Committee approves Streets LA permit-fee updates to better reflect cost of service

Los Angeles City Council committee members voted to approve a Bureau of Street Services (Streets LA) report recommending updates to permit and application fees, asking the City Attorney to prepare ordinance amendments to the Los Angeles Municipal Code and authorizing Streets LA to implement procedural changes.

The presenters, an Assistant Director in Streets LA’s Investigation and Enforcement Division and Charles Smith, chief Street Service investigator, said the bureau administers roughly 20,000 permits annually and responds to 50,000 to 60,000 service requests each year, and that many permit fees have not been updated since 1991. “This study was conducted to address that gap by aligning fees with the actual cost of service, reducing reliance on the general fund and strengthening our ability to provide timely permitting, inspection and enforcement services in the public right of way,” the Assistant Director said.

The study targets five major permit categories: building materials (construction encroachments), overload permits for oversize freight transport, special events (tiered as type 1, 2 and 3), water-discharge permits and hillside grading/earthmoving permits. Sidewalk vending fees will remain subsidized, and several low‑revenue permit types were excluded from increases.

Key changes described by Streets LA include introducing application fees (a $70 application fee was cited for special events) and a special-review fee for unusually complex events; replacing the building materials fee of $0.26 per square foot with a tiered structure based on encroachment size and duration and adding a $35 application fee for that category; and modest increases to overload permits (the report cited raising a single-trip fee from $13 to $16 and an annual permit from $83 to $90).

Council members asked how overload permits are used in practice and whether annual permits are available for frequent users; Streets LA said applicants can choose annual or daily permits and that overload permits are vetted with required insurance and coordination with the California Highway Patrol. The bureau also said additions such as the application fee are intended to recover staff time spent reviewing applications that do not reach final approval.

Asked why fees had not been raised earlier, Streets LA said political reluctance had contributed to the delay. On comparability, staff said fees must be tied to cost of service under Proposition 26 and therefore are intended to mirror the costs in comparable jurisdictions when appropriate.

Streets LA said implementation would include 30 days of outreach, updates to the bureau website, and communications channels for applicants. A councilmember moved to adopt the bureau’s recommendations, instructed Streets LA and the CAO to periodically reevaluate the fees at least every five years, and the committee approved the item as amended. The City Attorney will draft the ordinance and any changes would need subsequent mayoral and council approval before taking effect.

The committee’s action directs staff to return as needed with the ordinance language and to proceed with the outreach and implementation steps described in the report.