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General building work permit checklist — Los Angeles County, California
Assembled from Los Angeles County’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.
Do you need a permit?
Los Angeles County requires a permit for general building work.
County Code Title 26 Section 106.3 lists the work you can do without a building permit. Detached one-story accessory buildings are exempt only if the gross floor area stays at or under 120 square feet and the height stays at or under 12 feet. Decks, walks and driveways are exempt when no more than 30 inches above the adjacent grade. Fences are exempt only up to 6 feet (the County is stricter here than the 7-foot State default). Retaining walls are exempt up to 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing, unless the wall supports a surcharge. Prefabricated pools under 18 inches deep or under 5,000 gallons installed above grade, canopies and awnings projecting 54 inches or less, flagpoles to 15 feet, playground equipment to 12 feet, and cosmetic finish work (paint, paper, tile, carpet, cabinets, countertops) are also listed. An exemption from the building permit does not waive a separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit, and it does not waive zoning, hillside grading, Fire Hazard Severity Zone / WUI construction standards, Coastal Zone review in unincorporated coastal areas, or flood-hazard requirements, all of which still apply and are the usual reason a nominally exempt project still needs County sign-off.
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Sources
- building — permit rules ↗verified August 2026
Other permits Los Angeles County publishes rules for
Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.
- Deck permit checklist
- Fence permit checklist
- Shed permit checklist
- Water heater permit checklist
- Re-roof permit checklist
- Retaining wall permit checklist
- Electrical work permit checklist
BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with Los Angeles County before you build.