Flooring Installationin Lomita, CA
Flooring installation in Lomita begins with the age of the house: about 79 percent of its homes predate 1980, so old vinyl may hold asbestos and baseboards may hold lead paint. Finish floors alone sit on the state's exempt list, but Lomita's County-based code was not read, so confirm the permit question with Building and Safety.
Lomita is small and old for the South Bay. The City's history page says a company bought about seven square miles north of the Palos Verdes hills in 1907 for a Dunkard colony, the first churches went up in 1909, oil came in during 1923, and truck farms made the town the Celery Capital of the World in the 1930s. It incorporated on June 30, 1964. Census estimates for 2020 to 2024 count 7,904 homes, and 3,176 of them (40 percent) date from the 1950s and 1960s, with another 800 from 1939 or earlier.
MDG Builders, CSLB #1040337, is a Tarzana general contractor. We write the scope, take the permit questions to Building and Safety and book a licensed flooring or tile subcontractor to lay the floor. Materials and ranges are on the flooring page, and the Lomita overview lists the other trades we manage here.
What Lomita's Building and Safety Division, Zoning Code and Municipal Code say about flooring work
Where flooring permits come from in Lomita: City of Lomita Community and Economic Development Department, Building and Safety Division and Planning Division.
- The state list of permit-exempt work in Residential Code R105.2 (the 2025 text, as excerpted by the City of Albany) includes tiling, carpeting, cabinets, counter tops and similar finish work, so replacing floor finishes is not on the permit list unless structure, plumbing or electrical changes come with it.
- CSLB defines the C-15 Flooring and Floor Covering classification as preparing any surface for flooring and installing carpet, resilient sheet and tile products and wood floors, with finishing and repair; it excludes ceramic tile.
Sources for these rules
Is there asbestos or lead under flooring in a Lomita house built before 1980?
Possibly, and only a lab report can settle it. The Census estimate that 79 percent of Lomita's 7,904 homes (6,235 of them) went up before 1980 means vinyl tile, sheet flooring and black adhesive from those decades are likely still sitting under newer layers in many houses. OSHA's asbestos standard for construction presumes resilient flooring and its adhesive contain asbestos until a test says otherwise, so a careful crew does not dry sand, rip or scrape it.
The neighborhoods differ in age. The City's Housing Element says the streets between Pacific Coast Highway and Lomita Boulevard were built on large lots from the 1940s through the 1960s, while the area south of the highway filled in during the 1970s and 1980s. A 1970s house still deserves the question, because the lead rule cuts off at 1978 and four homes in five here predate 1980.
Lead is the second test. EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule covers paid work that disturbs paint in housing built before 1978, and that includes pulling painted baseboards and door casings for a new floor. Ask for the lab result and the crew's lead-safe certification in writing before a start date is set.
- Was a sample of the old tile and adhesive sent to a lab?
- Who removes, and pays for, a layer that tests positive?
- Is the crew certified for lead-safe work on baseboards?
Do you need a permit to replace flooring in Lomita, and which office issues it?
For the finish alone, probably not, though we could not prove it from Lomita's own text. The state list of permit-exempt work, as the City of Albany reprints the 2025 residential code at R105.2, names tiling, carpeting, cabinets and similar finish work. Lomita adopts the County's Titles 26 and 30 by reference (Municipal Code sections 10-1.01 and 10-7.01), and the County's amendments to that exempt list were not read.
Which office takes the permit is the second question. The City's Building and Safety page says Lomita now does plan check, permitting and inspections itself from City Hall through the GeoCivix portal, while the Planning page still says by-right building permits go through LA County. Call (310) 304-3788 and ask. The counter is open 8 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and every other Friday.
Moving plumbing, wiring or structure while the floor is open is a separate permit question. Municode, the official host of the City's code, needs JavaScript to read, so the code sections cited here come from the GoCodebook mirror; have the City confirm each one.
Why does moisture come through a concrete floor in Lomita, and how is it tested?
Vapor rises out of the ground through the pores of a slab, and testing is the only way to know how much. ASTM F2170 reads relative humidity in drilled holes, and ASTM F1869 weighs the vapor that collects under a calcium chloride dish. Neither sets a pass mark. The plank, vinyl or adhesive maker does, so ask for readings written beside that limit. The wood flooring trade group NWFA also recommends a vapor retarder of 0.13 perms or less, such as 6-mil polyethylene, under wood over concrete, in its concrete subfloor guide.
Lomita's rain is brief. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Torrance Airport, about 1.5 miles west northwest of central Lomita, record 13.64 inches a year, 11.24 of them from December through March, and none in August. A slab that reads wet in August is wet for another reason: a leak, a planter against the wall or runoff from a neighbor's lot.
Runoff is a real issue on a few blocks. The City's Safety Element names weak storm drains at Eshelman Avenue, at 262nd Street and Appian Way, along Pennsylvania Avenue between about 251st and 254th Street, at the west end of 256th Street and where Lomita Boulevard meets Pennsylvania. The same element keeps Lomita out of every mapped flood area. If your lot is near those streets, have the installer probe beside exterior walls and downspouts.
Is the wood floor in an older Lomita house sound, and can it be refinished?
Look from below before choosing a plank. The Census estimate shows 800 Lomita homes from 1939 or earlier and 496 more from the 1940s, and we found no count of raised floors against slabs, so check which one you have. Stains under a bath or kitchen, a sag near a heavy wall, soft spots and insect damage all change the scope, and none of them shows from the top. Have the proposal price any subfloor repair separately, per unit.
Hardwood under old carpet is often worth saving when enough wood stands above the tongue, which a floor register or a cut edge shows. With 1,296 homes from before 1950 and 3,176 from the 1950s and 1960s, many carpeted rooms may hide boards that sand well. Our flooring cost guide sets refinishing beside replacement.
Nothing local adds a review step. The zone list in section 11-1.20.01 has no historic district overlay, so we found no design review for a refinished or replaced floor, and the one overlay it does list is the H housing overlay, whose parcels we did not check. A new layer also raises the walking surface, so door bottoms and the first stair riser need a plan.
Who approves new flooring in a Lomita rental, condo or mobile home?
The owner or the association decides, before anyone orders material. The Census estimate puts 54.1 percent of Lomita's 7,326 occupied homes in renter hands, and 2,068 homes (26 percent) sit in buildings of five or more units, so many jobs begin with a landlord or a board. A tenant needs written consent, and a condo board's documents govern hard floors above a neighbor. The board's duty to answer a change request in writing comes from Civil Code section 4765.
Mobile homes are their own case. The Census counts 544 of them, and the Housing Element counted 16 parks with 525 spaces in 2021, which it describes as overseen by the state housing department. Ask the park office what approval it wants before a floor is chosen.
What does the City's residential property report check when a Lomita house is sold?
Section 11-1.59.03 makes the seller obtain a City residential property report within three business days of signing the sale agreement. The City inspects the property, the inside only with the owner's consent, and notes any apparent illegal or unpermitted construction. Violations on the report must be corrected within 90 days at most (section 11-1.59.06), and the report expires after six months.
Floors rarely appear on a report, but the work under them can: a garage turned into a room, or an addition built without a permit. If a new floor is going over such a space, settle the permit first. Our garage conversion guide walks through the steps, written for Los Angeles.
What does a flooring contractor charge in Lomita, and what license applies?
No Lomita price study with a stated method turned up. The anchor is Angi's Los Angeles pages, updated in July 2026, which do not state their method, so we rate them medium to low. They show installer labor at $3 to $9 per square foot, engineered hardwood at $10 to $18 installed, solid hardwood at $12 to $22 and refinishing at $4 to $8. At 1,500 square feet, engineered hardwood multiplies to $15,000 to $27,000 before demolition, subfloor repair, testing and stairs, which belong on their own lines.
Labor has a floor of its own. Federal wage data for May 2025 put floor layers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area at a mean $33.48 an hour, which is a wage and not a billing rate.
CSLB's C-15 class covers carpet, resilient flooring and wood floors, while ceramic tile is C-54. A job that needs a permit must go to a licensed contractor even when it costs under $1,000, and a down payment is capped at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Our license check guide shows how to look a number up.
Flooring photos from Lomita and nearby communities
Subfloors, plank samples, finished oak and tile from Lomita and the South Bay, shown at the stages that matter. Tap any photo to enlarge it.
What flooring costs around Lomita
The dollar figures above are Los Angeles planning ranges taken from our flooring page and are not a Lomita bid, so a proposal should price demolition, testing, subfloor work and stairs on separate lines. On the same property, see concrete work in Lomita and decks in Lomita. Neighboring cities: flooring in Torrance, flooring in Gardena, flooring in Carson and flooring in Los Angeles.
| What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Installation labor only | $3 to $9 per sq ft |
| Solid hardwood, installed | $12 to $22 per sq ft |
| Engineered hardwood, installed | $10 to $18 per sq ft |
| Refinishing existing hardwood | $4 to $8 per sq ft |
| Laminate, whole project | $2,000 to $5,500 |
| Hardwood, whole project | $3,153 to $8,496 |
| Removing the old floor | $455 to $685 per 200 sq ft |
| Tile | No sourced Los Angeles range |
Lomita flooring questions, answered
Do I need a permit to replace flooring in Lomita?
Probably not for the finish alone, since the state model list exempts tiling, carpeting and similar finish work, but we did not read the County amendments Lomita adopts. Moving plumbing, wiring or structure while the floor is open is a separate question. Call Building and Safety at (310) 304-3788 and ask which office issues the permit.
How much does it cost to have flooring professionally installed in Lomita?
Angi's Los Angeles pages from July 2026 show $3 to $9 per square foot for installer labor, plus material: engineered hardwood at $10 to $18 installed and solid hardwood at $12 to $22. No Lomita study turned up, and we rate these medium to low. Demolition, subfloor repair and testing are separate lines.
How much does it cost to install 2000 square feet of engineered hardwood floors in Lomita?
Take 2,000 square feet at $3 to $9 for labor, which is $6,000 to $18,000 before any material. Engineered hardwood at $10 to $18 installed would be $20,000 to $36,000. Those are Los Angeles ranges multiplied out, not a bid, so the real figure comes after a walk through the house.
Can you put flooring over concrete in Lomita?
Yes, once the slab has been tested and prepared. The flooring or adhesive maker sets the moisture limit, so an installer should take ASTM F2170 probe readings or run an F1869 calcium chloride test, then fill cracks and flatten the surface. Ask for the numbers in writing beside the maker's limit.
Why does moisture come through a concrete floor in Lomita?
Vapor moves up from the soil through concrete because the slab is porous. Lomita's rain is short, 13.64 inches a year with 11.24 of them from December through March, so a slab that reads wet in summer points to a leak, a planter or runoff. A probe or calcium chloride test gives the real reading.
Is there asbestos under old vinyl flooring in Lomita homes built before 1980?
Possibly, and nobody can tell by eye. OSHA presumes resilient flooring and its adhesive contain asbestos until tested, and about 79 percent of Lomita's homes predate 1980. Get a lab sample taken before anything is sanded, ripped or dry scraped, and settle who removes a layer that tests positive.
Can I refinish hardwood floors instead of replacing them in Lomita?
Often, when enough wood sits above the tongue, which a floor register or a cut edge reveals. Angi prices refinishing in Los Angeles at $4 to $8 per square foot against $12 to $22 for new solid hardwood, both medium to low in confidence. Lomita's zone list has no historic overlay to add a review step.
Can I put new flooring in a Lomita rental, condo or mobile home?
Only with approval from the owner, the association or the park. A tenant needs the landlord's written consent, a condo board's documents control hard floors over a neighbor, and a mobile home park may have its own rules. About 54 percent of Lomita's homes are rented, so ask first.
Does selling a house in Lomita require an inspection that covers flooring?
The City requires a residential property report within three business days of signing a sale agreement. Inspectors note apparent illegal or unpermitted construction, and violations must be fixed within 90 days at most. Floors themselves rarely appear, but a converted garage or unpermitted addition under a new floor can.
What license does a flooring contractor need in Lomita?
Carpet, resilient flooring and wood floors fall under CSLB's C-15 class, and ceramic tile under C-54. Work that needs a permit must go to a licensed contractor even under $1,000. Look the license up on the CSLB site before accepting a quote, and ask each subcontractor for a license number.
Tell us the street, the rooms and what is on the floor now
Share the rooms, the year the house went up if you know it, whether it sits on a slab or a raised floor, and any flooring you believe is original. The asbestos and moisture questions come with us to the first visit.