How to get every restaurant permit in Los Angeles

Only if the parcel is inside the City of Los Angeles. Look it up in ZIMAS: a City parcel shows a zone, Council District and Community Plan. Cities like Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Pasadena and Long Beach, and unincorporated County areas, have their own building and zoning departments, and Pasadena, Long Beach and Vernon also have their own health departments.

LA County Department of Public Health (Environmental Health) handles plan check, the annual Public Health Permit/License, routine inspections and letter grades for restaurants in the City of LA.

No. County EH says construction shouldn't begin until EH and LADBS approve the plans, and you can't stock food or train staff in the space until EH gives field approval.

Not always. If your site is in a Restaurant Beverage Program area and you meet its standards (sit-down restaurant, 10–150 seats including outdoor, 7 a.m.–11 p.m., no live entertainment, karaoke or DJs, Type 41 or 47), the RBP gives a staff-level approval in about four weeks. Otherwise you need a Conditional Use Beverage (CUB) permit with a public hearing, which takes at least six months. Downtown has its own Alcohol Sales Program instead of the RBP.

A Type 41 (beer & wine) is a new application at $1,135 plus annual fees. Type 47 (full liquor) licenses are quota-limited, so most restaurants buy an existing one on the private market and transfer it through escrow ($1,565 transfer fee plus $975 if moving premises), or win one in ABC's priority drawing ($19,840).

ABC investigations typically take 55–65 days and can't finish in less than 30, because the application notice must be posted for 30 days. Protests can add months, and the City approval (RBP or CUB) must be in place.

Yes — LADBS's Restaurant & Small Business Express Program assigns a free case manager to coordinate Planning, Fire, Health and Sanitation from design through the Certificate of Occupancy. BusinessSource Centers also offer free help.

Only if the use changes (e.g. retail or office to restaurant) or it's a new building. Pull the existing CofO in PRISM first; a change of use can trigger parking and accessibility upgrades.

Yes, through LA Al Fresco: sidewalk and on-street dining are Bureau of Engineering Revocable Permits (on-street also reviewed by LADOT), and private-property patios need an LADBS permit. Serving alcohol outdoors needs a separate City Planning clearance, and Coastal Zone sites also need a Coastal Development Permit.

The City business tax (renew by the last day of February; small businesses with $100,000 or less in gross receipts can claim an exemption by renewing on time), plus any annual permits such as the Tobacco Retailer's Permit. The County health permit and ABC license renew annually too.

Yes. LA County classes 'Bars (no kitchen)' as low-risk food facilities: you still go through County plan check (ice, glassware washing, hand sinks) and hold an annual Public Health Permit, with one routine inspection a year. For alcohol you use ABC's public-premises licenses (Type 42 beer & wine or Type 48 spirits), minors may not enter, and the City's Restaurant Beverage Program does not apply — plan on a Conditional Use Beverage permit.

No separate City late-hours permit exists. Your hours are set by the alcohol conditions — the RBP stops at 11 p.m., so a concept open past midnight needs a CUB with late hours written into it — and by ABC's statewide 2–6 a.m. ban on consumption. Police Commission permits apply only if you add entertainment or dancing.

California does not ban happy hours, but ABC rules against serving obviously intoxicated patrons and any hours/promotion conditions written into your CUB or ABC license still apply. Keep pricing honest and do not run specials past the hours in your conditions. (Confirm specific promotion rules with the ABC LA/Metro district office — not stated on the ABC FAQ page.)

No permit. The City's 15% delivery-fee cap only applies during COVID capacity restrictions (it is dormant), but since January 1, 2025 state law requires delivery platforms to have a written agreement with you before listing your restaurant, and the platform must disclose its fees up front. Delivery-only (ghost) kitchens still need the County health permit and City business tax registration.

The truck is its own County food facility: plan check in Baldwin Park ($544–$741), construction evaluation, final inspection and an annual Mobile Food Facility permit ($325–$761), plus a commissary agreement (your restaurant can be the commissary if it holds the County commissary category, $678 a year for 1–10 trucks). Register the truck for City business tax and follow LAMC 80.73 parking rules.

Treat it as hazardous equipment: the oven, its dedicated hood/duct and spark arrestor go into the LAFD plan review and LADBS mechanical plan check, and LAFD inspects before opening. LAFD does not publish a solid-fuel checklist, so confirm with Fire Development Services ((213) 482-6900). Charcoal and wood grills are not covered by AQMD Rule 1138, which targets chain-driven charbroilers.

Check the Coastal Zone layer in ZIMAS. Interior-only work with the same use gets a Coastal Exemption through OAS; a change of use (retail to restaurant) or outdoor dining needs a Coastal Development Permit, which takes months and can be appealed to the Coastal Commission.

Federal EIN, EDD payroll registration (within 15 days of paying $100+ in wages in a quarter), workers' compensation insurance before the first shift, the City minimum wage/paid sick leave notice ($18.42/hour from July 1, 2026; 48 hours sick leave), the State DIR postings, a written Cal/OSHA Injury & Illness Prevention Program, food handler cards within 30 days of hire, and RBS certification for alcohol servers within 60 days.