Los Angeles · Ground-up Residential
Los Angeles New Construction Contractor — Custom Homes, Hillside, Fire Rebuild & Small Multifamily
Custom homes, teardown rebuilds, hillside construction, fire rebuilds, SB9 feasibility, and 2–6 unit small multifamily across Los Angeles County — under one design-build contract with realistic permit and budget expectations.
At a glance
A buildable path starts with the right questions.
LA County is not one permit market — it is LADBS plus more than 80 independent contract cities, each with its own planning, plan-check, hillside, coastal, fire, and historic-overlay rules. A serious LA ground-up build starts with a written feasibility review against the specific jurisdiction, not a generic LADBS timeline.
This is suited to
- Westside, South Bay, and Eastside owners weighing teardown rebuild vs major remodel.
- Hillside owners in the Hollywood Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, Mount Washington, Silver Lake, and the Palisades.
- Owners rebuilding after the Palisades, Eaton, or Altadena fires.
- Investors evaluating SB9 lot splits or 2–6 unit infill in qualifying single-family neighborhoods.
Local planning card
What changes this project here.
City-level orientation only. Confirm every requirement for the exact parcel and defined scope.
Address-specific planning comes first
The community plan, zoning and mapped overlays determine which studies and agencies belong in a ground-up feasibility review. Los Angeles-wide averages cannot answer that.
Sources verified 2026-09-24. Weather and source refreshes do not change this page's publication date.
Project consideration 01
LA County is not one jurisdiction
LADBS handles City of Los Angeles parcels. Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Culver City, West Hollywood, Manhattan Beach, Long Beach, Malibu, and many other cities run their own building and planning departments. Unincorporated LA County uses LA County Public Works / Building & Safety. Each has its own correction rhythm, design-review process, and hillside rules.
We do not assume LADBS rules apply outside the City of LA. The feasibility review names the specific authority, the specific overlay (hillside, coastal, HPOZ, VHFHSZ), and the specific reviews each project will trigger.
Project consideration 02
Project types we run in LA
Custom homes
Flat-lot or hillside, infill or replacement, 2,000–8,000+ sq ft on most LA single-family lots.
Teardown rebuilds
Demo + ground-up replacement under LADBS or the relevant contract-city building department.
Fire rebuilds
Post-fire ground-up replacement homes — Palisades, Eaton, Altadena, Woolsey-zone Malibu — coordinated with insurance scope.
Hillside construction
Caisson and grade-beam foundations, retaining walls, engineered drainage, and view-corridor coordination.
SB9 duplex / lot split
Eligibility screening against current state law plus the relevant city's SB9 implementation ordinance.
Small multifamily
2-unit, 3-unit, fourplex, and 5–6 unit infill in qualifying R-zoned parcels.
Project consideration 03
Hillside and slope conditions
Hillside areas inside the City of LA fall under the LADBS Hillside Ordinance and trigger additional grading, drainage, slope-stability, and access requirements. Comparable rules exist in Beverly Hills, Malibu, and the Santa Monica Mountains coastal slope. Foundations are usually drilled caissons or grade-beam systems, retaining walls are engineered for surcharge and seismic loads, and drainage is routed to an approved discharge point.
Project consideration 04
Palisades, Altadena, and LA County fire rebuilds
Fire-rebuild owners face an additional layer: insurance coordination, debris/demo status, like-for-like vs revised design, expedited recovery permit tracks, and the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) requirements that now apply to the rebuilt structure. LA City's Recovery Permitting Center for Palisades-area properties and LA County's Unified Permit Center for Altadena-area properties offer streamlined paths when the rebuild stays within defined parameters.
We start fire-rebuild engagements with insurance scope review, lot survey, and a recovery-permit feasibility note before any drawings begin.
Project consideration 05
HPOZ, coastal, and other overlays
Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZ) operate across LA City and several contract cities — design changes inside an HPOZ go through additional design review. Coastal zone parcels (Santa Monica, Venice, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, parts of the Palisades) trigger Coastal Commission appeal jurisdiction. Very-High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) trigger Chapter 7A ignition-resistant construction requirements.
Project consideration 06
Utility upgrades, demo, and rebuild logistics
Service upgrades (LADWP/SCE electrical, gas disconnect, sewer lateral) are scheduled inside the construction timeline, not afterward. Demolition requires a separate permit, asbestos/lead testing, and utility disconnects. Hauling routes and crane set are pre-planned with the city when required.
Project consideration 07
SB9 and small infill — what is actually feasible
California's SB9 allows urban lot splits and two-unit development on qualifying single-family lots, but local implementation in LA City and contract cities adds setback, parking, and frontage rules that determine whether a specific lot can deliver four total units. SB9 also has tenant-protection screens, historic exclusions, and hazard-zone exclusions that can disqualify a lot.
We screen SB9 feasibility against the current state statute and the specific city's implementation ordinance before pricing anything.
Questions
What owners ask first.
- Do you only work in the City of Los Angeles?
- No — we work across LA County, including most contract cities. We confirm jurisdiction during feasibility and adjust the permit plan to match.
- How long does a custom home take in LA?
- Typical range is 22–36 months brief-to-keys: 6–10 months design + permit, 14–24 months construction. Hillside, coastal, and historic-overlay projects sit at the longer end.
- How much does ground-up new construction cost in LA?
- Honest 2026 ranges land roughly $475–$900+ per sq ft turnkey for custom single-family, with hillside, coastal, and luxury finishes pushing higher. Per-sq-ft is a starting point — the cost page breaks out the drivers.
- Do you handle Palisades or Altadena fire rebuilds?
- Yes — see the dedicated fire-rebuild page. Engagement starts with insurance scope review and a recovery-permit feasibility note.
- Can I split my LA lot under SB9 and build four units?
- Sometimes — it depends on lot size, frontage, setbacks, tenant history, historic status, hazard overlays, and the specific city's SB9 implementation ordinance. We screen feasibility before pricing.
- Do you only do LADBS, or other LA cities too?
- Both. We regularly permit through Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Glendale, Culver City, Malibu, Long Beach, and unincorporated LA County, in addition to LADBS.
- Can I tear down and rebuild larger?
- Sometimes — it depends on FAR, lot coverage, height, setbacks, hillside rules, and the existing zoning envelope. Many LA lots can rebuild larger; not all can.
Official sources
- LADBS — Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety
City of Los Angeles · City of LA building permits, plan-check, and inspection.
- LA City Planning
City of Los Angeles · Zoning, HPOZ overlays, hillside and coastal review.
- LA County Building & Safety
Los Angeles County Public Works · Unincorporated LA County permits and inspections.
- LADBS Recovery & Rebuild Resources
City of Los Angeles · Post-fire and post-disaster rebuild permit guidance for City of LA parcels.
- LA County Disaster Recovery Permit Resources
Los Angeles County · Unincorporated LA County recovery permitting, including Altadena/Eaton fire context.
- California Office of the State Fire Marshal — Chapter 7A / WUI
CAL FIRE / OSFM · Wildland-Urban Interface ignition-resistant construction requirements.
RSA location
Based in Beverly Hills, serving Greater Los Angeles.
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