FAQ
Which permits and approvals should I plan for with a single family home project in Los Angeles?
A new single-family home in Los Angeles is not the SB9 two-unit ministerial path. LADBS building permit, grading if the Encino lot is hillside, Planning if overlays apply, DWP, and sewer/BOE still stack. 121 Design Build, as a single family home architect in Los Angeles, coordinates that stack for one house.
Direct answer
One house. A different permit stack than SB9.
Single family home permits in Los Angeles still go through LADBS for the building permit. Hillside Encino lots often add grading. Overlays send you to Planning. DWP and BOE/sewer are their own desks. That is a different stack than an SB9 two-unit ministerial filing.
121 Design Build, from Encino, treats a custom single-family house as one dwelling, one kitchen, one occupancy — not two units under SB9. The drawing set and the agency list follow that.
We do not invent City of Los Angeles fees. City of LA / local AHJ decides. This page is not legal advice.
The single-family stack
LADBS, grading, Planning, DWP, and BOE for one house.
LADBS building
A custom single-family house still needs an LADBS building permit. That is the core of single family home permits in Los Angeles — one dwelling, not two units.
Grading and Planning
Hillside Encino lots often add grading. Overlays, specific plans, and historic districts send a single-family project to Planning. SB9 ministerial review does not apply just because you hired an architect.
DWP and BOE
DWP service and sewer/BOE items still apply to a new house. Call (424) 600-2100.
One Encino house
An Encino custom home is still City of LA, not a packaged SB9 path.
Encino sits in the City of Los Angeles. A new single-family home still answers to LADBS, and to Planning when overlays apply. 121 Design Build does not invent Encino-specific legal conclusions. City of LA / local AHJ decides.
If you are comparing a custom house to an SB9 two-unit path, start with the lot, not the architect title. Our Encino office at 17801 Ventura Blvd, 2nd floor, Encino, CA 91316 can walk the stack with you. Email info@121designbuild.com.
How we work
How 121 Design Build coordinates single family home permits in Los Angeles.
01
1. Read the lot
Survey, soils, hillside vs flat Encino lot, overlays. That list decides whether grading and Planning join LADBS.
02
2. Draw one house
A single family home architect in Los Angeles designs one dwelling. The set is not an SB9 two-unit package.
03
3. File the stack
LADBS building permit, grading if hillside, Planning if overlays, DWP, and sewer/BOE. We coordinate; City of LA / local AHJ decides.
04
4. Inspections
After LADBS issues, the house still needs inspections and occupancy. 121 Design Build stays with the Encino project through that close-out.
Honest split scope
When a custom house is the right path — and when SB9 is not.
We map
One dwelling, one occupancy
If you want one custom home on an Encino lot, single family home permits in Los Angeles follow the standard LADBS path — not SB9 two-unit ministerial review. Compare the two-unit stack on our SB9 two-unit permits page.
We do not
Overlays still matter
Hillside, specific plans, and historic districts can add Planning even when you are building one house. We do not give legal advice. City of LA / local AHJ decides.
Talk with 121 Design Build about your Encino single-family permit stack.
Call (424) 600-2100 or email info@121designbuild.com. 121 Design Build, 17801 Ventura Blvd, 2nd floor, Encino, CA 91316. We design one house and coordinate LADBS, grading, Planning, DWP, and BOE — without inventing fees or Encino-specific legal conclusions.