COUNCIL ADOPTS MOTION TO DEVELOP SELF-CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES

For Immediate Release: February 5, 2025

Los Angeles, CA – Today, the Los Angeles City Council adopted a motion introduced by  Councilmember Nithya Raman to develop a Citywide self-certification program to speed up the production of housing. Self-certification programs allow registered industry professionals to bypass the normal plan review process and obtain permits in one to five business days, significantly shortening current wait times for approval. In cities like New York and San Diego, these programs have proven successful at streamlining the project approval process without reducing a building’s integrity and still adhering to health and safety requirements. Councilmember Raman’s legislation seeks to create a self-certification program for the City of Los Angeles in order to expedite the issuance of building permits for relatively simple projects such as single-family home construction.

The City of Los Angeles was already facing a housing production challenge and affordability crisis prior to the recent wildfires that have devastated the region. Currently, it can take months – in some cases years – for the Department of City Planning to approve building permits no matter the size, scope, or complexity of a project. One way cities have sought to address this issue is through self-certification programs which allow registered industry professionals to take over some of the rote work being done by city staff, leaving these departments free to address more complex projects that require additional oversight. These programs are only available to state-licensed architects and engineers with multiple years of experience who agree to accept full responsibility in ensuring a proposed project’s architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, energy, and accessibility requirements are compliant with all relevant state and local building and zoning codes, rules, and regulations.

“It is no secret that Los Angeles was already facing a historic housing shortage prior to the devastating fires, and it is certainly no secret that getting a permit approved for construction takes an exasperatingly long time – in extreme cases, as long as 800 days,” said Councilmember Raman. “Right now about half of the Planning Department’s work is tied up in permit approvals for relatively simple projects. Creating a self-certification program will remove bureaucratic barriers to obtaining permits and drastically speed up construction, helping us build the housing we so desperately need here in Los Angeles now more than ever.”

Councilmember Raman’s legislation, amended by Councilmember Blumenfield, directs the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, the Department of City Planning and the Department of Water and Power, with the assistance of any other relevant departments, to report to Council within 30 days with options for a Citywide self-certification program for licensed architects, landscape architects, engineers or similar licensed professionals, to directly or indirectly expedite permits for residential, commercial, and mixed-use development. The report should study existing programs, including from the City and County of San Diego, City of Bellflower, and the City of New York, among others.

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