What does the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (“LADBS”) do?
If you a commercial property owner and a frequent reader of our blogs on the mandatory requirements of the City of Los Angeles’ Soft Story Retrofit Program, you already know that the City has already identified thousands of buildings that are vulnerable to structural failure both during and after an earthquake, and that the City had formed its Retrofit Program to help in ensuring that such vulnerable buildings remain safe during and after an earthquake. In previous blogs, we described what a Soft Story retrofit project looks like, and how you can hire a structural or soil engineer, as well as a construction firm for your retrofit project. In this new blog, we discuss the important function of the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (“LADBS”), which administers compliance with the City’s Soft Story Retrofit Program.
When is a LADBS permit required
The City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety is the City government entity responsible for issuing construction permits, including Soft Story, foundation replacement , foundation bolting, Earthquake Bolt & Brace (“EBB”), retaining walls, caisson, plumbing, electrical, elevator, heating, and air-conditioning permits. Both homeowners and commercial property owners seeking to construct, repair, or alter buildings within the City of Los Angeles, may be required to obtain a permit from the LADBS!
How do I schedule an inspection at LADBS
The LADBS enforces the City of Los Angeles’ applicable ordinances and land use regulations, and after obtaining a permit and beginning construction work, the LADBS also requires that inspections take place before any work is covered or concealed. Any such permitted work will not be approved by the LADBS until it has been inspected and approved by the LADBS’ inspection staff. If you need to schedule an inspection at the LADBS, it’s actually a pretty simple matter that you can accomplish online or by calling the LADBS directly.
What is the mandatory Soft Story retrofit program Los Angeles and LADBS’ role in the Program
If you are wondering what the LADBS has to do with the City’s Soft Story Retrofit Program, it is worth noting that the LADBS is responsible for ensuring compliance with the mandatory retrofit program, which requires the owners and/or landlords of such buildings to comply with City Ordinances 183893 and 184081 and retrofit these properties within a specific timeframe.
The goal of the City’s mandatory retrofit program is to reduce the structural deficiencies of specifically identified buildings in an economical way. Those buildings that were deemed most vulnerable have the following attributes:
- Consist of two or more stories of wood frame construction
- Built under code standards enacted before January 1, 1978 and
- Contain ground floor parking or other similar open floor spaces.
Note that the retrofit program does not apply to residential buildings with three or fewer units. To verify if your building is within the scope of the Program, you can refer to the LADBS Permit & Inspection Report.
For general information, the LADBS Internet website is an excellent resource where you can apply for permits, submit plans, schedule an inspection, check permit status, and much, much more. The LADBS also publishes a “LADBS Home Owners Guide” which is a useful document that provides valuable information about the process of obtaining permits and inspections.
The Los Angeles Soft Story retrofit professionals at Weinstein Construction are very experienced in working with the paperwork requirements of the LADBS and the HCIDLA. If you’d like to schedule a free, no-obligation inspection of your Soft Story structure, call us at (888) 412-8363. Be prepared and have peace of mind when the next “Big One” hits!
