What permits are needed for a room addition project?

Mar 31, 2026

In Los Angeles, as in all cities in our region, all home or room addition projects require a building permit, and it starts with a plan. A simple plan with no major openings may not require an engineer, but most of them do. Per your requests and per city building codes, the architect will create a full set of architectural plans and have an engineer do the required calculations to ensure the structure will be safe and sound.

Most plans will include a plot plan with a short description of the project, a detailed plan of the layout, a framing and foundation plan, structural details, and energy-efficient calculations. The plan will pass through different departments until final review is done and all corrections are made. Once the plan is in RTI (Ready to be Issued) phase, the building permit fees can be paid and the building permit can be obtained along with the approved plan. Most general contractors will include this in their bids but not the permit fees themselves.

Note that different projects will have to pass through different departments including special approval from local departments or committees like HPOZ, Coastal, Fire Department, etc.