of what was built without permits, followed by determining the correct legalization pathway (which sometimes requires opening walls or providing engineering documentation to confirm code compliance), coordinating with the assigned code enforcement inspector, and carrying the case through to final sign-off. Addressing a violation proactively is almost always faster and less costly than waiting for the city to escalate it.
Yes. Fire rebuild coordination is an active focus of our practice following the January 2025 wildfires. Pacific Palisades building applications go through the City of Los Angeles and LADBS; Altadena is unincorporated County territory and uses Los Angeles County Building and Safety. We check eligibility and current conditions for any expedited pathway or fee relief rather than assuming every project qualifies. Cleanup release, zoning, coastal review where applicable, utilities and final inspections remain separate approval gates. Our Fire Rebuild Permitting Hub and location guides explain the different jurisdictions.
The free consultation is a working session, not a sales pitch. We review your project scope, property address, and any plans you already have, identify which jurisdiction and departments will be involved, flag likely complications (zoning overlays, Coastal Zone, Fire Hazard Severity Zone, historic districts, HOA requirements), and give you a realistic timeline and fee estimate before you commit to anything. Most clients come away from the call with a clear next step, whether or not they decide to engage us.
We're based in Downtown Los Angeles and serve the greater Los Angeles area — including the City of Los Angeles (LADBS), Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Culver City, Long Beach, West Hollywood, and the fire-affected communities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena — plus multi-state rollout programs for retail and restaurant brands in Arizona, Texas, and Florida. See our full locations page for city-specific detail, or contact us to confirm coverage for your address.
Related Resources
Still have questions?
Our team is ready to discuss the specific requirements of your project.
Contact Us