Mayor Garcetti Announces Easier Access for Building and Safety Customers With Expanded Same-Day Plan Checks and New Mobile App

WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 10, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced the official launch of expanded, same-day, walk-in plan check services for small building projects, a program that enhances convenience and improves turnaround time for customers at the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Through the Expanded Counter Plan Check (ECPC) program, engineers are now available for walk-in, face-to-face plan checks for small building and development projects, cutting review times from 25 days to just a single day.

The Mayor also celebrated the continued success of the LADBS Go mobile app, which offers customers easy access to the department’s most-requested services from their smartphones. Launched just three weeks ago, the application has already been downloaded more than 1,100 times and received more than 30,000 page views.

Both of these programs illustrate the Mayor’s commitment to improving customer service at City Hall for all Angelenos and making City government more business-friendly.

“Offering better service to Angelenos while being efficient with City resources is what my ‘back to basics’ approach is all about,” Mayor Garcetti said. “I’m proud of the Department of Building and Safety for continuing to innovate in ways that make it easier to live and do business in Los Angeles.”

Expanded Counter Plan Check allows for modest projects — like multi-floor tenant improvements, medium-sized home additions and others — to be reviewed on the same day instead of waiting weeks with larger projects.

Since the program’s pilot launch in May, 27% of all plans have been submitted through ECPC and more than 1,700 projects have been reviewed. The program is expected to serve an estimated 4,000 projects annually.

As construction continues to boom in Los Angeles, LADBS has seen a steady increase in the number of building plan check jobs filed — and as volume increased, both small and large projects were subjected to processing delays. By prioritizing jobs that require less intensive plan checks, many customers receive service within the same day instead of waiting for weeks, and turnaround time for all projects has decreased.

“Through the Mayor’s leadership, the Department is very excited about expanding its capabilities through cutting-edge, useful, and practical technologies that will save our customers time and money,” said Department of Building and Safety General Manager Raymond Chan.

Also cutting time for busy construction professionals is the LADBS Go app, which features some of the department’s most requested services — including inspection requests, permit information, the reporting of code violations and the locating of Development Services Centers (DSC). LADBS Go also provides exclusive access to real-time DSC counter wait times, helping customers avoid long lines during busy hours.

Mobile devices currently represent nearly 20% of all methods used to request LADBS services. The department expects LADBS Go to increase mobile device access to more than 25% over the next 12 months.

ECPC is offered at LADBS counters in the Downtown, Van Nuys and West L.A. Development Service Centers. Locations and hours can be found at LADBS.org. LADBS Go is available for both iOS® and Android™ devices and is free to download from the App Store and on Google Play™.