If a homeowner did unpermitted work twenty years ago and the city only discovers it today, can the city still come after them? The short answer is yes. California does not have a statute of limitations on building code violations. The clock does not start ticking when the work happens; it starts when the city becomes aware of it, and ownership transfers do not erase the issue.

This is one of the most consequential and least understood realities of owning real estate in Los Angeles. Below we walk through how the rule actually works, the few situations where age helps, and what to do if a long-buried violation surfaces on your property.

The direct answer: no time limit on code violations

California Health & Safety Code Section 17970 governs substandard housing and code violations. Nothing in that code, the California Building Code, or the Los Angeles Municipal Code creates a statute of limitations that runs from the date the unpermitted work was done. Unlike a tort claim or a contract dispute, where you typically have between two and four years to bring an action, the city can issue an Order to Comply on unpermitted construction at any time after it learns about the work.

In practical terms, that means an illegal garage conversion from 1985 is just as exposed today as one built last weekend, the moment a LADBS inspector finds it.

Why the rule is structured this way

Code enforcement is treated as a continuing public-safety matter rather than a single past act. An unpermitted bathroom with bad wiring is a fire risk every day it exists, not just the day it was built. The law treats the unpermitted structure itself as the ongoing violation, so the limitations clock would only start running if someone ever fixed or removed it. As long as the work sits there, the city’s authority to act stays open-ended.

That logic also explains why selling the property does not start a clock. A new owner inherits the violation along with the keys. Buyers in Los Angeles regularly find themselves on the receiving end of an Order to Comply for work that happened decades before they took title. (For the buyer side of this problem, see our guide on buying and selling a house with unpermitted construction.)

Where age actually helps: the 1955 grandfather rule

There is one important nuance. California’s building code recognizes that an old structure should generally be judged against the rules in place when it was built, not against today’s code. If your house was built or modified in 1948 and an inspector cites unpermitted work today, the corrective standard is typically the 1948 code, not the current 2025 California Residential Code. This matters because compliance with older, simpler codes is much cheaper than a full modern retrofit.

The practical line most LA inspectors apply is 1955. Work that predates 1955 is often allowed to remain as long as it is not actively dangerous. Work from 1955 forward typically requires permits and inspection regardless of how long ago it was done. The rule is not codified that simply, but it tracks the practice on the ground in most LADBS districts.

What “the city becomes aware” actually means

Cities are getting much better at discovering old unpermitted work, and the trigger event is rarely random. The four common ones:

• A neighbor complaint. Still the single biggest source. A driveway dispute or a noise complaint gets an inspector to the street, and they notice the unpermitted addition next door.
• A new permit application. When you pull a permit for any work, LADBS sees the property’s full history. If satellite imagery or assessor records show square footage that does not match permits on file, it surfaces immediately.
• A real-estate transaction. A buyer’s appraiser, inspector, or lender flags the discrepancy. The disclosure obligation under the California TDS does the rest.
• Aerial and satellite imagery. LADBS now systematically compares aerial imagery against assessor footprints. Additions and conversions invisible from the street show up clearly from above.

Once any of these triggers an investigation, the lack of a statute of limitations means the entire history of the property is in play.

The two clocks that do exist

While there is no statute of limitations on enforcement, there are two timing rules people often confuse it with:

Adverse possession against a neighbor (5 years). If unpermitted work crosses a property line, the encroaching owner may claim title to the crossed strip after five years of open, hostile, continuous use plus payment of property taxes. This applies to title, not to whether the city can require demolition.

Civil action by a private party (typically 4 years). If a neighbor wants to sue you for nuisance because of your unpermitted work, the statute of limitations on that private claim is four years from discovery. That does not affect the city’s separate code-enforcement action.

What to do if old unpermitted work surfaces on your property

Two paths exist, and the right one depends on the work itself.

1. Retroactive permit (most common). File for a post-construction permit, often referred to as a “permit to legalize.” LADBS treats it like a new permit: drawings of what was actually built, plan check, inspections, and a fee schedule that is typically the standard permit fee multiplied by an investigation factor. Some elements may need to be opened up so inspectors can verify framing, electrical, and plumbing. See our remediation guide for the full process.
2. Demolish and restore. If the work cannot be brought up to a passable standard, the only resolution may be removing it and returning the structure to its last permitted configuration. This is more common with structurally compromised additions, illegal second units in flood or fire zones, and work that violates current setback rules with no available variance.

Either way, sitting on the problem is the worst option. Daily fines under Health & Safety Code can compound until the violation is cured, and unresolved Orders to Comply are recorded against the property and surface in every title search going forward.

How CCS Inc. handles long-dormant violations

We have walked clients through retroactive permits on work that was 5, 20, even 50 years old. The job usually starts with a permit-history audit (every permit ever pulled on the parcel, compared against what is actually built) and a conversation with the LADBS plan-check engineer assigned to the district. From there we either build a remediation path or, in the rare case where the work cannot stay, plan the cleanest demolition. Schedule a free consultation if you have a violation notice or are about to buy a property with unpermitted work in its history.

You can also check whether a property already has any active violations using our free LADBS violation lookup tool before any decision becomes urgent.