After the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, which left tens of thousands of residents homeless, there is a pressing need for prompt reconstruction. However, the impact of the “self-certification” building permit program unanimously passed by the Los Angeles City Council on February 7 may extend far beyond the disaster area.
The proposal, passed with a 14-0 vote, was made in response to the “2021-2029 California Housing Element Plan Implementation Objectives” facing the city of Los Angeles. Councilmember Nithya Raman, who proposed the motion in the 4th district, mentioned that the idea had been under consideration even before the wildfires razed tens of thousands of homes around the city. The “self-certification” policy allows small-scale residential construction projects to proceed with architect and engineer signatures, eliminating the need to submit and await approval from the city’s building department (which could take months or even years); the city government can conduct reviews during and after construction.
Raman stated in the proposal that factors such as low vacancy rates, exclusionary zoning, high rent, housing discrimination, restrictive building regulations, high land values, and slow approval processes are exacerbating the housing and homelessness crisis, and the destructive wildfires have added extra pressure to the existing rental stock.
The Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fire, which broke out on January 7, have become the second and third most destructive wildfires in California’s history, destroying over 16,000 structures, damaging 2,000 others, resulting in 29 fatalities, with the cause of the fires still under investigation.
According to CalMatters, Raman stated that some residents had been calling for these changes for a while, but now people feel a sense of urgency, which helps expedite the process. However, she pointed out that the policy will not only affect rebuilding in the fire-ravaged areas but should also ensure that reconstruction in those areas does not slow down development in other parts of the city, where construction has been significantly lagging.
Raman mentioned that the new policy aims to provide incentives for developers to quickly build affordable housing and workforce housing in line with the city’s implementation of the “California Housing Element Plan.” It seeks to identify land in Los Angeles for an additional construction of about 255,000 units of workforce housing, and streamline the lengthy application processes involving city planning, transportation, public facilities, and fair housing.
According to real estate data company ATC Research, the average time to obtain building permits for single-family homes in Los Angeles over the past four years has been close to eight months, while waiting times for applications for apartment construction projects exceed 10 months.
Shortly after the Los Angeles wildfires, Mayor Karen Bass called for a study on the feasibility of expediting permit approvals and directed government officials to process post-fire applications within 30 days. Governor Newsom also instructed a review of permit requirements, building codes, and local bureaucratic procedures, proposing to temporarily suspend, expedite, or eliminate these regulations and processes to facilitate post-fire reconstruction.
Assemblymember Chris Ward from the 78th district (San Diego area) introduced a proposal allowing developers of small-scale construction projects to hire third-party licensed architects or engineers to sign off on building plans. Similarly to Raman, Ward had the idea before the fires. However, Raman’s proposal goes even further, permitting builders to start construction on entire houses without any review. While “self-certification” aims to save time and reduce red tape, its radical nature could potentially lead to issues down the line.
In 2023, the city of Los Angeles passed the “City-wide Housing Incentive Program” (CHIP) and started implementing it last year, simplifying project review processes and incentivizing the expansion of workforce housing coverage, including construction near urban transit hubs, corridors, job locations, and areas with more opportunities.
According to the Los Angeles City Planning Department, 72% of residential land is zoned for single-family homes (with 35% located in high fire-risk and sea-level rise impact areas); in resource-rich areas, 76% of land is designated for single-family projects, while workforce housing is more concentrated in low-resource areas. Councilmembers believe that to address housing inequality and meet the state’s requirements for fair housing, residential zoning should be reassigned.
The plan to build more housing in communities zoned for single-family homes has garnered support from tenants and advocacy groups but faces opposition from local homeowner associations.
The wildfires seem to have provided an opportunity, as the policy passed in early February will also grant low-income residents the right to move into new construction projects at previous rental rates (or affordable rental rates, whichever is lower), and receive rent subsidies within 42 months (the average time needed to construct new apartment buildings).
The “self-certification” policy is not without precedent; the small city of Bellflower in southeast Los Angeles County has allowed almost all building projects to self-certify for nearly a decade and assume the associated risks. However, those projects have been relatively simple.