Los Angeles Construction Permits, May 2026: 5,117 Issued
The City of Los Angeles issued 5,117 construction permits in May 2026. The largest group was residential renovation, with 3,559 permits.
The same four steps, whether the buyer is a builder, a designer, an owner or a company you want to acquire.
Los Angeles construction permits in May 2026
| Measure | May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Permits issued | 5,117 |
| Previous month (April 2026) | 5,225 |
| Same month last year (May 2025) | 5,295 |
| Rank among 21 markets this month | 2 of 21 |
Against earlier months, May 2026 was down 2% on April 2026 (5,225) and down 3% on May 2025 (5,295).
| Building type and work | Permits |
|---|---|
| New Residential Construction | 384 |
| Residential Renovation | 3,559 |
| New Commercial Construction | 16 |
| Commercial Renovation | 273 |
| New Institutional Construction | 1 |
| Institutional Renovation | 56 |
| Industrial Renovation | 31 |
The twelve months to May 2026, read October 9, 2026.
What it means for trades
A permit issued in May 2026 starts a clock. The early trades, site work, concrete, framing and structural steel, are bought in the next weeks; mechanical, electrical and plumbing a few months in; finishes and landscaping close to a year later on a typical build. Builtie tracks each project through those stages and shows it to a trade while its package is still open.
What the Los Angeles data covers
The data is the City of Los Angeles: the building permits the Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) issues. Santa Monica, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Long Beach and the rest of Los Angeles County issue their own permits and are not in the feed today. The city's open dataset names no contractor, so Builtie reads each permit's LADBS record for the contractor and their CSLB license, the architect and the engineer. Many Los Angeles permits are owner-builder, and on those the architect is the first contact.
All months: Los Angeles construction permits by month. Building types: new residential construction, residential renovation, new commercial construction, commercial renovation, new institutional construction, institutional renovation, industrial renovation.
Plans
Builtie's Starter plan is $79 per seat per month (CAD) for 20 projects; Growth is $99 for 50 projects and adds the LinkedIn and email outreach you run yourself. Opening a project spends one credit, and the decision makers, emails, phones and AI call script inside it are included. Your monthly credits reset at each renewal, and extra credit packs are valid for 30 days. The free trial runs 7 days with 10 projects. Custom, where Builtie's team runs the outreach for you, starts from CAD $1,500 a month on top of a Growth seat.
Frequently asked questions
How many building permits were issued in Los Angeles in May 2026?
5,117, read October 9, 2026 from Builtie's permit data.
Is Los Angeles construction up or down?
May 2026 was down 2% on April 2026 (5,225) and down 3% on May 2025 (5,295).
Which trades should be calling builders about May 2026 permits?
Early trades first: site work, concrete, framing, structural steel and site security. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing follow a few months in, and finishes later still.
What does Builtie cost?
Starter is $79 per seat per month for 20 projects; Growth is $99 for 50 projects and adds LinkedIn and email outreach. There is a 7-day free trial with 10 projects.