Window Replacementin Lomita, CA
Replacing windows in Lomita starts with lead. EPA's lead-safe rule always covers window replacement in homes built before 1978, and 79 percent of Lomita's homes predate 1980. The City publishes no window handout, so confirm with Building and Safety whether a same-size swap needs a permit, and which office issues it, before you order.
Lomita's windows are mostly old. Of 7,904 homes in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 estimates, 800 date from 1939 or earlier, 496 from the 1940s and 3,176 from the 1950s and 1960s, which puts 79 percent before 1980. The zone list has no historic overlay, so going by it no historic design review stands between an owner and a new frame, but the paint on those frames is another story.
This page covers lead, replacing or restoring old wood windows, the permit question, glass labels and heat, fire zone edges, windows in an ADU or addition, and install day. Code sections cited below were read on the GoCodebook mirror, text dated October 4, 2026 and including Ordinance 891 of June 16, 2026, since the official Municode site does not load without JavaScript. Please confirm with the City. Price figures are on our windows page.
Lomita Building and Safety and Planning rules that apply to window work
Where windows permits come from in Lomita: City of Lomita Community and Economic Development Department, Building and Safety Division and Planning Division.
- EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule always covers window replacement in housing built before 1978, regardless of square footage; the 2020 to 2024 ACS estimate puts about 79 percent of Lomita's housing built before 1980, so many replacement jobs will involve lead-safe practices.
- CSLB defines the C-17 Glazing classification as selecting, cutting, assembling and installing all makes and kinds of glass, mirrored glass and glass substitutes, and building and fitting frames, panels, sashes and doors.
Lead-safe window replacement in a Lomita home built before 1978
Window replacement is one of the jobs that EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule never exempts: any paid work that disturbs paint in housing built before 1978 is covered, and a window swap counts at any size. About 79 percent of Lomita's housing units, 6,235 of 7,904, were built before 1980, so a firm replacing windows here is nearly always working under the rule.
The firm, including a sole proprietor, must be EPA-certified and use lead-safe practices: containment, controlled removal of the old frame and a cleanup that leaves nothing behind. Sashes rub and sills hold moisture, so they are where paint wears hardest, and cutting out a frame sends dust onto floors and carpets. Ask for the certification number, a written containment plan and a description of how cleaning is checked before any frame comes out.
California adds a limit on who can take the job. Since January 1, 2025 an unlicensed person may take work totaling $1,000 or less in labor, materials and other costs, but not when a permit is needed or a worker is hired, and an unlicensed person who advertises must say so.
Replace or restore? Lomita's 1940s houses and the lack of a historic overlay
The City's history says the Hollingsworth company's Dunkard colony of 1907 drew the first churches by 1909, and truck farms made Lomita the Celery Capital of the World in the 1930s before post-war growth filled the grid. Some of the 1,296 houses built before 1950 may still carry original wood windows, and restoring them is a fair option when the sashes and frames are sound.
Nothing in the zoning code stops a swap on historic grounds. Lomita's zone list has no historic district overlay, only an H housing overlay, so there is no historic design review for windows, going by that list. Whether a particular house sits on a local landmark list we could not confirm, because the Historical Society's records were not read. If yours might, ask Planning at (310) 325-7110 before you order.
Match matters even without a review. Frame color and grid pattern change the look of a 1950s stucco house more than glass does, so ask for a sample corner of the exact frame and glass before committing the whole house, and keep the old sash proportions where you can.
Does window replacement need a permit in Lomita, even a same-size swap?
The City does not say, and we would rather admit that than guess. Building and Safety's page describes plan check, permitting and inspections, but we found no list of exempt jobs and no window handout. Lomita adopts LA County Titles 26, 30, 31 and 33 by reference as in effect January 1, 2026, and the County's text was not read. A like-for-like swap may or may not need a permit here, and we claim neither.
For comparison, Los Angeles's express permit bulletin treats a same-size, same-type window and door change-out as a permit with no plan check, and it requires NFRC-labeled dual glazing in residential buildings of three stories or less under Title 24, Part 6, section 150.2(b)1B. That is a City of Los Angeles rule, not Lomita's. Changing the size or type of an opening is another matter, since it means cutting the wall and setting a header.
Call Building and Safety at (310) 304-3788 and ask which office issues the permit, since the Planning page still routes by-right permits through LA County. Put the answer in the contract. CSLB's C-17 Glazing class covers installing glass, frames, sashes and doors, though which license classes may legally perform a full replacement is something we could not confirm.
Glass labels, a mild coastal climate and the expired window tax credit
Ask for windows that carry an NFRC label, the National Fenestration Rating Council's certification of U-factor and solar heat gain. City handouts elsewhere disagree on the required values, and we did not read Lomita's adopted energy text, so we print no numbers. Ask for the values that apply to your climate zone, which we could not find for Lomita.
Heat is a smaller argument here than in the inland valleys. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Torrance Airport, about 1.5 miles west northwest of central Lomita, show average highs from 66.1 degrees in December to 78.1 in August and September, with 5.8 days a year at 90 or above and 0.3 at 100 or above. Better glass may still pay off in comfort, and we print no unsourced savings numbers.
Many older pages still advertise the federal 25C energy credit for windows, but the IRS says it does not apply to property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
Fire-zone glass in Lomita: where it applies and what to check
Fire-zone glass is a Lomita question only at the edges. The City's Safety Element says no fire hazard severity zones lie inside the city, and the State Fire Marshal's March 24, 2025 map shows almost all of it as unzoned, with small Moderate and High patches that appear near Palos Verdes Drive North and Western Avenue. We read those from the map image, so confirm by parcel on the City's fire hazard page.
Where a fire zone does apply, exterior windows are generally multilayered glass with at least one tempered pane, glass block or glazing with a 20-minute fire rating. That wording comes from Los Angeles's fire-zone checklist and the California Building Code section 2406, not from Lomita, and whether a window-only replacement triggers it is something we could not confirm.
Lomita's fire code is the 2025 California Fire Code, as amended by Ordinance 886 on May 19, 2026, enforced by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Safety glass near doors, tubs and stair landings and bedroom egress sizes follow the building code, and we did not read the adopted text, so we print no dimensions.
Windows in a new ADU or addition: clerestory glass, matching frames and the height line
New windows in an ADU have their own rules. Section 11-1.30.07(G)(7)(a) asks the windows and doors, along with the walls and roof, to match the main house's materials and colors, and any window or door less than 30 feet from a non-street property line must be clerestory, with the sill at least 6 feet above the floor, or use frosted or obscure glass. Our Lomita ADU page covers the rest of the ordinance.
A larger opening in an existing wall is a framing job. On a south-side lot, the 16 foot, one-story limit governs a building's height, not its glass, but a dormer or raised wall built to fit taller windows would need a Height Variation Permit if it passed 16 feet. A second-story addition with a side setback under 5 feet needs site plan review, which the Lomita room addition page explains.
Order lead times, mobile homes and the install day for Lomita windows
Custom windows are made to the measured opening, so the measuring visit is the first real step and delivery can take weeks. Do not book stucco or paint crews until the delivery date is confirmed. On install day the crew removes each sash or frame, flashes and seals the opening and sets the new unit, usually room by room so the house can close at night.
Mobile homes make up 544 of Lomita's units, about 7 percent, in 16 parks with 525 spaces counted in 2021. Replacing windows in a coach can involve the park's rules and the state housing department that oversees the parks, so ask the manager first. We did not locate Lomita's construction-hours rule in the code sections we read, so ask Building and Safety before you plan an early start.
As MDG Builders, CSLB #1040337, we measure, price, order and schedule the job, while a licensed subcontractor installs the windows. Each firm can be asked for a license number and certificate of insurance, and our post on how to check a contractor's license shows how. Stucco patching and trim paint after installation are separate lines in the proposal.
Window photos from Lomita and nearby homes
Window scenes tied to Lomita and neighbors such as Harbor City and Rolling Hills, from flashing and glass details to finished openings. Tap a photo to enlarge it.
What windows costs around Lomita
On our windows page, installed vinyl replacement windows run about $550 to $1,200 each, a whole house of 10 to 15 windows about $14,000 to $28,000, and wood or fiberglass cost more per window. Three Los Angeles sources frame those ranges. Remodeling magazine's 2025 Cost vs. Value report lists vinyl replacement at a $23,783 job cost, about 83.2 percent recouped at resale, and wood at $27,913, about 81.9 percent. Angi's July 2026 Los Angeles page gives an average of $19,356 with a typical range of $16,359 to $22,377, and ConsumerAffairs' September 2026 page states no cost method, so we treat it as supporting only. None is a Lomita quote, and the City publishes no window permit fee that we found, so any permit fee is a separate line in a written proposal. Our guide to subcontractors explains how a general contractor passes the installation to a licensed firm. Nearby cities set their own rules, so compare window replacement in Torrance, Redondo Beach, Carson, Gardena and Los Angeles. A bathroom window goes on our Lomita bathroom page, and the Lomita area page lists every trade we cover in the city.
| What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Vinyl window, installed, each | $550 to $1,150 |
| Wood or fiberglass window, installed, each | $950 to $2,400 |
| Whole house, 10 to 15 windows | $14,000 to $28,000 |
| Glass options, per window | Double-pane $500 to $2,000. low-E $300 to $1,100. tempered $200 to $700. |
| Remodeling Cost vs. Value 2025, Los Angeles | Vinyl $23,783. wood $27,913. |
| New or enlarged egress opening | $3,200 to $6,500 |
Lomita window replacement questions, answered
Do I need a permit to replace windows in Lomita?
The City's pages we read do not say, so confirm before you order. We found no Lomita window handout and no list of exempt jobs, and the City's two pages disagree on whether the City or LA County issues building permits. A new or larger opening almost certainly needs a permit. Call Building and Safety at (310) 304-3788 and get the answer in writing.
Do replacement windows need to be lead-safe in Lomita?
Yes in most homes. About 79 percent of Lomita's housing units were built before 1980, and EPA's rule never exempts window replacement in housing built before 1978. A certified firm has to contain dust and clean up after itself, so ask to see its EPA certification number before the first frame comes out.
How much do replacement windows usually cost?
Plan on about $550 to $1,200 per installed vinyl window, which puts a whole house of 10 to 15 windows at roughly $14,000 to $28,000, and wood or fiberglass cost more per window. Those ranges come from Los Angeles sources, not Lomita, so a written proposal after measuring is the only real price.
How long does it take for new windows to be installed?
Installation is quick once the windows arrive, and the wait is for custom orders, which take weeks after measuring. A whole house is usually done room by room over a few days. We did not find Lomita's construction-hours rule, so ask Building and Safety about work hours. Your proposal should set the dates.
Are double pane windows required in California?
Generally yes for replacements. Los Angeles's express permit bulletin requires NFRC-labeled dual glazing for replacement windows in residential buildings of three stories or less, citing Title 24, Part 6, section 150.2(b)1B. We did not read Lomita's adopted energy text, so ask what it enforces. With 5.8 days a year at 90 or above, double pane here is about comfort more than heat.
Which is better, replacement windows or new windows?
Replacement windows are made to drop into the old opening and leave the wall alone. New-construction windows go into an opening that is framed or cut fresh. Replacements are usually the lower-impact choice when the frames are sound, while changing the size or type of an opening raises permit and structural questions, so ask the City first.
Is replacing home windows worth it?
At resale, Remodeling magazine's 2025 Los Angeles report shows vinyl replacement recouping about 83.2 percent of its cost and wood about 81.9 percent. Savings on energy bills vary by house, so we quote no figures without a source. The federal 25C tax credit has ended for windows installed after 2025. Lomita's median owner-occupied value is $831,500.
What size egress window is required in a bedroom?
Egress sizes come from the building code, and we did not read Lomita's adopted text, so we print none. Before you order, measure every bedroom opening and ask the installer to confirm the clear width and height, the sill height and the release hardware. If a new unit makes the opening smaller, the room may no longer pass egress, so call Building and Safety before ordering.
Do I need fire-resistant windows if I live near a fire hazard zone?
Only if your parcel lies inside a fire hazard severity zone, and almost none of Lomita does. The State Fire Marshal's March 24, 2025 map shows nearly the whole city as unzoned, with small Moderate and High patches near Palos Verdes Drive North and Western Avenue. Check your address with the City; in a zone, exterior glass is generally multilayered with at least one tempered pane.
Tell us about your Lomita windows
Tell us roughly when the house was built, how many windows and doors you want replaced, whether the frames are original wood and whether you own or rent, and the first visit starts with the lead question.