Neighborhoods · Housing
Is Los Angeles building housing?
Permits for new buildings issued so far in 2026 (through Oct 23) cover a net 13,975 dwelling units (3,845 permits), against 6,183 units (3,561 permits) at the same point of 2025. A unit is counted when its permit is issued, not when it is built.
Permits in 2026 so far
Every building permit LADBS has issued since January 1, the dwelling units they add net of demolitions, and the declared value of the work.
These figures run through Oct 24, 2026, the newest permit in the data. At the same point of 2025 (January 1 to Oct 24, 2025), LADBS had issued 52,508 permits (2026: +2.0%), with a net 6,748 dwelling units (2026: +133.9%) and $4.2B of permitted valuation (2026: +101.0%).
3,845 new-building permits issued so far in 2026 cover 13,975 dwelling units, an average of 3.6 units per permit and $224K of permitted valuation per unit. Demolition permits remove 715 units; across all permits the net change is 15,786 units. The highest full year since 2020 was 2022, at 13,823 net units.
New apartment buildings permitted in 2026 took an average of 851 days (2.3 years) from application to issue. New one- and two-family homes took 292 days (about 10 months).
The most common permit type is Bldg-Alter/Repair (36,125 permits, 67% of the total). Valuation averages $159K per permit across all types. New-building permits are 3,845 (7%) of the total and carry $3.1B of permitted valuation.
The City's 6th-cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment allocation is about 457,000 units for October 2021 to October 2029. RHNA sets how much housing the City must plan and zone for, not how much must be built. New-building permits so far in 2026 cover 13,975 units.
What is being permitted
Permits issued this year by type, and the net dwelling units each kind of building adds.
Permits by type, 2026 year to date
Number of permits issued for each permit type so far in 2026.
- Bldg-Alter/Repair36,125
- Bldg-Addition4,023
- Bldg-New3,845
- Grading3,019
- Swimming-Pool/Spa2,014
- Nonbldg-New1,609
- Bldg-Demolition1,270
- Sign1,142
- Nonbldg-Alter/Repair479
- Nonbldg-Addition17
- Nonbldg-Demolition16
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Bldg-Alter/Repair | 36,125 |
| Bldg-Addition | 4,023 |
| Bldg-New | 3,845 |
| Grading | 3,019 |
| Swimming-Pool/Spa | 2,014 |
| Nonbldg-New | 1,609 |
| Bldg-Demolition | 1,270 |
| Sign | 1,142 |
| Nonbldg-Alter/Repair | 479 |
| Nonbldg-Addition | 17 |
| Nonbldg-Demolition | 16 |
Net units by building type, 2026 year to date
Net dwelling units added by each permit sub-type so far in 2026.
- 1 or 2 Family Dwelling1,793
- Apartment10,708
- Commercial3,285
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| 1 or 2 Family Dwelling | 1,793 units |
| Apartment | 10,708 units |
| Commercial | 3,285 units |
Bldg-New permits account for the most dwelling units (13,975) and the most permitted valuation ($3.1B).
Year by year
Net dwelling units and permitted valuation for each complete calendar year since 2020.
Net dwelling units by year
Net change in dwelling units from permits (new construction minus demolitions), 2020–2025.
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 10,057 units |
| 2021 | 12,670 units |
| 2022 | 13,823 units |
| 2023 | 11,148 units |
| 2024 | 8,541 units |
| 2025 | 9,257 units |
Permitted valuation by year
Total valuation on permits issued each year, 2020–2025. Valuation is the declared value of the permitted work, not a final construction cost.
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $6.3B |
| 2021 | $6.1B |
| 2022 | $8.0B |
| 2023 | $5.3B |
| 2024 | $5.0B |
| 2025 | $5.2B |
Where units are being added
The zoning designations on permits that added the most net dwelling units this year, and the permitted valuation in those zones.
Net units by zone, 2026 year to date
The zoning designations that added the most net dwelling units in 2026.
- C2-2D-CPIO1,423
- R3-11,226
- C2-1875
- RD1.5-1XL853
- C4-1712
- R1-1695
- RAS4-1VL621
- C4-4D512
- (Wc)commerce-SN444
- C2-1VL-CPIO435
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| C2-2D-CPIO | 1,423 units |
| R3-1 | 1,226 units |
| C2-1 | 875 units |
| RD1.5-1XL | 853 units |
| C4-1 | 712 units |
| R1-1 | 695 units |
| RAS4-1VL | 621 units |
| C4-4D | 512 units |
| (Wc)commerce-SN | 444 units |
| C2-1VL-CPIO | 435 units |
| (Wc)northvillage-SN-Rio | 395 units |
| R4-1 | 341 units |
| C4-2 | 337 units |
| C2-1D, RD1.5-1XL | 290 units |
| (T)(Q)RAS4-1VL-CDO-RIO | 273 units |
Valuation by zone, 2026 year to date
Permitted valuation in the same zones, ranked by value, 2026.
- R1-1$516.9M
- C2-1$192.5M
- R3-1$167.7M
- C2-2D-CPIO$123.7M
- C4-1$117.0M
- C4-4D$60.0M
- RAS4-1VL$57.7M
- (Wc)commerce-SN$54.0M
- RD1.5-1XL$51.6M
- (Wc)northvillage-SN-Rio$50.5M
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| R1-1 | $516.9M |
| C2-1 | $192.5M |
| R3-1 | $167.7M |
| C2-2D-CPIO | $123.7M |
| C4-1 | $117.0M |
| C4-4D | $60.0M |
| RAS4-1VL | $57.7M |
| (Wc)commerce-SN | $54.0M |
| RD1.5-1XL | $51.6M |
| (Wc)northvillage-SN-Rio | $50.5M |
| R4-1 | $38.3M |
| C2-1VL-CPIO | $34.6M |
| C2-1D, RD1.5-1XL | $19.5M |
| C4-2 | $15.0M |
| (T)(Q)RAS4-1VL-CDO-RIO | $8.2M |
Sources
LADBS building permits, published by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety on the City's open-data portal. Valuation is the declared value of the permitted work.