LADBS Extends Plan Check…
The new extended plan check time frame policy states that the City of LA to recognizes that due to the recent economic slowdown, many retailers and/or developers may have had to put their projects on hold.
Many of these postponed projects are currently in the plan check stage and are coming up on the deadline where they must secure approvals and pull their permits or start the process over.
According to current policy you have 18 months from the time you play your plan check fees to the time you need to pull your permits and start construction.
If you do not pull your permits during this 18 month allowable time frame, under the old code you were allowed on six (6) month extension.
The new policy triples (3x) that extension time frame to eighteen (18) months. This is significant because if you submitted prior to the passing the new codes and then let your plan check expire, you will need to redesign your project to both the new 2011 codes as well as the 2011 Green codes.
This extension will allow your project to stay in plan check for up to a total of 36 months. This may be time you can use to seek additional funding, reconfigure your space or generally rethink your project.
To secure this new plan check extension you must secure approval by a plan check supervisor at any of the City of LA offices.
In addition, if you have any letters of approval for your entitlements that have expiration deadlines stated in the letters, you must get them re-entered into the LADBS PCIS system and get them signed off again by the departments. If you had any departmental approvals such as haul routes approved, those approvals will carry over into the extended plan check time.
Finally, the good news with this new policy is that if you submitted your project prior to the adoption of the 2011 codes, you do not have to redesign the entire project to the new 2011 codes.
The bad news is that even if you do not have to redesign to the new 2011 building code your project will be subject to comply with the new 2011 City of LA Green Code.
Fortunately, if you qualified for the new plan check extension, you have eighteen months to comply and get these elements into your drawings. Not all good things come for free.
Many of our clients are currently re-activitating their old projects under this new provision. If you have old projects that you want to have qualify for the extension give us call.
Here's a link to the modification request form. If you need us to fill it out for you and submit, contact us through our online form.
We've included a link to the actual policy. Enjoy
