INFORMATION BULLETIN / PUBLIC – GENERAL INFORMATION REFERENCE NO.: LABC 108.5

The City of Los Angeles has enacted several ordinances which contain a provision which exempts a project from compliance to the provisions of the ordinance, provided development pursuant to a valid building permit is “commenced” or is “under construction” by a specific date. These ordinances fail to provide a definition of what “commenced construction” or “under construction” means. In order to provide a uniform enforcement policy, the Department of Building and Safety will interpret the terms “commenced construction,” “under construction,” “started construction” or similar phrases to mean that construction pursuant to a valid building permit has progressed to the point that one of the called inspections required by Section 108.5 of the Los Angeles Building Code has been made and all the work for which the inspection has been called is approved by the Department.