Los Angeles has some truly bucolic streets lined with beautiful old trees. But those trees come at a price.
In the early years of Los Angeles, city planners allowed developers to plant fast-growing trees along the sidewalks. Now those decisions are coming back to haunt property owners as the roots tear apart the sidewalks, leading to trip hazards and worse – trip and fall lawsuits.
Who is responsible for sidewalk repairs in Los Angeles?
If you believe the city is going to fix your sidewalk, I have some ocean front property in Nevada to sell you.
The city simply doesn’t have the resources to fix all 11,000 miles of sidewalk that exist. It’s ultimately up to the property owner to take care of the situation. After all, if someone does trip and fall on the sidewalk in front of your property, you are the one who’s going to be facing a lawsuit.
Not only that, but are you thinking of building an ADU on your property? You want that Certificate of Occupancy, right? You’re going to have to fix that sidewalk.
And what about insurance? Insurers are not going to issue any policies to businesses with broken sidewalks.
When it comes to fixing the sidewalk, that’s up to you.
Why do I need an A-Permit to fix my sidewalk in Los Angeles?
Because the city says so.
Seriously, though. To fix your sidewalk, you are going to need to get an A-Permit issued by the Department of Public Works Bureau of Engineering. All day every day, engineers review A-Permit plans to ensure that the conform with city, state and federal building guidelines.
That A-Permit is needed because when you fix your sidewalk, you are doing construction on the public’s right-of-way. Think of the right-of-way as anywhere a pedestrian would be.
An A-Permit covers sidewalk repair, as well as:
- Curb and gutters
- Driveway ramps
- Parklets
- Installing bike racks
- Corner sidewalk ramps
- Tree wells
How much does an A-Permit cost if a tree is damaging my sidewalk?
Ah! The silver lining in this quagmire.
If a city tree has damaged your sidewalk, you do NOT need to pay a permit fee for an A-Permit. The city DOES require a picture of the damaged area, so they can waive the fees.
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.
How do I get an A-Permit to fix my sidewalk in Los Angeles?
As you can probably tell, getting a permit to fix your tree-damaged sidewalk is not a walk in the park.
You can use the city’s portal to apply for a permit. However, most property owners get so frustrated by the process that they end up hiring a permit expeditor to get the work done.
Professional permit expeditors may as well have a doctorate in pulling permits in Los Angeles. They know exactly what city engineers require in the application and blueprints and the expeditor will work with your contractor to ensure that all your ducks are in a line.
Ready to let us pull that permit for you? Give us a call today for a free estimate.
Need Help With Your A-Permit Project?
A-Permit.com handles the entire permit process — from application to BOE inspection.