Start with the signed Coastal Development Permit (CDP) rather than the agenda listing. Match its number and project scope to the application, written findings and any applicable Board or appeal action. A scheduled hearing or staff recommendation tells you where to look next; the signed permit is what shows issuance.
Find the project route before reading its agenda
The current Port plan page links a September 2018 Master Plan update. Its CDP routes are nonappealable Level I, issued or denied by the Executive Director and reported to the Board, and Level II, with a Board hearing. Level II can be appealable or nonappealable.
For Harbor District construction, repair or demolition, the Port permits page describes an Application for Port Permit (APP) with location, site plan and work description, and required permits before implementation. An APP reference helps identify the proposal; the issued CDP carries its own number. Copy both identifiers and the berth or site description if shown.
Put four different records on one project line
A workable comparison has columns for document title, APP or CDP number, site, described work, decision body, date and what remains missing. Keep a blank cell blank rather than filling it with a later document from another scope:
- Application and classification: Is the proposed location and work the same across the APP materials and coastal file? Note the route assigned to this project, rather than a route guessed from another Port job.
- Findings and action: Locate the written findings and the actual Board or Executive Director action. A report or recommendation may identify a decision still to come.
- Appeal or finality, if applicable: For an appealable classification, seek the approval notification and any appeal disposition or confirmation of effective approval for that case. Take any deadline from the case’s own notice rather than a general plan paragraph.
- Executed permit: Compare the signed CDP number, permittee, location, work scope, conditions and approval or expiration dates with the earlier file. Only a signature page for this work closes this line.
The plan treats findings, Board action and permit execution separately. Follow the dates on the actual documents and confirm any effective-approval condition with the Harbor Department.
When a recommendation is mistaken for an issued CDP
The March 26, 2026 Port agenda lists CDP 26-02 with APP references and a staff recommendation to approve issuance, alongside an unfilled resolution number. That agenda is a useful project lead, not evidence of a vote, final appeal action or signed permit.
Imagine a fictional folder with APP A for berth work, an agenda naming CDP B, and a signed CDP C for another berth. Ascending dates alone leave them as three separate items. First ask whether A and B describe the same location and scope; then obtain the findings and executed document for B. If C is for a different site, keep it in a separate row. The letters are invented.
If the application, decision or older copy is absent
An address alone may not identify the berth or APP/CDP number. A missed agenda search may mean the item took another route; a missing PDF leaves the permit question open. If only an APP number is known, request the linked CDP identifier or written classification. If the Board material exists but the signed permit is missing, ask for the executed CDP and any amendments. If a signed permit exists but its scope differs from the proposed work, ask which project revision or condition explains the difference.
The Port California Public Records Act page directs Harbor Department requests through NextRequest and advises checking its records archive first. If the archive fails to load, go straight to a NextRequest request. A focused request can name the known APP/CDP number, berth or address, project description and approximate date, then specify the signed CDP, amendments, written findings, Board decision and appeal notification or final action if applicable. These are request descriptors; some older items may no longer be retained.
The Port property-entitlement guide covers Harbor real-estate or use permission; a CDP answers a different question. The Los Angeles building-permit guide addresses city building permits, while the Harbor coastal decision is the CDP.
A CDP, agenda or application does not establish construction completion, fulfillment of every condition, or issuance of a separate building permit. Assess site conditions independently. Port of Los Angeles pages checked October 8, 2026.