That hillside remodel in L.A. looked perfect on paper. So why is the city’s building department sending you back to the drawing board? The space between a great architectural vision and a permit‑ready set of plans is where many Los Angeles residential projects stall. Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) offers an Express Permit for simple projects that do not require plan check and an ePlanLA system for full electronic plan review, each with its own logins and submission rules. Layer on top of that the City’s all‑electric new‑construction ordinance, Title 24 energy standards and local reach codes, and the Hillside Construction Regulation (HCR) District that imposes additional protections and working‑hour restrictions for single‑family developments in hillside neighborhoods . Navigating this maze of codes and jurisdictions can lead to costly redesigns and time‑consuming back‑and‑forth.

AI‑powered engineering for Los Angeles homes

We believe there is a smarter way to build in Los Angeles. Spacial delivers permit‑ready structural engineering and MEP plans in days, not months, for custom homes, additions and ADUs. Our AI‑driven platform converts your 2D drawings into a detailed 3D model, checks it against Los Angeles and California building codes, and coordinates structure, MEP and energy requirements, including the city’s all‑electric mandate and hillside‑area restrictions , before anything goes to LADBS. Licensed engineers review, finalize and stamp every set so your plans are ready for submittal via the LADBS Express Permit portal or ePlanLA. The goal is simple: protect the design, remove guesswork from engineering, and help you move through Los Angeles’ permitting process with more confidence and less back and forth.

A simple three‑step process for Los Angeles homes

We keep the process straightforward for Los Angeles projects:

Step 1: Plan. You securely submit your architectural plans through our builder‑first portal. Our system immediately begins analysing your layout, structure and mechanicals against Los Angeles building and fire codes, Title 24 energy standards, the city’s all‑electric ordinance and hillside regulations . This supports a smoother permitting process whether you’re applying online through the LADBS Express Permit portal for small projects or submitting a full plan set via ePlanLA.

Step 2: Convert and validate. Our AI converts your 2D plans into an object‑based 3D model. Structural and MEP agents size spans, reactions and equipment, coordinate ducts and risers with beams and joists, and work with the energy model to meet Title 24 requirements and Los Angeles‑specific mandates without losing key design moves. Our in‑house engineers then review the outputs together, refine the structural and MEP systems, and make sure everything is coordinated and code‑compliant for the local climate and hillside conditions.

Step 3: Approve. You receive a complete, stamped set of engineering plans that is fully coordinated and ready for submission to LADBS Express Permit or ePlanLA. One partner, one workflow, one engineering team carrying responsibility from design intake to permit‑ready set.

Structural, MEP and energy under one roof for Los Angeles

We cover the core engineering scope under one roof so you don’t have to manage separate vendors for each discipline. Structural engineering remains the backbone of the permit set. We provide foundation‑to‑roof structural plans designed to match how builders actually work while meeting local seismic and wind requirements, hillside grading constraints and HCR working‑hour rules . MEP engineering sits alongside structure from day one. We deliver fully coordinated HVAC layouts that protect ceiling height, electrical plans that anticipate EV‑charging and solar readiness, and efficient plumbing designs that keep installs clean. By designing structural and MEP together, we reduce the system clashes that normally show up late and trigger costly revisions. Energy modeling is built into the workflow rather than bolted on at the end. Every Los Angeles remodel, addition or new build must comply with California’s Title 24 energy code and the City’s all‑electric requirements . We handle the energy modeling, coordinate it with the envelope and MEP design, and help you meet the city’s decarbonization targets without compromising the architecture.

ADU permit expediting in Los Angeles

Building an ADU in Los Angeles comes with its own zoning rules, development standards and submission steps. LADBS offers an Express Permit for certain detached ADUs and a full plan check via ePlanLA for more complex ADUs . We specialize in engineering ADU plans that are aligned with Los Angeles’ ADU regulations, Title 24 energy standards and all‑electric requirements . Our job is to produce compliant, constructible structural, MEP and energy packages so your ADU permit moves faster and with fewer surprises.

Why Spacial is a fit for Los Angeles

We are not just engineers working in a vacuum. We focus on the specific challenges of building in Los Angeles.

• We know Los Angeles codes and permitting context. Our platform incorporates California building codes, LADBS guidelines, HCR district restrictions and the city’s all‑electric ordinance . That lets us check your plans against the standards the city uses before they ever reach a plan checker’s desk.

• We understand local architecture. Los Angeles homes range from mid‑century modern to hillside contemporaries with expansive glazing. We’re used to working with open floor plans, large window openings and clients who care about daylight and ceiling height. Our job is to engineer solutions that support these design moves instead of flattening them.

• We bring a builder‑led perspective. Spacial’s leadership comes from construction and development, which means we care about how details read in the field, not just on paper. Plans for Los Angeles homes need to be code compliant and constructible. We design with both in mind so your general contractor and city inspectors have fewer reasons to push back.

See how this works on a real project

To see how this approach works on a real custom home, look at our “Structural plans that protect the design” case study. In that project, a modern single‑family home needed long spans, clean ceilings and a lateral system that did not fight the architecture. Our team engineered a wood frame with glulam beams and a tuned shear‑wall layout to keep the plan open and the elevations clean, coordinated early with MEP and helped structural review advance without redesign. You can read the full story here.

Common questions about building in Los Angeles

How long does it take to get a building permit in Los Angeles? Timelines vary by scope and workload at LADBS. Express Permits for small projects can be issued quickly , while full plan checks through ePlanLA take longer. The biggest delays usually come from incomplete, inconsistent or non‑compliant plans. Our goal is to deliver permit‑ready, stamped engineering sets for Los Angeles homes that reduce back‑and‑forth and help you move through plan check more smoothly.

What are Los Angeles’ all‑electric requirements for new construction? The City of Los Angeles passed an ordinance requiring most new buildings to be all‑electric . There are limited exemptions, but in general new construction must omit gas systems and include electric‑ready infrastructure. We incorporate these requirements into our structural, MEP and energy design so your project is code compliant from day one.

Do you need a structural engineer for an ADU project in Los Angeles? Yes. For new ADU construction in Los Angeles, a licensed structural engineer typically must sign and stamp the engineering plans as part of the building permit submittal. We provide structural engineering alongside coordinated MEP and energy services, so your entire ADU permit package is aligned with LADBS requirements and Los Angeles’ electrification policy.