CCS Data Report – LADBS data as of November 8, 2026
We analyzed every LADBS “General” code enforcement case the City of Los Angeles publishes, the case type that covers violations in homes and existing commercial buildings. Here is what the data says:
- 12,649 General cases are open right now. 9,762 of them (77.2%) have been open for more than a year, and 979 for more than ten years.
- Cases close much more slowly than before 2020. 47.1% of cases opened in 2019 were closed within 90 days. For cases opened in 2025 it was 38.3%.
- 5,115 new General cases were opened in the last 12 months, and 2,887 of them are still open.
- The San Fernando Valley leads. The North Valley and South Valley planning areas account for 2,423 of new cases (47.4%).
When the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) finds a code violation, it opens a code enforcement case on the property and issues an Order to Comply. Most homeowners only see their own case. We looked at all of them. The City publishes every LADBS code enforcement case on its open data portal, open and closed, and our free violations lookup checks the same LADBS records for a single address.
This report covers the City of Los Angeles only (LADBS jurisdiction). It does not include unincorporated LA County or other cities such as Glendale, Burbank or Santa Monica, which run their own building departments.
How We Got These Numbers
- Source: City of Los Angeles open data, “Building and Safety – Code Enforcement Case – Open” and “Building and Safety – Code Enforcement Case – Closed” (LADBS), downloaded with cases through November 8, 2026.
- Case type: we counted the General case type, which the City Controller describes as “Investigation of code violations in existing commercial buildings, hotels, motels, and single-family residential buildings.” Other types, such as billboards, signs, the Vehicle Establishment Inspection Program and the Pro-Active Code Enforcement (PACE) program, are listed separately at the end.
- Open vs closed: LADBS closes a case “when the site satisfies the requirements for Code compliance, or when no Code violation is found.” A case stays open until the site complies. So a closed case does not always mean a violation was found and fixed.
- Time to close is the number of days between the date LADBS generated the case and the date it closed. Cases that are still open count as not closed.
LADBS Code Enforcement at a Glance
| Measure (General cases, City of LA) | Count |
|---|---|
| Open cases | 12,649 |
| Open more than 1 year | 9,762 (77.2%) |
| Open more than 3 years | 6,316 (49.9%) |
| Open more than 10 years | 979 (7.7%) |
| Median age of an open case | 1,091 days (about 3 years) |
| New cases in the last 12 months | 5,115 |
| New cases in the last 12 months still open | 2,887 (56.4%) |
The takeaway for property owners: a code enforcement case does not go away on its own, and it does not go away when the property is sold. It stays on the LADBS record until the work is permitted, corrected or removed and an inspector signs off. 979 open cases are more than ten years old.
How Long Does It Take LADBS to Close a Code Enforcement Case?
Closing got slower in 2020 and has not fully recovered. Before 2020, close to half of new General cases closed within three months. Since then it has been closer to a third.
| Year opened | Cases | Closed within 90 days | Closed within 1 year | Median time to close | Still open today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 8,716 | 46.3% | 72.7% | 111 days | 259 |
| 2017 | 8,235 | 44.7% | 70.3% | 118 days | 350 |
| 2018 | 8,039 | 46.9% | 70.8% | 105 days | 558 |
| 2019 | 7,982 | 47.1% | 69.0% | 104 days | 776 |
| 2020 | 4,982 | 31.8% | 51.6% | 328 days | 654 |
| 2021 | 4,121 | 28.0% | 49.6% | 378 days | 787 |
| 2022 | 5,182 | 30.6% | 54.6% | 279 days | 981 |
| 2023 | 6,758 | 35.1% | 59.5% | 203 days | 1,376 |
| 2024 | 6,338 | 36.4% | 61.1% | 193 days | 1,652 |
| 2025 | 5,275 | 38.3% | not yet measurable | 181 days | 1,826 |
For cases opened in 2024, the median time to close was 193 days and 1,652 were still open on November 8, 2026. The “within 1 year” figure is left out for 2025 because many of those cases are not a year old yet. The data does not say why closing slowed. It only shows that it did.
How Many Code Enforcement Cases Does LADBS Open Each Year?
| Year opened | New General cases |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8,716 |
| 2017 | 8,235 |
| 2018 | 8,039 |
| 2019 | 7,982 |
| 2020 | 4,982 |
| 2021 | 4,121 |
| 2022 | 5,182 |
| 2023 | 6,758 |
| 2024 | 6,338 |
| 2025 | 5,275 |
| 2026 (through Nov 8) | 4,561 |
From January 1 to November 8, LADBS opened 4,561 General cases in 2026, compared with 4,721 in the same period of 2025 and 7,037 in 2019. Fewer new cases does not necessarily mean fewer violations: cases are opened from complaints and inspections, so the count also depends on how many are reported and investigated.
Where Code Enforcement Cases Are Concentrated
LADBS records each case under one of the City’s seven Area Planning Commission areas.
| Area | New cases, last 12 months | Share | Open cases today |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Valley | 1,214 | 23.7% | 2,546 |
| South Valley | 1,209 | 23.6% | 2,484 |
| South Los Angeles | 1,045 | 20.4% | 2,830 |
| Central | 530 | 10.4% | 1,755 |
| West Los Angeles | 463 | 9.1% | 1,127 |
| East Los Angeles | 340 | 6.6% | 1,408 |
| Harbor | 297 | 5.8% | 474 |
By ZIP code, these areas had the most new General cases in the last 12 months:
| ZIP code | Area | New cases |
|---|---|---|
| 91331 | Pacoima / Arleta | 187 |
| 91342 | Sylmar | 175 |
| 90003 | South Los Angeles | 131 |
| 91335 | Reseda | 118 |
| 91344 | Granada Hills | 112 |
| 91352 | Sun Valley | 109 |
| 90731 | San Pedro | 104 |
| 90011 | South Los Angeles | 102 |
| 91306 | Winnetka | 98 |
| 91367 | Woodland Hills | 96 |
Counts are only for the part of each ZIP code that is inside the City of Los Angeles.
What an Order to Comply Costs in Los Angeles
When LADBS confirms a violation, these are the fees in the LADBS publication “Fees Associated with Orders Authorized by the Los Angeles Municipal Code”:
| Fee | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Code Violation Inspection Fee (LAMC 98.0421) | $356.16 | Owed once an Order to Comply is issued, even if you comply early. If unpaid after 30 days, a late fee of $890.40 brings it to $1,246.56. |
| Non-Compliance Fee (LAMC 98.0411) | $660 | If the violation is not corrected within 15 days after the compliance date. Paying late brings the total to more than $2,310. |
| Investigation Fee (LAMC 98.0402) | Double the permit fee, minimum $400 | When a permit is needed to fix the violation. |
| Modification Fee, “extension of time” (LAMC 98.0403.1) | $346.62 in most cases | If you need more time than the Order allows. |
Unpaid fees can become a lien on the property. These are the fees for the Order itself. The permit, plans and the construction needed to legalize or remove the work are separate. Our guide What Happens If You Get Caught Without a Building Permit walks through the whole process.
Other LADBS Code Enforcement Case Types
The General type is the one most homeowners run into, but it is not the only one. All case types, open today and closed in total:
| Case type | Open | Closed (all years) |
|---|---|---|
| General (homes and existing commercial buildings) | 12,649 | 181,856 |
| Pro-Active Code Enforcement (PACE) | 651 | 574,643 |
| Vehicle Establishment Inspection Program (VEIP) | 7,967 | 3,856 |
| Billboards | 4,979 | 1,612 |
| Signs | 429 | 19,542 |
| Citations | 671 | 23,539 |
| CNAP (nuisance abatement) | 581 | 13,444 |
| Nuisance Abatement Revocation (NAR) | 770 | 1,972 |
| Other (CARTS, CNA, FRP, IHTF, LEA, XXX) | 75 | 9,051 |
What to Do If There Is a Case on Your Property
- Look it up. Search your address in our free LADBS violations lookup to see open and closed cases.
- Read the Order to Comply for the compliance date and contact the inspector named on it before that date.
- Decide whether to legalize or remove the work. Our unpermitted work checker shows what is allowed on your lot.
- Ask for an extension early if the fix needs plans and a permit. The Non-Compliance Fee is only charged once the deadline has passed.
- Buying a home? Check the address before you make an offer. An open case stays with the property after the sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many open code enforcement cases does LADBS have?
As of November 8, 2026, the City of Los Angeles open data lists 28,772 open LADBS code enforcement cases of all types, including 12,649 General cases, the type that covers violations in homes and existing commercial buildings. 9,762 of the open General cases are more than a year old.
How long does it take LADBS to close a code enforcement case?
For General cases opened in 2024, the median time to close was 193 days, and 61.1% closed within a year. Before 2020 cases closed faster: 47.1% of 2019 cases closed within 90 days, compared with 38.3% for 2025.
Does a code enforcement case go away when a house is sold?
No. LADBS keeps a case open until the site satisfies the code, so it stays with the property after a sale. 979 open General cases in Los Angeles are more than ten years old. Buyers should search the address in a violations lookup before making an offer.
What does an Order to Comply cost in Los Angeles?
LADBS charges a Code Violation Inspection Fee of $356.16 once an Order to Comply is issued ($1,246.56 if paid more than 30 days late). If the violation is not corrected in time, a $660 Non-Compliance Fee can be added, and if a permit is needed the Investigation Fee is double the permit fee, at least $400.
Which parts of Los Angeles have the most code enforcement cases?
In the last 12 months the North Valley (1,214) and South Valley (1,209) planning areas had the most new General cases, followed by South Los Angeles (1,045). The top ZIP codes were 91331 (Pacoima / Arleta) and 91342 (Sylmar).
Have an open case or unpermitted work?
CCS Inc. is a licensed California B contractor (CSLB #1047699). CCS Inc. (CSLB #1047699) helps Los Angeles owners legalize unpermitted additions, garage conversions and ADUs. Talk to our team about your property.
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Or start with our free tools: Violations Lookup • Unpermitted Work Check • Permit Lookup
Sources
- City of Los Angeles open data – Building and Safety – Code Enforcement Case – Open and Code Enforcement Case – Closed (LADBS). All counts in this report are CCS calculations from these datasets, cases through November 8, 2026.
- Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety – Fees Associated with Orders Authorized by the Los Angeles Municipal Code
- Los Angeles City Controller – Building and Safety code enforcement case type descriptions
Related Reading
- What Happens If You Get Caught Without a Building Permit?
- Selling or Buying a House With Unpermitted Work in LA
- Pulling Permits After the Work Is Done
- California Contractor License Statistics 2026
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