Permit Adapter · Updated April 2026

LADBS Online Services Permit Tracking

LADBS Online Services is the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety's public permit portal, used to search, track, and (for account holders) apply for building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, grading, and change-of-use permits issued within City of LA boundaries.

How LADBS Works

LADBS Online Services is hosted at ladbsservices2.lacity.org/OnlineServices and is a custom LADBS-operated system rather than an Accela or Tyler product. LADBS permit numbers use a distinctive 15-digit format split into three 5-digit groups, for example 23016-10000-12345 — the first group is year-coded, and the remaining groups identify the permit category and sequence. The portal supports anonymous record lookup by permit number or job address, with additional self-service workflows (inspection scheduling, e-permit issuance) available to registered contractors and owner-builders. LADBS runs parallel programs for Express Permits (over-the-counter and same-to-next-day online issuance for qualifying scopes), Regular Plan Check, and a dedicated Soft-Story Retrofit queue for mandatory ordinance work.

Portal URL pattern
ladbsservices2.lacity.org/OnlineServices/
Permit number convention
15-digit format, three 5-digit groups (e.g. 23016-10000-12345)

How SignedOff Monitors LADBS Permits

Third-party permit monitoring services such as SignedOff poll LADBS Online Services at the public-portal level to detect plan-check transitions, scheduled and completed inspections, and expiration deadlines. Polling uses the same anonymous record-lookup interface available to any member of the public, so LADBS login credentials are not required from the permit holder. This approach is most useful for contractors with multiple active LADBS jobs, where checking status across dozens of permits manually through the city portal becomes impractical.

Supported Jurisdictions (1)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is LADBS Online Services?
LADBS Online Services is the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety's public permit portal. It covers building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, grading, and change-of-use permits issued within City of LA boundaries, and supports both anonymous record lookup and authenticated self-service workflows for contractors and owner-builders.
Which cities use LADBS Online Services?
LADBS Online Services is specific to the City of Los Angeles — it is operated by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety and is not shared with neighboring cities or with Los Angeles County. Surrounding jurisdictions such as LA County (EPIC-LA), Pasadena (EnerGov), and South Pasadena (Accela Citizen Access) each run separate portals.
How does SignedOff monitor LADBS permits?
SignedOff polls the LADBS Online Services portal on a recurring schedule to detect plan-check status changes, scheduled inspections, inspection results, and expiration deadlines. Monitoring uses the same anonymous record-lookup interface the public portal offers to any visitor — no LADBS account, city-side configuration, or saved credentials are required.
Can I track LADBS permits without logging in?
Yes. LADBS Online Services supports anonymous record lookup by permit number or job address. SignedOff uses this public interface to monitor permits on a user's behalf, so permit holders don't have to log into the LADBS portal manually to check status.
How often does SignedOff check LADBS for updates?
SignedOff runs nightly sync jobs against LADBS Online Services, diffing the latest public record state against the previously stored state and emailing the permit holder when status, inspections, or expiration data change.
What does an LADBS permit number look like?
LADBS permit numbers use a 15-digit format split into three 5-digit groups, for example 23016-10000-12345. The first group is year-coded, and the remaining groups identify the permit category and sequence — the format is distinctive enough that a permit number alone is usually enough to confirm the issuing jurisdiction is the City of Los Angeles.

Track your LADBS permits without logging in

SignedOff polls LADBS on a recurring schedule and emails you the moment status, inspections, or expiration data change — no portal logins, no spreadsheets.

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