03 - Address Approval (Creation of Additional Units / New or Unrecognized Address)

In order to coordinate the assignment of street addresses throughout the City, the City Engineer is authorized by ordinance to designate all street address numbers on buildings within the City. To accomplish this task, standard procedures have been established for assigning street address numbers. As part of this procedure, all building permit applications are referred to the City Engineer for checking of property descriptions and assignment or approval of street address numbers. 

An address is the number used for the purpose of identifying a building or property on a particular street and may include a letter or number used to identify a unit, suite, building or property. The purpose of address change, verification and issuance is to:

• Establish street address numbers
• Prescribe their location on buildings, structures and parking lots
• Order the installation, change, substitution and removal of all such numbers

Note: BOE created the Customer Service Request (CSR) Portal (located in the Customer Portal) to allow members of the public to make contact with City Staff for questions and/or assistance on any permit or development services related matter.  This includes requesting clearances for building permits.

Processing the BOE Clearance for Address Approval (Creation of Additional Units / New or Unrecognized Address)

The following is the process of updating Address Approval clearance status on the Clearance Summary Worksheet.  This process is done through the LA Department of Building and Safety's (LADBS) Plan Check and Inspection System (PCIS) under the module called "Clearances".

BOE staff should verify the following:

1. Go to NavigateLA and verify the following:
   1. Address and legal description (Tract, Block, Lot(s), and Assessor Parcel Number (APN)) on the building permit application is correct and match (Applicant may provide a copy to BOE or BOE can look up the application in PCIS)
   2. Read the description of work proposed and determine how many addresses will be required for the project and assign accordingly (see Address Assignment and Maintenance Procedures in the Other BOE Permits/Processes section of this manual)
   3. Any changes in legal description or address changes must be noted in the "Comments" section of the Clearance Summary Worksheet within PCIS
2. BOE staff to login to PCIS and complete the following (additional instructions can also be found in the "Plan Check and Inspection System (PCIS) Usage document in this manual.
   1. Click the "Clearance" module button
   2. Enter the Application number in the "Application #" field
   3. Click the "Agency Specific Search" button
   4. Confirm Address Approval is listed in the Condition / Clearance Name field
   5. Click the "Comment" box in the upper right side on the screen
      1. Insert the temporary address that is assigned by BOE staff until Certificate of Occupancy is issued
         1. Sample Comment 1 - Temporary address for new SFD is 3919 N. Main St until to CofO
         2. Sample Comment 2 - Use existing address 
   6. Change status to one of the following based on the description of work proposed:
      1. Pending - Not used
      2. Denied - Used for non-dwelling units such as carports, retaining walls, pools, etc.
      3. Approved - Used when there are no changes to address or legal description
      4. Approved with Conditions - Used when BOE is required to assign a new address or modify the existing address or legal description
      5. Approved for Drainage - Not used
      6. Exempt - Not used
      7. Not Required - Not used
   7. Click "Save Status" (if this is not clicked, the worksheet will not save)