Which records are where
LADBS covers the City of Los Angeles only. Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Glendale, the other county cities and unincorporated county land run their own permit offices.
| Tool | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Permit and Inspection Report | Permits and related inspections, code enforcement and parcel profile |
| Online building records (PRISM) | Scanned permits from 1905 and certificates of occupancy from 1940 |
| Residential Property Report | A property-level history report |
| Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (open data) | Every building permit since 2020 as a table: type, status, valuation, APN; our source |
LADBS keeps electrical and mechanical (heating, air conditioning and plumbing) permits in separate open data files from building permits. Its online services did not load for our automated reader, so we cannot list their search fields; open them in a browser.
How to look up the permits on a Los Angeles address
- Open Search Online Building Records and choose the Permit and Inspection Report.
- Look up the property by its street address; keep the permit number from your paperwork to hand in case the address does not match. LADBS's page does not list the report's search fields.
- Open each permit and read its status and inspections. A re-roof, a remodel and an ADU are separate permits, and electrical and mechanical work have their own.
- For scans of older permits and certificates of occupancy, search the same address in PRISM.
- For a list you can filter, open the open data file and filter by address or APN.
What the statuses mean
| Status in the LADBS file | What it means | How we count it |
|---|---|---|
| Permit Finaled, Permit Closed | Final inspection passed or file closed | Finished |
| CofO Issued, CofC Issued (or Corrected) | Certificate of occupancy or completion issued | Finished |
| Issued, CofO in Progress, Re-Activate Permit | Open | Open |
| Permit Expired | Lapsed before a final | Expired |
| Permit Withdrawn, Revoked, Refund in Progress, Cancelled | Never went ahead | Left out |
Of the building permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, 67.4% had finished and 32.5% were still open by our 18 October 2026 snapshot; under 0.1% showed Permit Expired. Bigger jobs stay open longer: only 40.5% of new home and 50.8% of addition permits from those months had finaled.
When the record is not online
LADBS says the public can view or copy records "except for any blueprints". The Records Section "will only produce documents NOT available as a PDF" online: email a Records Research Request Form to Records.LADBS@lacity.org, or book an appointment at the Metro Office (201 N. Figueroa St., Room 110) or the Van Nuys Office (6262 Van Nuys Blvd., Room 251). Blueprints need a copy of the current owner's grant deed plus written authorization from the owner and, if there is one, the licensed architect or engineer of record (read 24 October 2026).
What our Los Angeles pages add
The Los Angeles page adds the LADBS building permits up. Counts are permits issued October 2024 to September 2026; finished share and days are for permits issued October 2024 to September 2025.
| Kind of work | Permits (Oct 2024–Sep 2026) | Finished (Oct 2024–Sep 2025 permits) | Usual days to final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing | 25,397 | 79.4% | 22 |
| Remodels and repairs | 21,914 | 73.1% | 85 |
| ADUs and casitas | 13,265 | 59.5% | 286 |
| Additions | 4,718 | 50.8% | 293 |
| Pools and spas | 3,510 | 54.1% | 243 |
| Demolition | 3,470 | 78.4% | 67 |
| New homes | 2,853 | 40.5% | 380 |
ZIP code 90272 (Pacific Palisades) had the most permits, 4,017, October 2024 to September 2026, with new homes its top kind of work after the January 2025 fires. The permit statistics page has year and month counts, how long permits take has the days by kind, permits by ZIP code splits them by area and browse permits lists the rows. Fences are on fence permits. To check a contractor's CSLB license, see How to check a contractor's license in California.
What this does not tell you
The LADBS open file names no contractor, so we cannot say who did the work. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are in separate files and not counted, so HVAC and solar show only when a building permit names them. The value is the valuation the permit was issued on, not the final cost.
How we know this
Tool descriptions, record ranges and the copy rules are quoted from the LADBS Search Online Building Records page, read 24 October 2026. Our counts are the LADBS Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (N) file on data.lacity.org, read 18 October 2026: building permits issued October 2024 to September 2026, without supplemental and grading permits.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I find out if a permit was pulled on my house in Los Angeles?
Look the property up in the Department of Building and Safety's Permit and Inspection Report, which LADBS says covers permits and related inspections, then open Search Online Building Records for scanned permits back to 1905. Both are linked from the LADBS Search Online Building Records page.
- How far back do Los Angeles permit records go?
LADBS says its online building records include building permits from 1905 to the present and certificates of occupancy from 1940 to the present. Records not available as a PDF can be requested from the LADBS Records Section.
- How do I get copies of old plans in Los Angeles?
Email a Records Research Request Form to Records.LADBS@lacity.org or book an appointment at the Metro or Van Nuys office. Blueprints are not open to the public: you need a copy of the current owner's grant deed and written permission from the owner, and from the architect or engineer if there is one.
- How long does a Los Angeles permit take to final?
For building permits issued October 2024 to September 2025, the usual one was finaled in 90 days. A re-roof took 22 days, a remodel 85, an ADU 286 and a new home 380.
- Does this cover Long Beach, Pasadena or Santa Monica?
No. Only the City of Los Angeles is in LADBS records. Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Glendale, the other county cities and unincorporated Los Angeles County issue their own permits.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
Related guides
- Adams County, CO building permit search: the e-Permit Center, statuses and CORA
- Alachua County building permit search: Citizenserve, statuses and old records
- Anaheim building permit search: Anaheim NEXT and the Building Permit Report
- Arlington, VA building permit search: Permit Arlington lookups and FOIA requests
- Norfolk building permit search: the open permits file, E-Permit Portal and FOIA
- Normal, IL building permit search: the Town's eTRAKiT portal and FOIA requests