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The City of Los Angeles, CA building permits

Data through September 2026 · updated 18 Oct 2026

99,412 building permits in the LADBS building-permit file were issued in the City of Los Angeles from October 2024 to September 2026, about 49,706 a year. Roofing permits lead with 25,397, then remodels & repairs (21,914) and ADUs & casitas (13,265). 74% were for homes. The city's file doesn't name contractors, so we can't rank, compare or profile firms here: these pages show what was built, where, when and how fast the city signed it off.

What this file covers: This is the LADBS building-permit file. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are kept in separate files and not counted, so those trades show only when a building permit names them.

99,412permits issued
49,706a year
74%for homes
67%finished (Oct 2024–Sep 2025 permits)
90days, usual issue to final
Sep 2026records through

What gets built here

What this page can and can't show

  • ✓The permits in the LADBS building-permit file, by kind of work, month and ZIP code.
  • ✓How long a permit takes from issue to the city's final inspection.
  • ✓Which permits finished, are still open or expired.
  • ✓What the job was declared at on the permit.
  • Who did the work. The city's file doesn't name contractors, so we can't rank, compare or profile firms here.
  • Street addresses or owners. We publish counts and permit rows without them.

Building permits the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) issues inside the city limits only. Other cities in Los Angeles County (Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Glendale and the rest) and unincorporated county land run their own permit offices and are not in this file. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are kept by LADBS in separate files and are not counted here, so those trades show only when a building permit names them.

Hiring someone here?

The permit file can't tell you who does good work. Ask for the contractor's license number and look it up at the CSLB license check, then ask the city whether they pulled the permit for your job.

How to check a contractor's license in California →

Permits by kind of work

Permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, every kind of work with 100 or more. Last 12 months is Oct 2025–Sep 2026. Homes is the share issued as residential permits.

Kind of workPermitsShareLast 12 mo
Roofing25,39726%13,111
Remodels & repairs21,91422%10,685
ADUs & casitas13,26513%6,389
Additions4,7185%2,179
Pools & spas3,5104%1,846
Demolition3,4703%1,607
New homes2,8533%1,600
Fences & walls2,4202%1,189
Garages, sheds & shade structures986under 1%468
HVAC483under 1%231
Solar179under 1%102
Other20,16120%10,235

Fewer than 100 permits, so no row: electrical (29), plumbing (27).

Download this table (CSV)

Nearby permit data

Permit data for other places in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.

How these numbers are made

Source: LADBS, Building and Safety - Building Permits Issued from 2020 to Present (N), data.lacity.org, read 18 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.

Building permits the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) issues inside the city limits only. Other cities in Los Angeles County (Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Glendale and the rest) and unincorporated county land run their own permit offices and are not in this file. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are kept by LADBS in separate files and are not counted here, so those trades show only when a building permit names them.

  • The city's open permit file names no contractor, so there are no contractor lists, rankings or firm pages for Los Angeles.
  • Only building permits are counted. LADBS keeps electrical and mechanical (heating, air conditioning, plumbing) permits in separate files, so solar, HVAC, plumbing and electrical work is undercounted: it shows only when a building permit names it.
  • Supplemental permits (a revision or transfer of an earlier permit) and grading permits are left out.
  • The value is the job valuation the permit was issued on, which sets the fee. It is not a final cost.
  • A final date is the date the permit was finaled or its certificate of occupancy issued.
  • Permits after the January 2025 wildfires include rebuilding work in Pacific Palisades and other burn areas.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "The City of Los Angeles, CA building permits", https://contractorrecords.com/los-angeles/, data through September 2026, from the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety building-permit records.

Link to a table: By kind of work · Browse the permits · Permits each month.

Download the tables (CSV): Permits by kind of work · Permits in the last 12 months.

Common questions

  • How many building permits does Los Angeles issue a year?About 49,706 a year in the City of Los Angeles: 99,412 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, 49,675 of them in the last 12 months. That counts the permits in the LADBS building-permit file, homes and commercial, not denied or withdrawn applications; the file doesn't hold every permit the city issues (see what it covers above).
  • Can I find a contractor's permits in Los Angeles?Not from this file: the city publishes its permits without the contractor's name, so we can't list or rank firms. Check a license at the CSLB license check and ask the contractor for the permit number of a past job.
  • What do people build most in Los Angeles?Roofing: 25,397 of the 99,412 permits (26%), then remodels & repairs (21,914), ADUs & casitas (13,265), October 2024 through September 2026.
  • How long does a building permit take in Los Angeles?The usual permit took 90 days from issue to the city's final (middle half: 27 to 233 days), from 33,536 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final. Each kind of work →
  • How do I look up a building permit in Los Angeles?Filter the permit list on this page by month, kind of work and ZIP code to see what was issued. For one property's permits, search the city's own records by address or permit number; we don't publish addresses. How to look up a permit in Los Angeles →
  • How many permits were issued in Los Angeles last month?4,696 in September 2026, the last full month on file; 49,675 over the last 12 months.

Browse the permits

Browse 99,412 permits

Every permit in the file issued October 2024 through September 2026, newest first. Pick a month, a kind of work, a ZIP code or a status. Each row is one permit: no street address, no names.

The list loads as you reach it (99,412 permits).

IssuedKind of workCity permit typeStatusZIP

Permits each month, the last 12 months

Permits issued each month and the kind of work with the most. A month opens its permits in the list above.

MonthPermitsTop kind of work
Sep 20264,696Roofing (1,657)
Aug 20264,294Roofing (1,172)
Jul 20264,082Roofing (1,010)
Jun 20264,130Roofing (1,039)
May 20264,005Roofing (979)
Apr 20264,140Roofing (1,043)
Mar 20264,445Roofing (1,101)
Feb 20263,925Roofing (919)
Jan 20264,024Roofing (1,217)
Dec 20253,913Roofing (965)
Nov 20253,477Roofing (860)
Oct 20254,544Roofing (1,149)

Download this table (CSV)