Public Right-of-Way Permit Services Los Angeles

Anyone who has ever tried to get a building permit in Los Angeles (or any permit for that matter) can tell you…the struggle is real. 

Trying to get a permit for work being done in the public right of way? This is not any simple DIY task. There are no YouTube or Tik Tok videos to walk you through it. No, if you want a permit to get construction done in the public right of way, better to hire a professional than to dive head first into the abyss that is the Los Angeles Code Enforcement. 

What is the public right of way in Los Angeles?

You know that old song that goes, “Nobody walks in LA”? Well, we know that people do walk in Los Angeles. In fact, we walk a lot. And the public right-of-way is all those places where we walk. 

Those include:

• Sidewalks
• Driveway Approaches/Ramps
• Curbs and gutters
• Streets
• Corner ramps

If you are planning on doing any construction work in these areas, you’re going to need an A-Permit. 

What kind of construction is allowed in the public “right-of-way”?

Unless you are a huge developer creating new roads, you will likely need to obtain an A-Permit from the city’s Public Works Department Bureau of Engineering for most of the construction that is completed in the public right-of-way. An A-Permit covers:

• Sidewalk repair
• Installing a new sidewalk
• Installing a new driveway
• Curb and gutter repairs
• Curb drains
• Street resurfacing
• Installing street features such as bike racks, speed bumps, parkways, landscaping, parklets, etc.
• Street tree wells

Whether you are fixing up your sidewalks to avoid a trip hazard lawsuit or you are a developer constructing a new apartment block, you are going to need an A-Permit to complete that work. 

Why do I need a permit for construction in the public right of way in Los Angeles?

Because the city says so. Seriously, though, the city does require a permit and inspections of construction completed in the public right-of-way to ensure that all safety codes (ADA, anyone?) and materials used are uniform to the rest of the right-of-way and will last for decades. 

California state code actually requires property owners to maintain the sidewalks in front of their property, even though it’s in the public’s right-of-way. 

Should I hire a permit expeditor to get my permit for construction in the public right of way?

Short answer, yes. 

Longer answer, still yes.

There are entire Reddit threads and Facebook Groups dedicated to learning how to DIY the permitting process in Los Angeles and the answer is always the same thing – just hire a professional. You can spend hours (nay, days?) of your life searching for the answers as to why the Bureau of Engineering has denied your permit only to find out that you failed to dot an i or cross a t. 

It is far far better to hire someone who specializes in permit services. Professional permit expeditors have a Ph.D in bureaucratic legalese. Well, maybe not a Ph.D, but they are well-versed in the intricacies of city bureaucracy. An expert permitter has completed so many A-Permits, that they know exactly what you need to turn in and how the city expects it to look.

In short, a permit expeditor can get your project approved and signed off before you have even finished reading this article. (Well, maybe not that fast, but much much faster than you could do it by yourself and you’d be saving yourself many headaches.)

Ready to hire a permit expeditor? Give us a call today for a free quote and let us take the hassle out of your public right of way permitting.