Title 16 — HIGHWAYS›Division 1 — HIGHWAY PERMITS
Los Angeles County Municipal Code Ch. 16.10 Fees and Charges
Los Angeles County Municipal Code · 2026-09 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · Los Angeles County
Cite as: Los Angeles County Municipal Code Chapter 16.10 · Text as of 2026-10-04
16.10.010 - Issuance fee—Required.¶
All persons, except as otherwise specified in this Division 1, shall pay an issuance fee and all other costs and charges as established for the work covered in this Division 1.
(Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 301, 1940.)
16.10.020 - Issuance fee.¶
Unless otherwise specified in this title, the issuance fee for the reproduction and distribution of each highway permit shall be $214.00. On July 1st of each year, the fee imposed by this section shall be reviewed by the commissioner and the amount of the fee shall be adjusted as follows: Calculate the percentage movement between March of the previous year and March of the current year in the Consumer Price Index ("CPI") for all urban consumers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim areas, as published by the United States Government Bureau of Labor Statistics, adjust the fee by said percentage amount, and round up to the nearest dollar. No adjustment shall increase any fee to an amount more than the amount necessary to recover the reasonable cost of providing the services for which the fee is imposed.
(Ord. 2011-0017 § 2, 2011; Ord. 98-0059 § 1, 1998: Ord. 96-0064 § 1, 1996: Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 304, 1940.)
* Editor's note: Fee changes in this section were made by the director of public works due to increases in the Consumer Price Index and are effective July 1, 2025.
16.10.030 - Deposit of fees and charges.¶
Issuance fees and charges for repairs, inspection or engineering collected under the provisions of this Division 1 shall be deposited in the respective funds from which the corresponding disbursements were made.
(Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 302, 1940.)
16.10.040 - Issuance fee—Agencies exempt from payment.¶
The following shall be exempt from paying the issuance fee: the United States, this state, all departments of this county, any municipal corporation, any school district, and any special district organized under state law.
(Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 303, 1940.)
16.10.050 - Issuance fee—Exemption for county public works.¶
The director of public works may grant a permit without issuance fee if the director finds that the work to be done has been requested by the county in connection with proposed public works.
(Ord. 98-0059 § 2, 1998: Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 305, 1940.)
16.10.060 - Waiver of fees or deposits authorized when.¶
If the director of public works determines that the waiver of any part of the fees is necessary to promote the safety and public welfare the director may in specific instances waive all fees and deposits.
(Ord. 98-0059 § 3, 1998: Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 306, 1940.)
16.10.065 - Waiver of fees—For "neighborhood watch" signs.¶
The permit issuance fee shall be waived for permits issued for the purpose of placing "neighborhood watch" signs at the following locations:
A.
South Whittier. The unincorporated area bounded on the north by the city limit of the city of Whittier, on the east by the county line, on the south by the city of La Mirada and Santa Fe Springs, and on the west by the city limit of Santa Fe Springs;
B.
Walnut Park. The unincorporated area bounded on the north and east by the city limit of Huntington Park, on the west by Alameda Street, and on the south by the city limit of South Gate.
(Ord. 12396 § 1, 1981.)
16.10.070 - Engineering and inspection charges for curb, gutter, sidewalk and highway surface.¶
The director of public works shall not charge for any engineering or inspection on permits for the construction of curbs, gutters, walks and highway surfaces except when the construction of curbs, gutters, walks and highway surfaces is in connection with subdivision activity or is directly for private interests where the public is not benefitted.
(Ord. 98-0059 § 4, 1998: Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 308, 1940.)
16.10.080 - Fee for copy of permit.¶
The fee for each true copy of a permit to the permittee is $.25.
(Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 307, 1940.)
16.10.090 - Fees for inspection and other costs.¶
A.
Subject to Section 16.10.070, each applicant for a highway permit shall pay applicable inspection fees to the commissioner, according to the following schedule:
| 1. General | |
|---|---|
| Pre-inspection site visit | $174 each site visit |
| Inspections during non-business hours (up to 4 hours) | $656 each inspection |
| Additional inspections during non-business hours (over 4 hours) | $165 each hour |
| 2. Construction Inspection | |
| Curb drain | $223 each drain |
| Parkway drain | $917 each drain |
| Residential driveway | $765 each driveway |
| Commercial driveway | $935 each driveway |
| Paving 500 square feet or less | $1,063 |
| Paving greater than 500 square feet | Actual cost |
| Sidewalk and Curb and Gutter | |
| 50 linear feet or less | $588 |
| Greater than 50 linear feet to 250 linear feet | $588 plus $2.89 per linear foot in excess of 50 linear feet |
| Greater than 250 linear feet to 500 linear feet | $1,163 plus $1.96 per linear foot in excess of 250 linear feet |
| Greater than 500 linear feet | Actual cost |
| New Well Construction | |
| Diameter 8" or less, and depth 50 feet or less | $494 each well |
| Diameter greater than 8", or depth greater than 50 feet | Actual cost |
| Well Destruction | |
| Diameter 6" or less and depth 50 feet or less | $1,119 each well |
| Diameter greater than 6" but not exceeding 18", and depth 25 feet or less | $1,282 each well |
| Diameter greater than 6" but not exceeding 18", and depth greater than 25 feet but not exceeding 50 feet | $1,445 each well |
| Diameter greater than 18", or depth greater than 50 feet | Actual cost |
| Pole Removal/ |
$635 each pole |
| 3. Encroachment Inspection | |
| Lane closure/ |
$354 each day |
| Awning (per address) | $424 each address |
| Monitoring of existing wells (allows monitoring for one year) | $733 each year |
| Crane operations (per day) | $549 each day |
| Temporary storage of construction materials (per day) | $353 each day |
| Filming in road right-of-way | $468 each day |
| 4. Excavation Inspection | |
| Utility service cut (1-3 within one block) | $694 each |
| Potholing (including roadway restoration; 1-3 potholes within one traffic control setup not to exceed one block per day) | |
| Depth 10 feet or less | $473 each day |
| Depth exceeding 10 feet | Actual cost |
| Soil borings (including roadway restoration; 1-3 borings within one traffic control setup not to exceed one block per day) | |
| Diameter 6" or less, and depth not exceeding 50 feet | $635 each day |
| Diameter greater than 6" but not exceeding 18", and depth not exceeding 25 feet | $798 each day |
| Diameter greater than 6" but not exceeding 18", and depth greater than 25 feet but not exceeding 50 feet | $957 each day |
| Diameter greater than 18", or depth greater than 50 feet | Actual cost |
| 5. Transportation Inspection | |
| Oversize Extralegal Load inspections (up to 4 hours) | $1,336 each |
| Oversize Extralegal Load inspection (greater than 4 hours) | Actual cost |
An Oversize Extralegal Load is defined as a load with the following dimensions: A height between 18 feet and 20 feet, a width between 16 feet and 22 feet, or a length between 125 feet and 145 feet.
The fees for highway permit inspections not described above or elsewhere in the county code shall be based on the actual cost incurred by the commissioner.
B.
Mainline plan review fees shall be based on the total linear footage as shown on the plans and shall be charged according to the following schedule:
| 0—15,000 linear feet | $419 plus $0.49/linear foot |
|---|---|
| Greater than 15,000 linear feet | Actual cost |
C.
On July 1st of each year, each fee imposed by this section shall be reviewed by the commissioner and the amount of each fee shall be adjusted as follows: Calculate the percentage movement between March of the previous year and March of the current year in the CPI for all urban consumers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim areas, as published by the United States Government Bureau of Labor Statistics, adjust each fee by said percentage amount, and round up to the nearest dollar. No adjustment shall increase any fee to an amount more than the amount necessary to recover the reasonable cost of providing the services for which the fee is imposed.
(Ord. 2011-0032, § 1, 2011: Ord. 2011-0017 § 3, 2011; Ord. 98-0059 § 5, 1998: Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 309, 1940.)
* Editor's note: Fee changes in this section were made by the director of public works due to increases in the Consumer Price Index and are effective July 1, 2025.
16.10.100 - Costs related to permit—Permittee liability.¶
The permittee is liable for and shall pay for all the director of public works' costs related to the permit, including but not restricted to the following:
A.
The permit issuance fee;
B.
The unit fee for highway permit inspection and if none is described, then the actual cost incurred by the director of public works for inspection;
C.
Engineering, which includes design, survey and tests;
D.
The cost of repairing or restoring the highways and all appurtenant facilities to the same or equal condition that they were in before being cut or damaged as a result of the permittee's activities;
E.
The cost of furnishing and/or maintaining any lights, barricades or warning devices;
F.
The cost of alteration, removal, replacement and/or repair to traffic signals and devices, the removal of temporary and/or permanent traffic stripes, and any other expense for traffic control;
G.
The cost of removing or remedying any hazardous condition;
H.
The cost of tree trimming;
I.
Any other cost to the county caused by the permittee's activity.
(Ord. 98-0059 § 6, 1998: Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 310, 1940.)
16.10.110 - Work inspected by governmental agency—No inspection fee or deposit when.¶
The director of public works may issue a permit without any inspection fee or deposit if the permittee furnishes evidence to the director of public works that a qualified governmental agency has inspected the work and determined that the work will comply with minimum standards required by the county.
(Ord. 98-0059 § 7, 1998: Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 314, 1940.)
16.10.120 - Failure of government agency to inspect—County to perform work—Costs.¶
If an applicant receives a permit pursuant to the provisions of Section 16.10.110 and the governmental agency fails to make the inspection or fails to file evidence as required, the director of public works may inspect the work and the permittee shall pay the cost of such inspection to the director of public works.
(Ord. 98-0059 § 8, 1998: Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 315, 1940.)
16.10.130 - Computation of costs.¶
Whenever in the provisions of this Division 1 any costs are to be charged to any permittee and no other method for the calculation of such costs is specified, such costs are the actual costs, including overhead and depreciation, in accordance with current practice in charging for work performed for the public.
(Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 311, 1940.)
16.10.140 - Unauthorized highway work—Rehabilitation by county authorized when—Costs.¶
In order to promote the welfare, well-being and safety of the public traveling along or across any highway, the director of public works may do any work within the highways of whatever nature is required in the director's opinion to reestablish conditions as they existed prior to commencement of work done by any person within the highways and for which a permit has been obtained. The director of public works shall charge the cost of this rehabilitation to the person doing the unauthorized work.
(Ord. 98-0059 § 9, 1998: Ord. 9349 § 1 (part), 1967: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 312, 1940.)
16.10.155 - Fees for permit processing.¶
A.
Permit processing includes, but is not limited to, providing customer service and information, reviewing permit application packages for completeness, permit tracking and retrieval, cashiering, and cost accounting. Each applicant for a highway permit shall pay permit processing fees to the commissioner, according to the following schedule:
| Excavation, construction and encroachment permits | $387 each permit |
|---|---|
| Joint trench excavation permit for each dry utility | $763 each permit |
| Road closure (construction or excavation work) | $545 each permit |
| Banners and pennants | $651 each permit |
| Traffic control plan review | Actual cost ($350.00 minimum) |
Highway permit processing fees not set forth above or elsewhere in the county code shall be based on the actual cost incurred by the commissioner.
B.
Beginning on July 1, 2011, and thereafter on each succeeding July 1st, each fee imposed by this section shall be reviewed by the commissioner and the amount of each fee shall be adjusted as follows: Calculate the percentage movement between March of the previous year and March of the current year in the CPI for all urban consumers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach- Anaheim areas, as published by the United States Government Bureau of Labor Statistics, adjust each fee by said percentage amount, and round up to the nearest dollar. No adjustment shall increase any fee to an amount more than the amount necessary to recover the reasonable cost of providing the services for which the fee is imposed.
(Ord. 2011-0017 § 5, 2011)
* Editor's note: Fee changes in this section were made by the director of public works due to increases in the Consumer Price Index and are effective July 1, 2025.
16.10.160 - Failure to comply with permit conditions—Revocation of privilege—Highway restoration requirements.¶
Whenever a permittee fails to comply with the conditions established for the exercise of a privilege granted under a permit, the director of public works may revoke the privilege. Upon such revocation, the permittee shall immediately restore the highway to the director of public works' satisfaction. If the permittee fails to do so, the director of public works may restore the highway at the expense of the permittee or charge the permittee a fee of $200.00 a day for each day of failure to restore the highway.
(Ord. 98-0059 § 11, 1998: Ord. 11581 § 4, 1977: Ord. 9879 § 2, 1969: Ord. 3597 Ch. 3 § 316, 1940.)
16.10.170 - Suspension or revocation.¶
The commissioner may, in writing, suspend or revoke a highway permit whenever the commissioner determines that the permit was issued in error, or on the basis of incorrect information, or that the permit is in violation of any provision of this code.
(Ord. 2011-0017 § 6, 2011)
16.10.180 - Investigation fee for work without permit.¶
In addition to being subject to any and all penalties prescribed by law, including under this code, any person failing to obtain a highway permit as required by Section 16.06.010 of this code shall pay the commissioner an investigation fee in the amount determined by the commissioner to be necessary to recover all costs incurred in investigating the failure to obtain a highway permit. The commissioner shall have the discretion to waive the investigation fee in instances when the commissioner determines that the work performed without a permit was performed as a result of an emergency or urgent circumstances which precluded timely application for a highway permit, provided that an application for a highway permit is filed as soon as possible following the commencement of the unpermitted work and all of the requirements for a highway permit are met. This section shall not be construed to authorize any work that requires a highway permit to be performed without a highway permit.
(Ord. 2011-0017 § 7, 2011)
16.10.190 - Temporary fee reduction.¶
The fees set forth in sections 16.10.020, 16.10.090, 16.10.155, and 16.27.050 shall be subject to a twenty percent (20%) reduction as applicable for projects involving one single family residence or one structure with a building footprint of ten thousand (10,000) square feet or less. This reduction shall be applied to eligible fees charged through and including April 26, 2014, after which time the reduction shall cease and no further reduction shall be applied.
(Ord. 2011-0032 § 2, 2011: Ord. 2011-0017 § 8, 2011)
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