Why should I hire an expert to pull my A-Permit in Los Angeles, when the city offers its own website? You may ask.
Well…
Have you ever tried to get yourself through a corn maze? If solving puzzles is your jam, then by all means, go get that A-Permit yourself. However, if you want to save yourself time, hassles and a good amount of frustration, hire an expert permit expeditor
Why do I need an A-Permit in Los Angeles?
The city of Los Angeles requires an A-Permit on any construction project that is going to impact the public’s right of way. Not sure what the city means by “the public right-of-way?” It’s anywhere a pedestrian or traffic would be:
If your construction project lands in any of those areas, you will need to get an A-Permit from the city’s Bureau of Engineering before you can start work. An A-Permit covers a wide array of projects including:
- 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
Mainly, A-Permits are limited to work that will not change an established flowline of a gutter or change the existing grade of a sidewalk or street. The list above is not an exhaustive list. Other types of projects may also need an A-Permit.
How much does an A-Permit cost?
The price starts at $375. For $375, you pay for a basic A-Permit. Trust me, though, your permit is not going to cost that amount. You pay for the scope of work. The bigger the project, the higher the fee. Add to that the inspections, which you also pay for.
And…it may turn out that you need other permits. Do you need to work on city trees? That’s a different permit and another inspector. Connecting your curb drains to the city’s drainage system? That’s another permit and special inspector.
You can find the city’s list of permit fees here.
What if city trees damaged my sidewalk?
Yeah, sorry. You are still liable for that sidewalk, even if a city-owned tree damaged the sidewalk.
But! Here’s a small positive. If a city-owned tree has damaged your sidewalk, you do NOT need to pay a permit fee for an A-Permit. You will have to submit a picture to the city to prove that their tree damaged your sidewalk.
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On the negative, you do need to get another permit to completely repair the damage done by the tree. To prevent tree roots from damaging your brand new sidewalk, the existing tree roots must be trimmed or the tree replaced. So, before you trim the tree roots, you will need a Street Tree permit, which is issued by the Bureau of Street Services. You get this permit AFTER you obtain an A-Permit.
As you can probably tell, this is why property owners call a professional to pull their permits.
Why you should hire an expeditor to get an A-Permit
As you can see, pulling an A-Permit can become more complex than escaping the minotaur’s labyrinth.
A-Permits are probably one of the more common permits to pull for minor construction projects in Los Angeles. Because they are so common and cover just minor construction, A-Permits can take as little as 1-3 days to pull. This doesn’t mean that the application process is easy. The city provides an entire 6-page document enumerating the necessary information needed to apply for an A-Permit.
A permit-expeditor has extensive knowledge and experience in applying for A-Permits. Instead of slogging through the city’s document with all its technical jargon, just hire a permit expeditor.
A professional permit expeditor already knows all the information the city requires and will work with your contractor to ensure that the plans and specifications are up to code. A permit expeditor also will check in with the city’s Bureau of Engineering to make sure that your application doesn’t get lost in their sea of paperwork.
Need Help With Your A-Permit Project?
A-Permit.com handles the entire permit process — from application to BOE inspection.