General Contractor in Lomita, CA
A general contractor in Lomita starts with one question: which side of Pacific Coast Highway is the lot on? South of it, nothing may pass 16 feet and one story without a Height Variation Permit. North of it, 1940s to 1960s lots set the terms. MDG Builders, CSLB #1040337, manages eleven trades here and marks every rule still unconfirmed.
Eleven trade guides for Lomita homes, north and south of PCH
Each guide applies Lomita's code sections, view rules and older housing to one trade and says what we could not confirm. Start with the one closest to your project.
Kitchen Remodeling in Lomita
Permit questions for opened walls, a City report at sale, 1950s wiring, a 0.60 floor area cap and a ban on kitchens in accessory buildings.
See Lomita kitchen remodeling →
Bathroom Remodeling in Lomita
Lomita's permit line for bath work, plumbing in homes built before 1950, renters and mobile homes, lead-safe rules and the sale report.
See Lomita bathroom remodeling →
ADU Construction in Lomita
Lomita's ADU route: the June 2026 rewrite, a 16 foot limit south of Pacific Coast Highway, two unit classes, parking and the 60 day clock.
See Lomita ADU construction →
Room Additions in Lomita
Lomita's 0.60 floor area ratio, setbacks, view permit south of Pacific Coast Highway, old wells, curb rule and who issues the permit.
See Lomita room additions →
Roofing in Lomita
A 16 foot height cap south of Pacific Coast Highway, 1950s roofs, almost no fire map exposure and a permit office to confirm for Lomita homes.
See Lomita roofing →
Windows in Lomita
Lead-safe rules for Lomita's older homes, an open permit question, glass labels, fire zone edges and window rules for an ADU or addition.
See Lomita window replacement →
Flooring in Lomita
Pre-1980 homes, asbestos and lead checks, the permit and issuing-office question, sale reports, rentals and mobile homes in Lomita.
See Lomita flooring →
Painting in Lomita
No historic color review, a lead-safe rule for 79 percent of homes, ADU color matching and sourced paint prices for Lomita houses.
See Lomita painting →
Concrete in Lomita
Driveway width limits, front yard paving, abandoned oil wells, curb and sidewalk rules, patios, retaining walls and pour costs in Lomita.
See Lomita concrete work →
Decks in Lomita
The 16 foot view limit south of Pacific Coast Highway, the 200 square foot permit line, yard projections, pool fences and deck repair in Lomita.
See Lomita deck building →
Fencing in Lomita
42 inch fronts and corner yards, 6 foot sides, a chain link ban up front, a driveway gate rule and pool barriers for Lomita lots.
See Lomita fencing →Which Lomita rules decide your project before a contractor ever starts?
Lomita's past is small and unusually specific. In 1907 the W. I. Hollingsworth Company bought about seven square miles beneath the Palos Verdes hills for a Dunkard colony, and the first churches opened in 1909. Oil turned up in 1923, and truck farms in the 1930s earned the town the nickname Celery Capital of the World. After World War II, Torrance annexed large parts of the original subdivision until only 1.87 of those seven square miles were left. Residents voted Lomita into cityhood on June 30, 1964, partly to stop further annexation and keep high-rise apartments out. Census Bureau 2020 to 2024 estimates, five-year figures because the city is too small for the one-year release, count 7,904 housing units. Half are detached houses, 54.1 percent of occupied units are rented, 26 percent sit in buildings of five or more units and about 7 percent are mobile homes. About 16 percent date from before 1950, 40 percent from the 1950s and 1960s and 79 percent from before 1980, with a median owner-occupied value of $831,500. The City's Housing Element places the older units on large lots between Pacific Coast Highway and Lomita Boulevard and the 1970s and 1980s subdivisions south of the highway. Age brings lead-safe rules to a repaint, a window swap or a bathroom remodel, and old wiring and plumbing behind a kitchen remodel. Vinyl laid before 1980 can hide asbestos under new flooring.
Permits are where Lomita gets confusing. The City's Building and Safety page says Lomita now handles plan check, permits and inspections itself through the GeoCivix portal. Its Planning page still sends by-right projects such as additions, ADUs, garages and pools through LA County Building and Safety after a staff pre-review. The two pages disagree, so phone City Hall before you assume where an application goes. The official Municode site loads only with JavaScript, which our research tools cannot run. Every code section on our Lomita pages was read on the GoCodebook mirror as it stood on October 4, 2026, including Ordinance 891 of June 16, 2026, and it may trail the official text, so confirm anything that matters with the City. That text adopts LA County Titles 26, 30, 31 and 33, which in turn adopt the 2025 California codes. We have not read the County amendments, and we print no permit fees. The permit-exempt lists we cite come from the City of Albany's copy of the state Residential Code R105.2, not from a Lomita document.
The rule that makes Lomita different is the view limit. Residential lots south of Pacific Coast Highway are held to 16 feet and one story, and anything taller than 16 feet above natural grade needs a Height Variation Permit under section 11-1.70.11. The applicant collects signatures from adjacent owners, builds a silhouette on the lot and waits while the City notifies owners within 300 feet. Objections are due in 14 days, and a Planning Commission hearing follows if the director finds a significant view blocked or 5 percent of those notified object. That process reaches a room addition, a tall ADU, a raised roofline on a re-roof and a high deck. Elsewhere the residential zones share a 27 foot height limit, a 20 foot front yard and side yards of 10 percent of lot width, never under 3 feet or over 5. Lots in the A-1 and R-1 zones also carry a 0.60 floor area ratio. Ordinance 891 rewrote that table, so check each number against the current code. At least half of a front yard must stay irrigated and drought-tolerant, which limits a wider driveway or a new concrete pad, and a front fence stops at 42 inches. The zone list has no historic or hillside overlay.
Selling is part of the picture too. Section 11-1.59.03 has the seller order a City residential property report within three business days of signing, and the City's inspection notes apparent unpermitted construction that must be corrected within 90 days. Below ground, Lomita's 1923 oil discovery matters: sections 4-2.33 and 4-2.34 require the owner of any abandoned oil or water well to cap or fill it, and let the City do it if the owner will not. On fire, the Safety Element says no fire hazard severity zones lie inside the city. The State Fire Marshal's March 24, 2025 map, read from its image, shows small Moderate and High patches along the southeast edge near Palos Verdes Drive North and Western Avenue. The City put adoption of that map (Ordinance 874) on its July 1, 2025 agenda, but we could not confirm it passed, so ask about your parcel. We make no landslide or liquefaction claim for any lot. Torrance Airport's weather record, about 1.5 miles away, shows 13.64 inches of rain a year, mostly December through March, and only 5.8 days at 90 degrees or above. MDG Builders (CSLB #1040337) designs the job, pulls the permits and manages it, while licensed specialty subcontractors do the field work, and you may ask for each one's license and certificate of insurance. Our subcontractor article explains the arrangement, and our license check guide shows how to verify it. Neighboring pages cover Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Carson, Gardena and Los Angeles.
- Pacific Coast Highway splits the city between older large lots and 1970s and 1980s subdivisions.
- South of the highway, residential building height stops at 16 feet and one story.
- Cityhood came on June 30, 1964, after annexations cut the original townsite to 1.87 square miles.
- About 79 percent of homes predate 1980, and 54.1 percent of occupied units are rented.
- Ordinance 891 rewrote the residential zoning table on June 16, 2026.
- Sections 4-2.33 and 4-2.34 require abandoned oil or water wells to be capped or filled.
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Lomita contractor questions about permits, views and old houses
How tall can I build south of Pacific Coast Highway in Lomita?
Sixteen feet and one story, excluding a basement, unless the City grants a Height Variation Permit. The permit needs adjacent-owner signatures, a silhouette on the lot and notice to owners within 300 feet. We read this on the GoCodebook mirror, so confirm the current text with the Planning Division first.
Does the City or LA County issue my Lomita building permit?
We cannot say for certain, because the City's own pages disagree. Its Building and Safety page says Lomita now runs plan check, permits and inspections through the GeoCivix portal. Its Planning page still routes by-right projects through LA County. Call City Hall and ask which office reviews your scope.
Is my Lomita house in a fire hazard severity zone?
Probably not, but we cannot clear a specific address. The City's Safety Element says no fire hazard zones lie inside Lomita, while the State Fire Marshal's 2025 map shows small Moderate and High patches at the southeast edge. Whether the City adopted that map is unconfirmed. Ask the City about your parcel.
Do I need a licensed contractor to work on my Lomita home?
Almost always yes. California lets an unlicensed person do work only up to $1,000 for labor and materials combined, and CSLB says that exemption ends if the job needs a building permit or you hire any worker. Penalties for unlicensed contracting include fines up to $15,000 and possible jail time.
Is there lead paint in my Lomita house?
Likely, if it was built before 1978. About 79 percent of Lomita's homes predate 1980, and EPA's lead-safe renovation rule applies to paid work that disturbs paint in older housing, including window replacement. Minor repair is exempt only below 6 square feet per room inside or 20 square feet outside.
What does the City's residential property report mean for a Lomita sale?
It is an inspection the seller must order within three business days of signing the sale agreement. The City notes apparent unpermitted construction, and violations on the report must be corrected within 90 days under section 11-1.59.06. The report expires after six months, so unpermitted work found there can slow a closing.
What should I do if an old oil well turns up on my Lomita lot?
Stop digging and call the City. Section 4-2.33 requires whoever owns or controls the premises to cap or fill any abandoned oil or water well so that no one can fall in and the cap cannot be moved by accident. Section 4-2.34 lets the City do the capping if the owner does not.
Can I build an ADU on my Lomita lot?
Most likely, because Lomita reviews ADUs ministerially under section 11-1.30.07, rewritten by Ordinance 891 on June 16, 2026. The City has 15 business days to check completeness and 60 days after that to decide. Anything over 16 feet south of the highway still needs a Height Variation Permit.
Tell us about your Lomita job
Give us the cross streets and a few lines on the work. We first confirm which side of Pacific Coast Highway the lot sits on, then tell you which Lomita approvals your scope is likely to need and which office to ask.