Data through September 2026 · updated 18 Oct 2026
The usual permit in the City of Los Angeles takes 90 days from issue to the city's final inspection; the middle half take 27 to 233 days. That is from 33,536 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final. Roofing permits are quickest at 22 days; new home permits take longest at 380 days. This is the time to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the city to approve the plans. Ask the city for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → final. From the day the city issued the permit to the day it recorded the final inspection. We count only permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends, so slow jobs have had time to finish; a permit still open is not in the days.
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025. Usual days is the middle permit among those with a final date: half finished sooner, half later. Middle half is the range the middle 50% fell in. Kinds of work with fewer than 100 permits in that period are left out.
| Kind of work | Permits | Finished | Expired | Usual days to final | Middle half (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing | 12,286 | 79.4% | 0.1% | 22 | 13–44 |
| Remodels & repairs | 11,229 | 73.1% | 0.1% | 85 | 44–169 |
| ADUs & casitas | 6,876 | 59.5% | 0.0% | 286 | 195–392 |
| Additions | 2,539 | 50.8% | 0.0% | 293 | 198–398 |
| Pools & spas | 1,664 | 54.1% | 0.1% | 243 | 141–352 |
| Demolition | 1,863 | 78.4% | 0.1% | 67 | 24–192 |
| New homes | 1,253 | 40.5% | 0.0% | 380 | 276–472 |
| Fences & walls | 1,231 | 52.6% | 0.2% | 160 | 71–310 |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 518 | 40.2% | 0.0% | 282 | 199–384 |
| HVAC | 252 | 70.2% | 1.2% | 114 | 63–236 |
| Other | 9,926 | 62.8% | 0.1% | 121 | 56–228 |
Each kind of work on its own, issue to the city's final.
The usual roofing permit in the City of Los Angeles takes 22 days from issue to final; the middle half take 13 to 44 days (9,757 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 79% of the 12,286 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Los Angeles roofing permits →
The usual remodel and repair permit in the City of Los Angeles takes 85 days from issue to final; the middle half take 44 to 169 days (8,204 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 73% of the 11,229 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Los Angeles remodel and repair permits →
The usual ADU and casita permit in the City of Los Angeles takes 286 days from issue to final; the middle half take 195 to 392 days (4,090 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 60% of the 6,876 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. Los Angeles ADU and casita permits →
The usual home addition permit in the City of Los Angeles takes 293 days from issue to final; the middle half take 198 to 398 days (1,290 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 51% of the 2,539 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. Los Angeles home addition permits →
The usual pool and spa permit in the City of Los Angeles takes 243 days from issue to final; the middle half take 141 to 352 days (901 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 54% of the 1,664 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Los Angeles pool and spa permits →
The usual demolition permit in the City of Los Angeles takes 67 days from issue to final; the middle half take 24 to 192 days (1,459 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 78% of the 1,863 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Los Angeles demolition permits →
The usual new home permit in the City of Los Angeles takes 380 days from issue to final; the middle half take 276 to 472 days (508 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 40% of the 1,253 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. Los Angeles new home permits →
The usual fence and wall permit in the City of Los Angeles takes 160 days from issue to final; the middle half take 71 to 310 days (648 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 53% of the 1,231 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Los Angeles fence and wall permits →
The usual garage, shed and shade structure permit in the City of Los Angeles takes 282 days from issue to final; the middle half take 199 to 384 days (208 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 40% of the 518 permits issued then have finished and 0% expired. Los Angeles garage, shed and shade structure permits →
The usual HVAC permit in the City of Los Angeles takes 114 days from issue to final; the middle half take 63 to 236 days (177 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 70% of the 252 permits issued then have finished and 1% expired. Los Angeles HVAC permits →
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
How long permits take for other places in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.
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.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "How long do permits take in the City of Los Angeles, CA?", https://contractorrecords.com/los-angeles/how-long-does-a-permit-take, 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 · Each kind of permit.
Download the tables (CSV): Days to final by kind of work.