What's Required in Los Angeles
- Non-structural bathroom remodels are express building permits with no plan check; wall or opening changes require plan check at 90% of the permit fee
- Work valued at $2,500 or less, and painting or similar finish work, is exempt from a building permit (LAMC 91.106.2)
- Building permit fee is valuation-based: $250.40 at $10,000, $465.98 at $25,000 per the LADBS calculator
- Plumbing permit per fixture ($10 replaced, $23 new, $10 waste and vent alteration) with a $90 minimum for two or more items plus issuing fee and surcharges
- Electrical permit for new circuits and devices is express up to 400 amps; about $107.91 for two circuits and four devices
- Bathroom exhaust fan needs an HVAC permit, $65.95 total
- Gas water heater replacement needs its own plumbing permit and seismic strapping
- Homeowners may pull all e-permit types; trade permits in the owner's name require 12 months of residence
- Retrofits by valuation: low-flow fixtures over $2,500; detectors in pre-1980 homes over $1,000; glazing and gas shutoff valve at $10,000 or more
Do You Need a Permit to Remodel a Bathroom in Los Angeles?
Yes once the job is worth more than $2,500, and no plan check is involved unless you change the structure. The Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) lists kitchen/bathroom remodel for residential buildings (no structural changes) as an Express Permit, bought online through PermitLA or at a counter by appointment. The plumbing side is express too: replacing fixtures, adding fixtures, replacing a water heater and altering or repairing waste and vent lines are all on the list, as are rewiring or adding devices on existing circuits and bathroom exhaust ventilation. Under LAMC 91.106.2 the only bathroom work with no building permit at all is a job valued at $2,500 or less that does not affect structural stability, plus painting, papering and similar finish work. Moving a wall, enlarging a window or adding floor area takes the project to plan check.
Los Angeles Bathroom Remodel Permits by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Paint, tile, vanity swap; total value $2,500 or less | None | LAMC 91.106.2 items 1 and 4 |
| Full cosmetic remodel, same layout, value over $2,500 | Express building permit | Express Permits IB P/GI 2026-003, building item 2 |
| Replacing the toilet, tub or lavatory in place | Express plumbing permit | $10 per replaced fixture on the plumbing schedule |
| Moving the toilet or adding a second sink or shower | Express plumbing permit (new fixtures) | $23 per new fixture; waste and vent alterations $10 |
| New GFCI circuit, lighting or heated floor | Express electrical permit | Electrical items 1-2; $107.91 for two circuits and four devices |
| New or replaced exhaust fan | Express HVAC permit | $12 bathroom vent line; $65.95 permit total |
| Removing a wall or converting a closet into a bathroom | Building permit with plan check | Structural changes are not express; plan check is 90% of the permit fee |
How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Permit Cost in Los Angeles?
The building permit is priced on the valuation of the whole job, and because the express permit skips plan check, that is the whole building fee. The city's Permit Fee Calculator, run as a one- or two-family alteration, returns $250.40 for a $10,000 remodel, $337.15 for $15,000, $465.98 for $25,000 and $509.02 for $30,000, surcharges included. Trade permits are per item: the calculator prices a bathroom exhaust fan at $65.95 and an electrical permit for two circuits and four devices at $107.91. The LADBS plumbing schedule lists $10 for each replaced fixture and $23 for each new one, with a $90 minimum for two or more items, a $23 issuing fee and 3 percent plus 6 percent surcharges, so replacing a toilet, tub and lavatory comes to roughly $123. A $25,000 bathroom with all three trade permits is therefore about $763 in city fees. Moving a wall adds plan check at 90 percent of the building fee, $214.19 on a $10,000 job. Card payments add 2.7 percent.
Who Can Pull the Permits
LADBS lets homeowners apply for every single-family e-permit type, but the owner-builder declaration that comes with it requires 12 months of residence before you take electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits in your own name. Otherwise the permits go to CSLB-licensed contractors: B for the building permit, C-36 plumbing, C-10 electrical and C-20 for the fan. Unlicensed handymen are limited by state law to jobs under $1,000 that need no permit.
Retrofit Rules Attached to the Permit
LADBS bulletin P/GI 2026-002 adds items by valuation: on any residential permit over $2,500, existing showers need 2.5 gallon-per-minute heads and a new toilet must flush 1.6 gallons or less; in a house built before May 1980 with a permit over $1,000, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; at $10,000 or more, impact-hazard glazing in sliding doors and a seismic or excess-flow gas shutoff valve. A replaced gas water heater needs its own plumbing permit and must be strapped. Inspections are requested a day ahead before 2 PM, rough before the walls close and final when fixtures are in; the permit expires if work has not started within six months.
How to Get a Bathroom Remodel Permit in Los Angeles
Sort the scope
Same layout with no wall or opening changes: express permits. A moved wall or enlarged window: plan check. Value $2,500 or less: no building permit.
Buy the express permits
Apply through PermitLA as the homeowner or contractor for the building permit and the plumbing, electrical and HVAC permits; no plans are needed.
Pay the fees
About $250 for a $10,000 remodel or $466 for $25,000, plus roughly $123 plumbing, $108 electrical and $66 for the fan; 2.7 percent more by card.
Rough inspections
Request a day ahead before 2 PM once drains, supply lines, wiring and the fan duct are in but before tile or drywall cover them.
Final inspection
Fixtures set, fan vented outdoors, low-flow fixtures and any detectors or gas shutoff valve installed where the valuation triggers them.