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CITY OF LOS ANGELES HISTORIC PRESERVATION OVERLAY ZONES (HPOZ):

How to Report a Violation (Code Enforcement)

Filing a Report (non-emergency)
In an Emergency

The strong and consistent enforcement of HPOZ protections is critical to the effectiveness of the city’s HPOZ program.

If something happens in your neighborhood that you feel violates your HPOZ’s preservation regulations, call 311 to report violations or file a report on the website of the relevant city agency below. If you can, photograph the site to document the damage.

In an emergency, contact the code enforcement inspector for your HPOZ directly.

Filing a Report (Non-Emergency)

Department of Building and Safety
866-452-2489
For: Single-family residential, commercial, industrial, and vacant buildings

Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD)
866-557-7368
For: Properties with two or more dwelling units (duplexes and apartment buildings)

Note: If you live in a single-family residence that at one time may have been a duplex or triplex, it may still be registered with the Los Angeles Housing Department.

Before you file the report:
If you’re not sure if the work was permitted and want to check before submitting a violation report, you can enter the address into the Property Activity Report database at the Department of Building and Safety or the Los Angeles Housing Department.

Gregory Ain Mar Vista HPOZ, City of Los Angeles; photo by LAC staff

The Property Activity Report will tell you if a permit was issued but not the details of what was approved by the HPOZ board or Planning Department. If you suspect that the work does not comply with the HPOZ regulations, or if it is work that would not require a permit, you can still file a violation report, and the code enforcement inspector will investigate.

When reporting a violation, you will need to provide:

• The address of the property in question
• A description of what you believe the violation is
• The name of the HPOZ

2007 HPOZ Conference at the University Park HPOZ; photo by LAC staff

A code enforcement inspector will investigate the report within three working days. If a violation is confirmed, the inspector may issue a non-compliance letter to the property owner with a period of time to comply. If the violation continues beyond the time period, non-compliance fees and additional penalties such as inspection fees can be imposed.

Both agencies named above are responsible for enforcing all building laws throughout the city, including building codes, vacant/abandoned buildings, habitability, property maintenance, and life and safety issues. The Los Angeles Housing Department is also responsible for rent and landlord concerns.

HPOZ enforcement is only one of many quality of life issues these agencies oversee, and no inspector is assigned solely to monitor HPOZ compliance. With limited staff and resources, they depend on citizens to report suspected violations.

In an Emergency

Pacino/Larkin House on the 2006 Conservancy HPOZ tour; photo by Larry Underhill

We all know how quickly a building can be altered or demolished, particularly if the work is done without a permit. The fastest way to stop a code violation in progress is by having an inspector come out to issue a stop-work order, which is signed by the property owner or other representative at the site.

If the situation is urgent and requires immediate attention, contact the code enforcement inspector for your HPOZ directly. For their contact information, find the agenda for your most recent HPOZ board meeting (below).

The agenda will contain the name and phone number of the current Building and Safety or Housing Department code enforcement inspector assigned to your HPOZ. It will also contain contact information for the city planner assigned to your HPOZ, who might know whether the work was approved and may be able to follow up with the inspector.

To find the agenda for your most recent HPOZ board meeting:

• Go to the Department of City Planning website
• Click on Meetings and Hearings in the left column
• Click on the region that contains your HPOZ (see list of HPOZs and regions on the main HPOZ page)
• Click on Agendas in the main frame
• Locate the most recent agenda for your HPOZ (see example)
• Open the agenda (PDF document) and go to the very end (see example)

If no recent agenda is listed, call the city's Office of Historic Resources at 213-978-1200.

See the main HPOZ page of this site to find out which region contains your HPOZ.

If you do not reach the inspector or planner, leave a voicemail message and send them an e-mail about the property, or contact your City Council representative. You should also report the violation by phone or on the web as outlined above and state in your report that you believe the violation requires immediate attention.

Back to HPOZ Page

One of L.A.'s first suburbs, the hilltop residential area of Angelino Heights lies two miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, near the communities of Echo Park and Silver Lake. The area was planned as a respectable, genteel Victorian suburb for Los Angeles' late 19th-century upper-middle class. The first designated HPOZ in the city, Angelino Heights contains some of the best remaining examples of Victorian architecture in Los Angeles, as well as later examples of the Craftsman and Mission Revival styles. The 1300 block of Carroll Avenue is listed as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places and contains the highest concentration of 19th-century Victorian homes in all of Los Angeles.