From plan-set preparation to correction response, IBA Builders manages every permit phase. CSLB License #1074505. You don’t interpret a single line of city correspondence.
CSLB License #1074505
Itamar Assulin on every project
Valley · Westside · South Bay
IBA Builders prepares, submits, and tracks your ADU permit application through LADBS from start to finish.
Getting an ADU permit in Los Angeles is not a single form and a fee. It is a multi-stage process involving architectural drawings, a Title 24 energy compliance report, and a full site plan submission to LADBS — the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, which reviews all ADU applications, issues permits, and schedules inspections.
The thing most homeowners don’t realize is they don’t have to be the one managing it. IBA Builders holds CSLB License #1074505 — the California credential that legally authorizes us to act as permit applicant and general contractor on your project. We pull the permits. We handle the paperwork. Learn more about our CSLB licensed contractor managing your ADU permit. For a deeper look at timing factors outside anyone’s control, see our guide on why ADU permits take longer than expected.
Incomplete packages aren’t reviewed — they’re returned, and the 60-day state review clock resets. We submit complete sets so the first review is as clean as possible.
Floor plans, elevations, and cross-sections showing room dimensions, ceiling heights, window and door placements, and the unit’s relationship to the primary dwelling and property lines.
Scaled drawing of the entire lot showing the ADU location, setback distances from all property lines, the primary structure, driveway, and existing accessory structures.
Separate engineering document analyzing insulation, windows, HVAC, and lighting against California’s current energy code. Required for every new dwelling unit.
Engineering-stamped calculations confirming foundation design, roof framing, and shear wall placement meet structural code — separate from architectural drawings.
Required on hillside lots and some flat lots where LADBS identifies soil conditions that affect foundation design. Drives the structural drawings.
Documentation confirming the property has active water and sewer connections. Required before LADBS accepts the application.
Architectural drawings, structural calculations, Title 24 report, and site plan coordinated into a single consistent package. You don’t interact with design or engineering consultants directly.
Submitted through the LADBS online portal or over-the-counter (OTC) at a district office for qualifying simpler ADUs. The 60-day state review clock starts when LADBS accepts the application as complete.
An LADBS engineer reviews the plans. Most projects receive at least one correction notice — we review, coordinate revisions, and resubmit within the response window. No queue resets.
Foundation, framing, rough-in MEP, insulation, final — each inspection scheduled and passed before the next phase. Ending with the Certificate of Occupancy.
City-of-LA properties route through the LADBS portal — West LA, Silver Lake, Palms, Van Nuys, North Hollywood, East Hollywood, and the rest of the incorporated city. Unincorporated county areas — Altadena, East Los Angeles, Hacienda Heights — route through LA County Public Works Building & Safety, a separate authority with its own fee schedule, portal, and correction format. We identify the correct jurisdiction before preparing any package, and confirm zoning fit using our guide to LA zoning rules before submitting your permit.
In California, only a licensed contractor can legally act as the permit applicant on a construction project. IBA Builders holds CSLB License #1074505 — active, publicly verifiable at cslb.ca.gov — and pulls the permit as the contractor of record. The liability for permit compliance is ours, not yours.
“I’ve seen this happen on projects where permit coordination lacked a clear checklist. A homeowner submits what they believe is a complete application. LADBS issues an incompleteness determination — not a correction notice, but a rejection of the submission itself. The 60-day state review clock doesn’t begin until LADBS deems the package complete. That rejection means the timeline resets entirely.”
— ITAMAR ASSULIN, OWNER, IBA BUILDERS
The alternative is an owner-builder permit — a permit pulled by the homeowner instead of a licensed contractor. It’s legal in California, but consequential: the homeowner waives certain consumer protections under state law and takes on personal legal responsibility for code compliance. If you’re also planning around budget, see what an ADU project costs in Los Angeles, or our breakdown of what the LADBS permit process actually involves.
Once LADBS deems the application complete, California state law gives them up to 60 days to act on a standard residential ADU. That clock doesn’t start until the package is accepted as complete — one reason incomplete submittals are so costly. Most projects also go through at least one correction cycle. From submittal to permit in hand, the typical range is 6–14 weeks, depending on plan check volume at the assigned district office and the correction response speed. See why ADU permits take longer than expected for the timing factors no one controls.
A correction notice is a written list of errors or missing items in your submitted plans. It’s not a denial — it’s a request to revise specific elements and resubmit. The applicant has a defined response window. Letting that window lapse pushes the application back to the general queue. Most ADU projects go through at least one correction cycle as a normal part of the process.
No. IBA Builders is the contractor of record on your permit application. We submit, monitor correction status, respond within the response window, and schedule every inspection. You don’t log into the LADBS portal, interpret plan check language, or track submission status. We provide plain-language summaries of what’s happening and what’s next.
An owner-builder permit is legal in California, but the homeowner waives certain consumer protections under state law and takes on personal legal liability for code compliance. If work fails inspection or causes a future problem, the liability sits with the homeowner. When IBA pulls the permit under CSLB License #1074505, we are the contractor of record — the liability for permit compliance is ours, not yours.
Some simpler ADU types — standard garage conversions and JADUs are the most common — can qualify for OTC review, where a plan check engineer reviews and approves drawings in a single visit instead of placing them in the standard multi-week queue. Eligibility depends on the project scope and the specific district office. We evaluate OTC fit at the scope review stage and choose the submittal path that actually applies.
The first conversation is a scope review — no plans required, no commitment asked. We’ll identify the permit path for your project and tell you exactly what the process looks like on your lot. If you’re also evaluating the build itself, see our full ADU construction services in Los Angeles.
