city dept related to bldg proj

Los Angeles City Departments Related To Building Projects

Housing Department	The Department's mission is to support safe and livable neighborhoods through the promotion, development, and preservation of decent and affordable housing. The Department manages City housing programs including home rehabilitation, tax credit development mixed use commercial/residential development, tax exempt bond activity, homeownership, CDBG and HOME administration, homeless program administration, and special needs housing for the disabled, persons with AIDS, and victims of domestic violence. In addition, the Department administers the City's Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Current Department priorities include the reversal of the decline of the City's most troubled neighborhoods and increasing home ownership citywide. LAHD also proposes, develops and implements citywide affordable housing policy and assists the Affordable Housing Commission and the City Council in evaluating the effectiveness of housing related public policies and programs.
Planning Department	The Department of City Planning prepares and maintains a general plan which is a comprehensive declaration of purposes, policies and programs for the development of the City including such elements as land use, conservation, circulation, service systems, highways, public works facilities, branch administrative centers, schools, recreational facilities and airports.
Public Works Department Bureau of Engineering	This Bureau prepares environmental assessments, preliminary designs, final plans, specifications and estimates; supervises plans and specifications prepared by private engineers and architects; checks plans and prepares structural, electrical, and mechanical engineering details; and prepares preliminary and final construction cost estimates for all streets, storm drains, sewers, treatment plants, bridges and other structures, buildings, service yards and related public improvements. It subsequently administers contract documents, construction engineering and certain other contractual relationships during construction.
Public Works Department Bureau of Street Services	The Bureau's mission, as performed by the Lot Cleaning Division, is to improve and protect public health and safety as related to the existence of noxious vegetation, trash, debris and public nuisances on privately owned parcels and publicly owned parcels controlled by the Board of Public Works. Lot Cleaning also clears blocked or impassable unimproved alleys of weeds, rank growth, trash, debris or other materials posing a hazard to neighboring properties or be detrimental to the health or welfare of the residents of the vicinity and clears nonlandscaped median islands of weeds and debris.
Transportation Department	The City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) is responsible for the development of programs and implementation of solutions to meet the ground transportation needs of Los Angeles traveling public and commerce. The Department review and approve driveway and parking area clearances for customers. Attends the weekly Plan Processing Network Meeting to provide immediate response of any transportation related issue to the Zoning Administrator, DCP Planning Cases. The Department also provides clearance for Site Plan Review and review and approves requests for highway dedication waiver or reduction. Projects with over 25,000 sq. ft. of non-residential use will require compliance with the Transportation Demand Management ordinance. Projects that are within a Transportation Specific Plan Area will require compliance with the area plan.
Fire Department	The Los Angeles Fire Department accept plan to review and process for exiting systems, fire alarm systems, occupancy/area separations, uses of roofs for occupancy, emergency egress windows in single, family dwellings, and removal and reapplication of fireproofing materials on structural members in a building, as a result of asbestos abatement. In accordance with State Codes, the Fire Department also review plans for schools, day care facilities, high rise buildings, enclosed malls, residential facilities over 15 units, public assemblies, where the occupancy level will be equal to or greater than 50 persons, and hazardous occupancies, such as auto body shops.
Community Redevelopment Agency	The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) of the City of Los Angeles is the prime entity responsible for devising and implementing geographically based action strategies that serve to check and reverse deterioration in Los Angeles' most troubled urban neighborhoods. Any new residential, commercial, and/or industrial project that is in a CRA project area will require Site Review by the CRA Project Planner before the permit application can be cleared. The clearance approval process includes a complete review of the type of work to be performed, such as new construction, remodeling, demolition, or tenant improvements. They will also review for historical significance, landscaping and design, zoning and land use issues, conditional use permits & design guidelines, and California Environmental Quality Act requirements.
Cultural Affairs Department	To protect, utilize, and promote Los Angeles' cultural, architectural, and historic resources. The Historic Preservation Division of the Cultural Affairs oversees the City's collection of over 700 Historic-Cultural Monuments and staffs the Cultural Affairs Commission, which approves all designs for construction on City property. The Division fosters the development of new leadership in the field with the Historic Preservation Internship Program.
Office of Finance	The Office of Finance (FIN) of the City of Los Angeles is responsible for business license for work within Los Angeles City limits. It provides interpretation of the Business Tax Registration Certificate (BTRC) requirements and assistance in processing the application form for a BTRC. Customer can request copy of legal name of business, fictitious trade names, or business and mailing address of all business owners from the Tax and Permit System (TAPS). Business taxpayers can update the TAPS database to reflect current business information or to cancel their registration certificates. If a project requires compliance with a tax ordinances, the office will identify the fees for payment and provide the clearance approval for permit issuance.