Concrete Companyin Los Angeles, CA
Concrete work in the City of Los Angeles splits in two: a new driveway that cuts the curb needs apron approval from the Bureau of Engineering, while a low walk or slab on your lot may be exempt from a building permit, so confirm with LADBS. In a historic district, City Planning reviews it regardless.
A concrete job here might be a new driveway on a Sherman Oaks lot, a front walk in Hollywood or a patio behind a Highland Park bungalow, and each one can involve a different office. LADBS handles the building permit, the Bureau of Engineering handles anything at the curb, and City Planning steps in when the lot sits in a historic district or a Hillside Area. The pour itself is the simple part.
Our concrete guide covers mixes, joints, finishes and thickness; this page covers what changes inside the city limits. On a concrete job MDG plans the layout, works out which approvals apply and manages the schedule, and the forming, pouring and finishing are done by a licensed concrete subcontractor under our contract. The Los Angeles overview shows how these offices fit together for other trades.
Concrete rules in the City of Los Angeles, with sources
Where concrete permits come from in Los Angeles: Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS).
- Freestanding concrete block fence walls built to LADBS bulletin P/BC 2026-096 are on the express list in residential zones, up to 6 feet high, and not in the required front yard or within 5 feet of the side street lot line of a reverse corner lot.
- A new driveway that cuts the curb needs driveway apron approval from Public Works, Bureau of Engineering, according to LADBS's homeowner guide.
- In an HPOZ, concrete alterations need City Planning approval even when no building permit is required.
- The 2025 City Clerk copy of the LAMC 91.106.2 amendment lists platforms, walks and driveways not more than 30 inches above grade and not over a basement or story below as exempt from a building permit. Confirm the current edition with LADBS.
- LADBS's homeowner guide says to call for footing inspection after the reinforcing steel, forms and groundwork plumbing and electrical are in, and before any concrete is poured.
Do you need a permit for concrete work like a driveway or walkway in the City of Los Angeles?
Two answers apply, one for your lot and one for the street. On private property, a low walk or driveway may be exempt from a building permit under the City Clerk copy of the LAMC 91.106.2 amendment listed above, but that copy was not confirmed as the adopted text. Confirm the current edition with LADBS before anyone breaks out the old slab. A raised patio more than 30 inches up, or any slab over a garage or basement below, sits outside that exemption.
At the curb the answer is firmer. A new driveway that cuts the curb needs apron approval from Public Works, so the slab behind your property line and the apron in front of it are approved by different offices. Widening a driveway is where people get caught: a wider slab on the lot may need nothing, but a wider opening at the curb is exactly what the Bureau of Engineering approval covers. Ask before the saw cut, not after.
Next door, the rules are not the same. Culver City, Inglewood, Santa Monica and Glendale run their own building and public works departments, so a driveway approved there tells you nothing about one inside Los Angeles.
Why does City Planning review concrete work such as a patio in an HPOZ?
Because in a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone the review is about what the property looks like, not whether a building permit is needed. City Planning's HPOZ FAQ says concrete alterations need its approval even where LADBS asks for no permit, so a new front walk or a replaced driveway in Highland Park-Garvanza goes to the HPOZ planner before it goes to the subcontractor.
Bring the planner a simple site plan, the finish and color, and photos of what is there now, since the review is of the visible result. City Planning lists 36 adopted HPOZ names, each with its own Preservation Plan, so check ZIMAS or ask City Planning whether your parcel is in one before signing a concrete proposal.
A designated City historic monument goes a step further. LADBS's homeowner guide says those buildings need Cultural Affairs Commission approval before construction begins, and work in a Specific Plan area needs City Planning approval first.
Stamped or colored concrete in a front yard is the kind of change worth showing the HPOZ planner early.
Concrete work on a Los Angeles hillside lot: retaining walls and grading
Hillside concrete is rarely flatwork alone. A level patio on a sloped lot in Encino or Woodland Hills usually means cutting into the slope or filling against a wall, and that brings grading, a retaining wall and drainage into the scope. On single family lots zoned R1, RS, RE or RA in a designated Hillside Area, the Baseline Hillside Ordinance limits grading by lot size; it applies when ZI-2462 shows on the ZIMAS profile, so we read the limit from the lot rather than guessing.
Retaining walls are where the general rule on our trade page meets the slope. A wall over 4 feet, or one holding back a slope, driveway or building, should be treated as permit-required, and on a Hillside Area lot the review depends on the address. A block retaining wall is C-29 masonry work, a poured wall is concrete work, and either one needs drainage behind it.
Choosing a concrete company for a Los Angeles hillside: haul routes, work hours and access
Large soil moves are their own process. Importing or exporting more than 1,000 cubic yards in the hillside Special Grading Area takes a haul route hearing before the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners, and LADBS bulletin P/BC 2026-134 lists a $529.00 filing fee for the first 1,000 cubic yards plus surcharges. Most patios never come close, but a terraced yard with tall walls can.
Access shapes the schedule too. In the Hillside Construction Regulation areas, which include Bel Air, Beverly Crest and Laurel Canyon, work runs weekdays from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and haul trucks are capped at four trips per hour, so a big demolition load-out or pour is planned around that cap.
What does an LADBS footing inspection check before concrete goes in?
Where a permit applies, the inspector has to see the work while it is still open. LADBS's homeowner guide puts the footing inspection after the steel, forms and any plumbing or electrical in the ground are in place, and before concrete arrives. Miss that window and there is nothing left to inspect but a finished surface.
That one visit sets the calendar for a block wall footing, a slab for a garage conversion or a footing under a deck. We book the inspection first and order the ready-mix behind it, so a truck is not waiting on a sign-off. When the slab is one part of a bigger project, our garage conversion permit steps show where the footing inspection sits in the full sequence.
Older lots add their own surprises once the old concrete is out: buried pipes, past repairs and fill nobody recorded. With nearly half the City's housing built before 1960, the proposal should say how anything found under the old slab will be priced before demolition begins.
Concrete details from Los Angeles lots
Three views of the forms, rebar and finishes behind a Los Angeles concrete job. Tap a photo to enlarge it.
What concrete costs around Los Angeles
On the concrete price table, plain broom-finished patios, walks and slabs of 300 square feet or more run $8 to $14 per square foot in Los Angeles, decorative finishes $15 to $30, and driveway replacement with demolition $9 to $20. Retaining walls carry no published per-foot figure: height, footing, steel, drainage, engineering and hillside access set their price. The same lot often needs other work, so see decks in Los Angeles, ADU construction in Los Angeles and fencing in Los Angeles. Hillside and grading rules are local, so concrete in Glendale or Pasadena needs its own check against the Glendale building overview and the Pasadena building overview.
| What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Patio, walkway or slab, broom finish, 300 sq ft or more | $8 to $14 per square foot |
| Decorative: stained, stamped or exposed aggregate | $15 to $30 per square foot |
| Driveway replacement, with demolition of the old slab | $9 to $20 per square foot |
| 20 by 20 foot plain patio (400 sq ft) | About $3,200 to $5,600 |
| 20 by 20 foot decorative patio (400 sq ft) | About $6,000 to $12,000 |
| Small jobs under 300 sq ft | Usually above the per-foot range |
| Retaining walls | Set by the written proposal |
Other work we manage in Los Angeles
Concrete in Los Angeles: what homeowners ask
Who approves a curb cut for a new driveway in Los Angeles?
The Bureau of Engineering, part of Public Works, approves the driveway apron where a new driveway cuts the curb, according to LADBS's homeowner guide. That approval is separate from anything LADBS issues for work on your own lot, so ask about both before the old curb is touched.
Can I replace my front walk in an HPOZ without approval?
No. City Planning's HPOZ FAQ says concrete alterations need its approval even when no building permit is required, and a front walk is an exterior change the street can see. Send the HPOZ planner a site plan, the finish and photos of the existing walk before the work is scheduled.
Is a ground-level concrete patio exempt from a permit in the City of Los Angeles?
It may be, if it stays low. A 2025 City Clerk copy of the LAMC 91.106.2 amendment exempts walks, driveways and platforms up to 30 inches above grade that are not over a basement or story below, but that copy was not confirmed as the adopted code. Ask LADBS for the current edition before relying on it.
When does a hillside concrete job need a haul route hearing?
When it imports or exports more than 1,000 cubic yards of soil in the designated hillside Special Grading Area. The hearing is before the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners, and the LADBS haul route bulletin sets a filing fee plus surcharges. A typical patio or walkway moves a small fraction of that volume.
Can a concrete pour happen on a Saturday in Bel Air or Laurel Canyon?
Not as exterior work where the Hillside Construction Regulations apply. City Planning limits work there to Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with only interior work on Saturdays and no more than four haul trips per hour. Elsewhere in the City, LADBS posted hours allow Saturday work from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Does a retaining wall on a Los Angeles hillside lot need an engineer?
Plan on one for any wall over 4 feet or any wall holding back a slope, driveway or building, because those walls are treated as permit-required. On a Hillside Area lot the LADBS review depends on the address, and the Baseline Hillside Ordinance can limit the grading behind the wall. Ask LADBS what your parcel needs before pricing it.
How much does a concrete driveway cost in Los Angeles?
Our price table puts driveway replacement with demolition of the old slab at $9 to $20 per square foot. Angi's Los Angeles driveway page, dated May 2026, shows $8 to $20 per square foot and an average of $7,270 inside a wide spread of $3,067 to $16,472. A driveway that cuts the curb also needs the Bureau of Engineering apron approval.
Who is allowed to do concrete work in Los Angeles, and what license do they need?
A licensed contractor, for any job priced at $1,000 or more. Business and Professions Code 7048 sets that threshold, and from January 1, 2026 it gives no exemption when a permit is required. CSLB class C-8 covers pouring and finishing concrete. Look up each license on the CSLB site and ask for the subcontractor's certificate of insurance.
Plan a driveway, patio or wall in Los Angeles
Tell us what you want poured, roughly how big it is and whether it touches the curb or a slope. We check the HPOZ and Hillside Area status of the parcel before we price it.