Industry Input Helps Drive LA Permitting Reform Directive

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has issued a new Executive Directive to streamline permitting across the City, including changes that impact commercial real estate.

This matters for our members because it reflects the exact issues we raised with the Mayor’s Office and LADBS, showing that our voices are being heard and helping shape what comes next.

What You Need to Know

This week Mayor Bass signed Executive Directive No. 19: Development Services Streamlining and Modernization, a sweeping effort to improve how the City reviews and processes development applications.

The directive focuses on three key areas:

1. Technology Upgrades

• Introduction of AI-assisted pre-plan check tools to identify issues before formal submission.
• Expansion of simultaneous electronic plan review, allowing multiple departments to review plans at the same time instead of sequentially.
• Increased use of virtual inspections to reduce scheduling delays.

2. Process Improvements

• Expansion of online permitting for more project types.
• Launch of a citywide tenant improvement self-certification pilot program for qualifying commercial projects.
• Efforts to reduce redundant permit clearances and simplify requirements.
• More concurrent reviews across departments, including inspections and urban forestry approvals.

3. Customer Service Enhancements

• New pre-correction consultation with plan checkers.
• Improved coordination with LADWP to streamline energization and utility connections.
• Development of tracking tools and dashboards to improve transparency and accountability.

Importantly, many of these reforms reflect long-standing concerns raised by the development community around fragmented processes, unclear timelines, and inconsistent communication across departments.

This is also where our members have played a role. At our March joint Government Affairs Committee (GAC) and Codes & Regulations Committee meeting, members engaged directly with representatives from the Mayor’s Office and LADBS to share real-world challenges around permitting delays, plan check inconsistencies, and the need for more coordinated, predictable processes.

Those conversations and the relationships behind them help ensure that the commercial real estate perspective is part of the broader push for reform.

How It Impacts You

This is a meaningful step toward addressing one of the biggest challenges facing commercial real estate in Los Angeles, unpredictable and time-consuming permitting.

For our members, the proposed changes could:

1. Speed up tenant improvements (TIs) through self-certification and faster reviews.
2. Reduce project delays and carrying costs tied to lengthy plan check cycles.
3. Improve coordination across departments, minimizing conflicting comments and rework.
4. Provide more predictability in timelines, which is critical for leasing and tenant retention.

Just as important, this directive shows that member engagement matters.

The issues raised in our committees, paired with ongoing coordination with the Mayor’s Office and City departments, are helping shape conversations around how to fix the system.

That said, implementation will be key.

Many of these reforms require follow-up reports, pilot programs, and interdepartmental coordination, meaning members may see gradual improvements rather than immediate changes.

Stay Connected

We will continue tracking how these policies are rolled out and where additional advocacy may be needed to ensure these reforms translate into real, on-the-ground improvements for commercial projects.

If you’re experiencing permitting challenges or have examples to share, we want to hear from you. Your input directly strengthens our advocacy efforts.