To find a certificate of occupancy (CofO) for a Los Angeles property, search the address in LADBS’s PRISM records search, which holds certificates of occupancy back to 1940, and check the permit’s status in the city’s permit data. LADBS issues a CofO under a building permit for new construction, additions and changes of occupancy once the inspector has approved the work, according to its FAQ. A remodel that adds no space and changes no use usually ends with a final inspection instead.
Reaching that certificate takes time. Of 16,018 permits issued in 2021 and 2022 for new one- and two-family homes and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), 79.2% had a CofO by October 2026, by our count from city data. The median wait from permit issue to CofO was 439 days, about 14 months, and about one in seven permits still read “Issued” with no certificate.
How to find a certificate of occupancy in Los Angeles
- Open PRISM (LADBS’s Permit & Records Information Search Module) and search by address.
- Look for documents labeled Certificate of Occupancy. A newer certificate replaces the older one for the same building or the part of it that changed.
- Check the permit itself in the LADBS permit data or LADBS’s permit status search. A status of “CofO Issued” shows the date; “CofO in Progress” means the certificate is being processed.
- For a certificate you cannot find as a PDF, send LADBS a Records Research Request Form.
- For a building occupied before the final certificate, look for a temporary certificate. LADBS takes temporary CofO payments online, and a temporary certificate is separate from the final one.
How long new homes and ADUs take to reach a CofO
We downloaded all LADBS building permits for one- and two-family dwellings issued in 2021 and 2022 from the city permit data on October 24, 2026, and kept new building permits and any permit that recorded an added ADU or junior ADU. These are our calculations. Days run from permit issue to the CofO date in the same record; the submitted-to-issued column is a different period, shown separately.
| Project type (permit record) | Permits issued 2021–2022 | CofO issued by Oct. 2026 | Median days, issued to CofO | 75th percentile days, issued to CofO | Still “Issued,” no CofO | Median days, submitted to issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New house, no ADU recorded | 4,387 | 82.6% | 469 | 778 | 12.3% | 282 |
| New building permit that adds an ADU | 2,834 | 80.6% | 508 | 747 | 13.8% | 259 |
| ADU built as an addition | 3,582 | 77.9% | 449 | 691 | 15.8% | 196 |
| ADU by conversion (alter/repair permit) | 4,372 | 76.4% | 364 | 583 | 14.5% | 116 |
| Junior ADU only | 843 | 77.0% | 359 | 603 | 14.8% | 110 |
| All five groups | 16,018 | 79.2% | 439 | — | — | — |
- Conversions finish fastest: an ADU made by converting existing space reached its CofO in a median of 364 days, about 3.5 months sooner than a new house.
- Two years is a common horizon, not a guarantee: 59% to 64% of each group had a CofO within two years of the permit.
- The slow tail is long: one in ten new houses that got a CofO needed more than 1,110 days, about three years.
- Unfinished files: 2,255 of the permits still read “Issued” four years later, 213 conversion permits were finaled with no CofO recorded, and 204 permits across the groups expired.
What the certificate data shows
The city’s separate Certificate of Occupancy data lists every certificate LADBS issued. We counted those issued from 2023 through 2025.
- Rising count: 11,985 certificates in 2023, 12,695 in 2024 and 13,666 in 2025.
- Mostly homes: in 2025, additions to one- and two-family dwellings (4,828), new one- and two-family buildings (3,190) and alterations (2,443) made up about 77% of certificates. Pool and spa permits on house lots accounted for 1,502.
- ADUs are a large share: 3,747 certificates in 2025 (27.4%) mention an ADU or accessory dwelling in the work description. Descriptions are cut short in the data, so this is a minimum.
- Corrections happen: 634 certificates issued in 2023–2025 now read “CofO Corrected,” so read the latest version.
Checklist before you buy a Los Angeles home with new space or an ADU
- Certificate of occupancy for each new building or ADU found in PRISM, with an address and unit count that match the listing.
- Permit status reads “CofO Issued,” not “Issued” or “Permit Finaled” alone, for work that should have a certificate.
- Use on the certificate matches how the space is used today (garage, dwelling unit, accessory structure).
- Any temporary certificate followed by a final one.
- For a permit still open years later, a written answer from the seller on what is left and who will finish it, and LADBS’s current status for the permit.
For the full permit search, see our Los Angeles building permit search guide. Our certificate of occupancy lookup guide compares other cities, including Seattle and New York City, and our analysis of unfinished renovation permits covers Los Angeles remodels.
Counts are our calculations from LADBS Building Permits (permits for 1 or 2 Family Dwellings issued 2021–2022, permit types Bldg-New, Bldg-Addition and Bldg-Alter/Repair, with ADU and junior ADU fields; data refreshed October 18, 2026) and Building and Safety Certificate of Occupancy (updated October 19, 2026), both downloaded October 24, 2026. LADBS pages checked October 24, 2026.