Around the Corner

A Short but Impactful Month for Permitting in LA

LA County launched an "Opt-Out Permit" for property owners affected by wildfires who prefer to hire private contractors for debris removal instead of participating in the government-run program.

LA City Council unanimously adopted a motion to develop a citywide self-certification permitting program. The program may allow registered industry professionals to bypass the normal plan review process and obtain permits in one to five business days.

Looking for permits related to wildfire recovery? Find newly filed permits in Pacific Palisades using ATC’s keyword search. Simply enter "2025 wildfire project" under City of LA and Permit case type to track rebuilding efforts and stay informed.

February in Review 

City of LA Applications:

• Executive Directive 1 (ED1): 17 ADM (+13 Pre-Application Reviews, or PAR)

• Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC): 7 applications and pre-application reviews (2 appeals)

• Appeals: 7

  • Appeal from CREED LA against the redevelopment and expansion of an existing office campus on a six-acre site at 2042 7th St, calling for a full EIR process

• Conditional-Use Beverage (CUB) Permits: 4

  • Restaurant Beverage Program (RBP) Clearances: 0

2025 Wildfire Projects

Find newly filed permits in the Pacific Palisades with ATC’s keyword search. Simply enter "2025 wildfire project" under City of LA and Permit case type to see all permits related to rebuilding properties affected by the fires. Recent examples:

• 1015 Embury St, 25010-10000-00785: ** 2025 wildfire project ** new detached ADU (manufactured home)

• 1011 Hartzell St, 25014-30000-00786: ** 2025 wildfire project ** rebuild 2-story type vb SFD with attached 2-car garage, equipped throughout with NFPA 13d fire sprinklers

• 14801 Pampas Ricas Blvd, 25010-10000-00797: ** 2025 wildfire project ** Hernand House rebuild project, construction of a new 2-story over basement single family residence and accessory living quarters. fully sprinklered

• 2668 Muskingum Ave, 25014-10000-00622: 2025 wildfire project (not eligible project per mayor r.o.) fire damage repair of existing 1-story SGD with attached 2-car basement garage. ground floor, 2nd story, and patio cover addition to existing SFD

• 407 Via De La Paz, 25019-10000-00706: ** 2025 wildfire project ** complete demolition of 45'-4" x 30'-2" by 10'-0" feet deep basement foundation and complete demolition of 12'-0' x 28'-0" pool.  PC engineer to create a separate backfill permit for pool and basement

Highlighted Applications

City of LA

• 10874 Art St, DIR-2025-799-SPPC: Remodel existing 702 sf SFD; convert existing 512.7 sf attached garage to part of SFD; construct new 452.3 sf addition to SFD, new 788 sf open trellis, new 1196.86 sf detached ADU, and new 686 sf detached garage

• 519 N Soto St, ADM-2025-804-CLR: New 3 story building, to include 8 units

• 2161 Colorado Blvd, APCE-2025-816-SPPE-SPPC-DRB: Specific plan project compliance with design review board and specific plan project exception for the installation of three wireless telecommunications facilities antennas

• 17510 W Willow Glen Rd, DIR-2025-997-SPPC-DRB-MSP-HCA: New 3-story 2,698 sf SFD with attached 634 sf ADU and attached 2 car garage and 2 open to the sky parking spaces; two new 10' retaining walls; and a new swimming pool

• 1158 W 37Th Pl, DIR-2025-989-DB-VHCA: Demo one SFD to construct a new Multifamily 6-story building with 7 units (1 VL) & 1 ADU using 3 Off Menu incentives & Waiver of Dev In the SLACPIO & RD2 zone

• 9000 Hopen Pl, ENV-2025-878-EAF: Class 32 being requested for a haul route for a project that includes 3,148 cubic yards of grading and a haul route for the export of 2,730 cubic yards of earth

City of Santa Monica

• 1417 Ocean Park Blvd, 25PRE-0001: Pre-submittal review application for a proposed detached 8 unit ADU over an existing garage located at the rear of the subject property. There is an existing 12 apartment building located at the front portion of the property. According to SB 1211, up to 8 detached ADUs are permitted on the site.

• 1320 Pico Blvd, 25ENT-0031: Administrative Approval for a new 91,684 sF residential buildings consisting of an 8-story and 4-story apartment buildings with 100 residential units all over one subterranean garage with 78 parking spaces. The project is a Tier 1 using 50% Density Bonus per Ordinance No. 2699 and 50% additional Density Bonus per AB1287. Vehicle parking is provided per AB2097.

Week Ahead

March 5 | West LA Area Planning Commission

• 2419 South Ocean Front Walk APCW-2021-4850-CDP-SPE-SPP-ZAA-F: A 299 sf addition to an existing 3,833 sf, three-story, multi-family residential structure with a mezzanine, a new 844 sf roof deck, and over-in-height fences and gates resulting in a 4,132 sf, four-story duplex with two guest rooms with a roof deck, an eight-foot-tall perimeter fence, and a 13-foot-tall entryway arbor. Recommendation Report.

• Required public hearing and a Project Permit Compliance Review since located within the North Venice Subarea of the Venice Coastal Zone Specific Plan

• Requires a Coastal Development Permit for a Project located in the Dual Permit Jurisdiction of the Coastal Zone

• Requests a Zoning Administrator's Adjustments to allow:

  • a. Side yard setbacks of three feet, in lieu of five feet as otherwise required by Section 12.09.1 B.2 of the LAMC;

  • b. An enclosure over a portion of the southerly side yard, in lieu of a side yard open to the sky, as otherwise required by Section 12.21 C.1(g) of the LAMC;

  • c. A southerly side yard fence entryway arbor providing a maximum height of 13 feet, in lieu of six feet, as otherwise required by Section 12.22 C.20(f) of the LAMC; and

  • d. A roof deck guardrail at the perimeter wall, in lieu of a five-foot setback, as otherwise required by Section 12.21.1 B.3(a) of the LAMC.

• Requests a Zoning Administrator's Determination regarding fences to allow:

  • a. A rear yard fence/gate providing a maximum height of eight feet, in lieu of six feet, as otherwise required by Section 12.22 C.20(f) of the LAMC; and

  • b. A northerly side yard fence providing a maximum height of eight feet, in lieu of six feet, as otherwise required by Section 12.22 C.20(f) of the LAMC.