Los Angeles Municipal Code § 99.01 Administration

(Amended by Ord. No. 186,488, Eff. 12/27/19.)

Title. These regulations shall be known as the Los Angeles Green Building Code and may be cited as such and will be referred to herein as "this Code". The Los Angeles Green Building Code is Article 9 of

Chapter IX of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, and adopts by reference the 2022 California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) (Part 11, Title 24, of the California Code of Regulations (CCR)) except as amended herein. Whenever the word "City" is used, it shall mean the City of Los Angeles. Whenever the word "Department" is used, it shall mean the Department of Building and Safety of the City of Los Angeles. (Amended by Ord. No. 187,719, Eff. 1/23/23.)

Scope. The provisions of this code shall apply to the construction of every new building, every building alteration with a building permit valuation of $200,000 or more, and every building addition, unless

otherwise indicated in this code, throughout the City of Los Angeles. (Amended by Ord. No. 183,149, Eff. 8/20/14.)

EXCEPTION: Roof replacements of any value are subject to LAMC Subsection 99.04.106.5. (Amended by Ord. No. 185,587, Eff. 7/16/18.)

The provisions of this Code shall also apply to residential alterations that increase the building's conditioned volume. Conditioned space is defined as an enclosed space provided with mechanical heating

that has a capacity exceeding 10 Btu/hr-ft2, or is provided with mechanical cooling that has a capacity exceeding 5 Btu/hr-ft2. (Added by Ord. No. 182,849, Eff. 1/3/14.)

Referenced Codes and Standards. The codes and standards referenced elsewhere in this Code, as amended by the City of Los Angeles, shall be considered part of the requirements of this Code to the

prescribed extent of each such reference.

Alternate Materials, Designs and Methods Of Construction. The provisions of this code are not intended to prevent the use of any alternate material, appliance, installation, device, arrangement, method,

design or method of construction not specifically prescribed by this code, provided that any such alternative has been approved. An alternate shall be approved on a case-by-case basis where the Department finds that the proposed alternate is satisfactory and complies with the intent of the provisions of this code and is at least the equivalent of that prescribed in this code in planning and design, energy, water, material resource conservation and efficiency, environmental air quality, performance, safety and the protection of life and health.

(Amended by Ord. No. 186,488, Eff. 12/27/19.)

Information on Construction Documents. (Amended by Ord. No. 185,587, Eff. 7/16/18.) Construction documents shall be of sufficient clarity to indicate the location, nature and scope of the proposed

green building feature and show that it will conform to the provisions of this Code, the LAMC and other relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations as determined by the Department. The construction document and other data submitted to the Department for checking shall be drawn with ink or indelible pencil, or shall be made by a reproducible process approved by the Department.

Stamped Plans on Job. The stamped set of construction documents and other data shall be kept at the site of the construction work and shall be available to the authorized representative of the Department.

There shall be no deviation from the stamped or approved application, construction document, or other data without the Department’s approval.

Validity of Permit. The issuance of a permit is not an approval or an authorization of the work specified therein. A permit is merely an application for inspection, the issuance of which entitles the permittee to

inspection of the work which is described therein.

Permits issued under the requirements of this code shall not relieve the owner of responsibility for securing required permits for work to be done which is regulated by any other code, department or division of the City of Los Angeles.

All permits are issued subject to the following conditions:

If the work described by a valid permit is prohibited by a change in the Los Angeles Municipal Code, then such work may be completed only if the Department determined that both substantial liabilities have been incurred, and substantial work has been performed on site, in accordance with the terms of that permit. Work performed and liabilities incurred pursuant to a demolition or relocation permit shall not be considered in determining whether an owner may complete a building or structure for which a building permit has been issued.

Validity of Other Laws. Neither the issuance of a permit nor the approval by the Department of any document shall constitute an approval of any violation of any provision of this code or of any other law or

ordinance, and a permit or other document purporting to give authority to violate any law shall not be valid with respect thereto.

Making False Statements to the Department. Any person who willfully or knowingly, with the intent to deceive, makes a false statement or representation, or knowingly fails to disclose a material fact in

any documentation required by the Department, including any oral or written evidence presented, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Plan Check and Permit Fee. (Amended by Ord. No. 185,587, Eff. 7/16/18.) A fee equal to 10% of the plan check and permit fee shall be assessed to verify compliance with the mandatory measures of this

Code for projects subject to this Code. This fee shall be assessed on all building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and grading applications.

EXCEPTIONS: A fee shall not be assessed on grading plan check applications.

Tier 1 and Tier 2 Fee. (Amended by Ord. No. 185,587, Eff. 7/16/18.) When Tier 1 or Tier 2 measures (Tier 1 or Tier 2) per CALGreen Subsections A4.601.4, A4.601.5 or Section A5.601 are requested to

be verified, an additional fee equal to 5% of the plan check and permit fee shall be assessed.

General. (Amended by Ord. No. 185,587, Eff. 7/16/18.) The powers of the Department are enumerated in LAMC Section 98.0403.1.

The Superintendent of Building shall have the duty to render interpretations of this Code and to adopt and enforce rules and supplemental regulations to clarify the application of its provisions. These interpretations, rules and regulations shall be in conformance with the intent and purpose of this Code.

Authority to Require Exposure of Work. (Amended by Ord. No. 185,587, Eff. 7/16/18.) Whenever any work required by this Code is covered and concealed by additional work without first having been

inspected, the work shall be exposed for examination upon written notice by the Department. The work of exposing and recovering shall not entail expense to the City.

Authority to Stop Work. Whenever any construction work is being done contrary to the provision of any law or ordinance enforced by the Department, the Department shall have the authority to issue a

written notice to the responsible party to stop work on that portion of the work on which the violation has occurred. The notice shall state that the nature of the violation and no work shall be done on that portion until violation has been rectified and approval obtained by the Department.

Modifications. (Amended by Ord. No. 185,587, Eff. 7/16/18.) The Department shall have the power to hear and act upon requests for slight modification in individual cases to the green building ordinances

of the City, and regulations under Article 9, Chapter IX of the LAMC.

In granting a request for a slight modification, the Department shall determine that the slight modification is reasonably equivalent to the code requirement involved, that a special individual reason makes the strict letter of the code impractical and the slight modification is in conformity with the spirit and purpose of the code or codes involved.