Quick answer: When LADBS issues plan-check corrections, have the responsible design professionals address each comment, coordinate the revised drawings and supporting documents, and follow the assigned reviewer’s verification process. Plan approval, required clearances and permit issuance are separate milestones. Confirm the permit has been issued before starting work that requires it.
This guide concerns residential projects within the City of Los Angeles. A Los Angeles mailing address does not by itself establish the reviewing jurisdiction. Confirm the responsible agency before relying on a city-specific application process.
What happens during LADBS plan check?
LADBS describes a sequence of plan submission, review and corrections, applicant revisions, verification and permit issuance. Other approvals may be needed for the particular project. Inspections remain a separate construction-stage responsibility; plan approval does not replace them. See the official LADBS permit-process overview.
How to respond to a correction list
LADBS instructs applicants to respond to each correction, revise the plans and coordinate verification with the plan checker. Use the instructions attached to your application, since electronic and in-person workflows can differ. The department’s plan-check FAQs explain this correction-and-verification step.
A practical response log can keep the team working from the same information. The following is a coordination aid, not an LADBS form or a substitute for the reviewer’s instructions.
| Track | Record |
|---|---|
| Reviewer comment | The exact correction number and requested clarification. |
| Responsible person | Who will prepare or coordinate the response. |
| Drawing or document | The affected sheet, calculation, report or clearance. |
| Response | What changed and where the reviewer can find it. |
| Status | Open, revised, submitted or verified, with the date. |
Coordination checks before resubmitting
Use the actual correction list to set priorities. These are useful preparation questions, rather than a statistical ranking of LADBS rejection reasons:
- Do the architectural drawings and engineering documents describe the same proposed work?
- Does each response identify the revised sheet or supporting document?
- Have changes affecting other disciplines been shared with the relevant professionals?
- Are the required agency clearances being tracked separately?
- Is everyone using the same dated drawing set?
- Have owner selections or scope changes been resolved before the next submission?
Check electronic-submission requirements
ePlanLA supports electronic application and plan-review workflows. Its published instructions address PDF drawings, sheet identification, the cover-page index and space for approval stamps. Check the current instructions for your submission route rather than relying on an old upload checklist. See the LADBS ePlanLA FAQs.
Why a review date is not a construction start date
LADBS says assignment timing varies with workload. Its published workflow also distinguishes review from issuance. Ask your team to identify the next outstanding action rather than treating a preliminary review estimate as an issued permit.
Keep separate milestones for the next submission, reviewer verification, remaining agency actions, issuance paperwork and construction readiness. Procurement, site access and owner decisions should also be discussed when planning the work. These are scheduling considerations, not promises that a particular application will finish within a set number of days.
What does Ready to Issue mean?
LADBS describes RTI as the stage at which plans and required clearances have been approved. Permit issuance still involves the applicable documents, signatures and payment process. Follow the instructions for your application and confirm issuance rather than treating an RTI label alone as authorization to start. The LADBS step-by-step guide explains this distinction.
Questions to ask before the next submission
- Which correction items remain open, and who owns each one?
- Do revisions change the proposed construction scope or budget assumptions?
- Which separate approvals remain outstanding?
- What documents will be needed at issuance?
- What must happen before a start date can be confirmed?
Related Los Angeles planning guides
For an ADU-specific overview, read our Los Angeles ADU permit guide. For a ground-up home, explore our Los Angeles new construction services. Compare responsibilities and exclusions with our home improvement contract checklist. For a construction consultation, contact Cali Builders with the property city, proposed scope and current review stage.
Reviewed November 2, 2026. General planning information; the assigned agencies and design professionals determine project-specific requirements. This article does not guarantee approval, timing or fees.