My ADU permit or application expired or stalled: what now? (Los Angeles)

Call (909) 486-3818

Your ADU file may be stuck, or it may have run out. Either way, you have steps to take. They apply in the City of Los Angeles. In the County and other cities, the office names differ.

Which situation is mine?

• In review. Your application has not been approved yet.
• Expired in review. Your application ran out before it was approved.
• Approved, never issued. Your plans passed review and are ready to issue. The permit was never paid for and issued, and the approval has expired or soon will.
• Issued, then lapsed. You got the permit, but work stopped and the permit lapsed.
• Closed or denied.

The way forward is different for each one. Start by finding out which one is yours.

Who do I call, and what do I ask?

Call the office that holds your file. In most of the City of Los Angeles, that is the Department of Building and Safety. In unincorporated County areas, it is a County office. In other cities, it is that city's own building department. Your permit or application number tells you where to look.

Ask these five questions:

1. What is the status of the file?
2. What was the date of the last action on it?
3. Which corrections or clearances are still open?
4. What is the date the application or permit expires, or expired?
5. Can I get an extension or renewal, and what does it take?

Write down the date and the name of the person you spoke with. Keep every email. If a designer has handled your file, ask them for the full file.

Why do files stall?

Common causes are simple. A correction went unanswered. A clearance is still open at another department, such as sewer or utility capacity, fire access, or planning review. Fees were not paid. Or a designer or contractor left.

What if my application is still in review?

Read every correction. Each one needs its own answer. Answers to plan corrections come from whoever prepared the plans, or from a new designer who takes over the drawings. Any part the department says needs engineering must come from a licensed engineer or architect.

If the department denied your ADU application, state law requires it to give you a full set of written comments listing what is defective or deficient and how the application can be fixed. Ask for those comments if you do not have them.

When every item is answered, ask in writing that the file go back to review.

What if my application expired, or my plans were approved but I never got the permit?

An application in review has its own expiration date, counted from when it was filed. It can run out while corrections sit unanswered.

Approved plans can run out too. In Los Angeles, plans that pass review are marked ready to issue. You still have to pay the remaining fees and have the permit issued. If that does not happen in time, the approval expires.

Ask for the exact date on your file, and whether you can still request an extension. Some departments allow one only before the date passes.

After the date, you may need to file again. A new filing is reviewed under the codes and fees in force at that time. If your plans are approved and the date is close, getting the permit issued is usually the fastest way to protect the work already done.

What if my permit was issued and then lapsed?

Permits are not open-ended. Under state law, a building permit stays valid if work starts within 12 months after it is issued and the work is not abandoned. The building official may grant extensions in writing when the permit holder asks and shows good cause.

When work stops partway, each department applies its own rule for when the permit has expired, and its own way to revive it. Some allow an extension if you ask in time. Some require a renewal and a fee. Some require a new application, and then the rules in force today apply, not the ones in force when you first applied.

Ask for your date now. Do not build further on a lapsed permit. Do not cover up work that has not had its inspection. Take dated photos of what is there.

Where does a builder fit?

Nobody outside the department controls when it acts. Be careful with anyone who promises an approval date or says they have an inside connection.

A stalled file is a design and paperwork problem first and a construction problem second. Once the plans are approved and the permit is active, or about to be, a licensed builder takes over.

EMC Development Solutions Corp is a building contractor. We do not prepare plans or answer plan corrections. When we build a project, the building inspections, through final, are part of the construction contract.

EMC Development Solutions Corp is a private building contractor. This page is general information. It is not a publication of the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County or the State of California, and it is not legal advice.

Learn about our ADU builder work in Los Angeles County, or contact us about your ADU.