Bolthole Index

Los Angeles County, California

Building permits, zoning and land rules in Inglewood, California

Inglewood, California requires a building permit for new construction, alteration and repair inside city limits, issued by the city's building official1. The City of Inglewood also sets its own zoning through Chapter 12 of its municipal code2. We could not confirm who issues septic permits inside Inglewood; ask Los Angeles County Public Health, Environmental Health.

At a glance

Building permit
Required for construction inside city limits; small sheds up to 120 square feet are exempt if they meet the code's conditions1
Zoning
Inglewood's own zoning map and Chapter 12 apply inside the city2
Minimum home size (R-1)
750 square feet of interior floor area for a one-family dwelling3
Minimum lot area (R-1)
6,000 square feet per family in the main building4
Height limit (R-1)
35 feet and two and one-half stories5

Who to call

Building permits

City of Inglewood Building Safety Division

Building permits, plan check and inspections inside Inglewood city limits

(310) 412-5294

One W. Manchester Blvd., 4th Floor, Inglewood, CA 90301

Zoning

City of Inglewood Planning Division

Zoning questions and zoning review inside Inglewood city limits, including accessory dwelling units

310-412-5230

1 Manchester Boulevard, 4th Floor, Inglewood, CA 90301

Septic permits

LA County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health – Onsite Wastewater Treatment Program

County septic plan review for unincorporated Los Angeles County and contracted cities; ask whether it covers an Inglewood address

(626) 430-5380

5050 Commerce Drive, Baldwin Park, CA 91706

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Inglewood means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Inglewood, California?

Yes. Inglewood's building code requires a separate permit for each building or structure, obtained from the building official before work begins1. The code exempts one-story detached tool or storage sheds and playhouses that do not exceed 120 square feet and 7 feet in height, stay out of required setbacks, have no plumbing or electrical, and sit at least 10 feet from any similar accessory structure1. An exemption from a permit does not authorize work that violates the code or other city law1.

Zoning review comes first: the Planning and Building Department director or a designee must find an application compliant with Chapter 12 before any permit or license is issued6.

Who issues building permits in Inglewood, and how do you reach them?

Inside Inglewood, the City of Inglewood Building Safety Division issues building permits, not Los Angeles County Public Works76. The division sits in City Hall on the fourth floor, and its page lists plan check submittal, over-the-counter permits and ready-to-issue permits that need an appointment7.

Inspections are requested online through the city's OpenGov portal7. The county's Building and Safety offices serve unincorporated communities and contract cities, so a county counter is the wrong stop for an Inglewood address unless the city tells you otherwise8. We could not confirm Inglewood's inspection schedule or certificate-of-occupancy steps; ask the Building Safety Division.

Does Inglewood have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size, home size and setbacks?

Yes. Inglewood adopts its zoning map by reference into Chapter 12 of its code, and each zone classification sets its own use, height, yard and lot rules2. The zone list runs from R-1 one-family through multiple-family, commercial, manufacturing and mixed-use districts9. Check the parcel's zone with the Planning Division before you plan anything10.

In the R-1 one-family zone, a one-family dwelling needs at least 750 square feet of interior floor area, excluding garage, basement and open porch3. The main building needs 6,000 square feet of lot per family, with smaller lots of record from 1946 allowed one family4. Height is capped at 35 feet and two and one-half stories5. The front yard is 25 percent of lot depth but need not exceed 25 feet11. Citywide, parcels cannot be subdivided below 6,000 square feet except as the subdivision regulations provide12.

How do septic permits work in Inglewood?

We could not confirm who issues septic permits for land inside Inglewood city limits, or whether the city requires a connection to public sewer. Los Angeles County Public Health reviews and approves onsite wastewater systems for unincorporated areas and contracted cities13. Whether Inglewood is one of those contracted cities is not something we verified.

For the county's rule, where it applies, the County Director will not permit a new septic system if a public sewer is available within 200 feet of the building14. Ask the county's Onsite Wastewater Treatment Program and Inglewood's Building Safety Division which office handles your address15.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Inglewood?

We could not find a rule on living in an RV, camping or placing a manufactured home on a lot inside Inglewood; the zoning articles we reviewed do not address RV occupancy. Ask the Planning Division before you buy.

Los Angeles County generally bars living in an RV for any length of time in unincorporated areas, but that is the county's rule for unincorporated land and does not set Inglewood's rule16. For tiny homes, California's housing agency says a tiny home on a chassis with axles and 400 square feet or less is treated as an RV, and one on a foundation must meet the California Building Standards Code, in each case on an approved location17. Inside Inglewood the city enforces its own zoning and building rules on top of that.

Building a home in Inglewood: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the parcel's zone with the Planning Division and read the district's rules for lot area, home size, height and yards102.
  2. Get zoning compliance cleared; the planning and building department director or designee must find the request compliant before a permit is issued6.
  3. Apply for a building permit with the Building Safety Division17.
  4. Ask which agency handles septic or sewer for your address, then see the county's Environmental Health office if it is septic13.
  5. Request inspections through the city's OpenGov portal7.

An owner-builder exemption exists statewide in California and still leaves the owner responsible for building permits and inspections18. We could not confirm how Inglewood applies it; ask Building Safety.

What stays with Los Angeles County, and what should you check before you buy?

Los Angeles County's Title 22 zoning and its Public Works building permits cover unincorporated land only, not Inglewood198. For land outside Inglewood, see the Los Angeles County page.

Check flood exposure, septic or sewer service, and the zone before closing. County-level figures give context: Los Angeles County's effective property tax rate is 0.7%20, and its median property tax bill is $5,438 a year21. Typical home value in the county is about $888,42622.

Watch-outs

  • The county's rules for unincorporated land, including its RV ban and its Public Works building permits, do not decide what Inglewood allows inside city limits16.
  • Zoning inside Inglewood is the city's own, so a rule you read for another Los Angeles County city or for the unincorporated county may not apply; we could not confirm Inglewood's rules on septic permits, sewer connection, wells, RV living, tiny homes or lot coverage, so call the Planning Division or Building Safety Division first2.
  • An exempt shed still has to follow setbacks and other city law1.

Sources

  1. Inglewood Code Chapter 11 Building Regulations, Article 2 Building Code (Inglewood), quoted and re-checked
  2. Inglewood Code Chapter 12 Planning and Zoning, Article 1.1 General Regulations (Inglewood), quoted and re-checked
  3. Inglewood Code Chapter 12 Planning and Zoning, Article 2 R-1 One-Family Zone (Inglewood), quoted and re-checked
  4. Inglewood Code Chapter 12 Planning and Zoning, Article 2 R-1 One-Family Zone (Inglewood), quoted and re-checked
  5. Inglewood Code Chapter 12 Planning and Zoning, Article 2 R-1 One-Family Zone (Inglewood), quoted and re-checked
  6. Inglewood Code Chapter 12 Planning and Zoning, Article 1.1 General Regulations (Inglewood), quoted and re-checked
  7. City of Inglewood Building Safety Division (cityofinglewood.org)
  8. Building and Safety - LA County Public Works Permits, quoted and re-checked
  9. Inglewood Code Chapter 12 Planning and Zoning, section 12-2 zone classifications (Inglewood), quoted and re-checked
  10. City of Inglewood Planning Division (cityofinglewood.org)
  11. Inglewood Code Chapter 12 Planning and Zoning, Article 2 R-1 One-Family Zone (Inglewood), quoted and re-checked
  12. Inglewood Code Chapter 12 Planning and Zoning, Article 1.1 General Regulations (Inglewood), quoted and re-checked
  13. Local Agency Management Program (LAMP), quoted and re-checked
  14. New Ordinance Adopted - Local Agency Management Program, quoted and re-checked
  15. LA County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health – Onsite Wastewater Treatment Program (admin.publichealth.lacounty.gov)
  16. Common Zoning Violations - LA County Planning, quoted and re-checked
  17. Information Bulletin 2016-01 (MH, FBH, SHL, MP/SOP, RT, OL) — Revised: Tiny Homes, quoted and re-checked
  18. Building Officials - Owner-Builder Overview, quoted and re-checked
  19. Los Angeles County Code Title 22: Planning and Zoning, quoted and re-checked
  20. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  21. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  22. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Inglewood

Inglewood’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Construction, alteration, enlargement, repair or occupancy change of buildings inside Inglewood city limits.

    • Section 105.1 as amended: work requires a separate permit for each building or structure obtained from the building official before it begins.
    • Section 105.2 exempts some work: one-story detached tool or storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses that do not exceed 120 square feet and 7 feet in maximum height, if not located in required setbacks, without plumbing or electrical installations, and separated by at least 10 feet from any similar accessory structure on the same property; and painting, papering, carpeting and similar finish work.
    • Section 105.2 states that exemption from permit does not authorize work that violates the code or other city law.

    exempt accessory structure floor area: <= 120 square feet (and not more than 7 feet maximum height; temporary portable structures up to 10 feet also exempt if they meet the listed conditions)

    “unless a separate permit for each building or structure has first been obtained from the building official.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Inglewood city limits: the city's own Chapter 12 Planning and Zoning ordinance and zoning map.

    • The zoning map is adopted by reference into Chapter 12; each zone classification sets its own use, height, yard and lot rules.
    • Zoning establishes what may be built; it does not by itself grant any particular use.
    “the zone classifications, as set forth in section 12-2 of this article, are delineated on the zoning map of the city of inglewood, which map and all notations and information thereon is hereby made a part of this chapter by reference.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Land inside Inglewood city limits: the zone classifications in Chapter 12 Planning and Zoning.

    • The list in section 12-2 includes R-1 one-family, R-1Z one-family/zero-lot-line, R-1-1/2 limited two-family, R-2 and R-2a limited multiple-family, R-3 and R-4 multiple-family, R-M, P, P-1, C-R, HPSP, TOD mixed-use (MU) zones, commercial (C-N, H-C, C-1, C-2, C-2A, C-S, C-3), manufacturing (M-1, M-1L, M-2), S-1, S-2, CC, O-S, T-C and D zones.
    • The zone map itself is not reproduced in the code text; each district's rules are in its own article.
    “the use of land and buildings, the height, bulk, location of structures, the amount of open space and the density of population are regulated by the following zone classifications”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Every dwelling unit inside Inglewood city limits, all zones, unless a zone sets a higher minimum.

    • Every dwelling unit must have permanent kitchen facilities (section 12-6(a)).
    • A single apartment unit with kitchen but no separate bedroom must be at least 500 square feet (section 12-6(b)).
    • Other units: 700 square feet plus 150 square feet for each room beyond kitchen, bathroom(s), living room, one bedroom, laundry room and windowless closets (section 12-6(c)).

    minimum floor area, dwelling unit except single apartment: >= 700 square feet (plus 150 square feet for each additional room beyond the listed rooms) · minimum floor area, single apartment unit: >= 500 square feet

    “every dwelling unit, except single apartments, shall contain not less than seven hundred square feet of floor area plus an additional one hundred fifty square feet of floor area for each room in excess of one kitchen, one or more bathrooms, one living room, one bedroom, one laundry room, and any number of windowless closets.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • District specific (with conditions) — One-family dwellings in the R-1 one-family zone inside Inglewood city limits.
      “no one-family dwelling shall be erected, constructed or established in r-1 zone containing an interior floor area of less than seven hundred fifty square feet, exclusive of garage, basement or open porch.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Land subdivision and parcel reduction inside Inglewood city limits, all zones.

    • Applies except as provided in the subdivision regulations of the chapter.
    • Legally established lots may be enlarged without meeting the 6,000 square foot minimum.
    • A developed lot may not be reduced if that creates yards below minimum, density above maximum, or loss of required parking or driveway access (section 12-7(b)).

    minimum parcel area on subdivision or reduction: >= 6000 square feet (except as provided in the subdivision regulations of this chapter)

    “except as provided in the subdivision regulations of this chapter, no parcel of land may be subdivided or otherwise reduced in area to less than six thousand square feet.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • District specific (with conditions) — Main building on a lot in the R-1 one-family zone inside Inglewood city limits.
      “every main building hereafter erected or structurally altered shall have a lot area of not less than six thousand square feet per family; provided, however, that where a lot has less area than herein required and was of record as of december 17, 1946, said lot may be occupied by not more than one family.”
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Main building in the R-1 one-family zone inside Inglewood city limits.

    • Front yard depth is the lesser of 25 percent of lot depth or 25 feet, with an exception that the front yard may be set to an established average front yard line on a block (section 12-18.2).
    • Side yard: 10 percent of lot width, not less than 3 feet and not more than 5 feet; corner lots and reversed corner lots have separate rules (section 12-18.3).
    • Rear yard: 25 percent of lot depth, not more than 25 feet; corner lot may substitute an interior side yard of equal area; main building not less than 5 feet from the rear property line (section 12-18.4).
    • Accessory buildings are governed separately by section 12-12 (detached accessory structure may occupy up to 25 percent of the required rear yard).

    front yard depth: 25 percent of lot depth (need not exceed 25 feet) · side yard width: 10 percent of lot width (not less than 3 feet and need not exceed 5 feet) · rear yard depth: 25 percent of lot depth (need not exceed 25 feet; main building not less than 5 feet from rear property line)

    “there shall be a front yard of not less than twenty-five percent of the depth of the lot provided such front yard need not exceed twenty-five feet”
  • Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Main building in the R-1 one-family zone inside Inglewood city limits.

    • Limit is two and one-half stories and thirty-five feet, except as provided otherwise in chapter 12.

    maximum building height: <= 35 feet (and not more than two and one-half stories; except as provided otherwise in this chapter)

    “height shall be limited to two and one-half stories and not to exceed thirty-five feet except as provided otherwise in this chapter.”
  • Accessory dwellingsLimited

    Senior citizen accessory dwelling unit on an R-1 one-family zone lot inside Inglewood city limits.

    • Permitted only on R-1 zone lots exceeding 7,000 square feet of lot area.
    • Unit not over 400 square feet; permanent living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation facilities; located within or attached to the main dwelling.
    • Two garage spaces minimum on any lot with both a main dwelling and an accessory unit; setbacks, distances and height as for the main building.
    • Recorded covenant with the city restricting the unit; occupants limited to two adults, one at least 60 years old; cannot be sold separately, may be rented; shares the main dwelling's utilities with no separate meters.
    • Section 12-18(10) also lists accessory dwelling units under article 35 of the chapter, which was not opened.

    lot area threshold: > 7000 square feet (R-1 zone lots only) · accessory unit maximum floor area: <= 400 square feet

    “an accessory unit shall be permitted only on r-1 zone lots exceeding seven thousand square feet of lot area.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdividing land inside Inglewood city limits.

    • The chapter refers to separate subdivision regulations, which were not opened.
    • Parcels may not be subdivided below 6,000 square feet except as the subdivision regulations provide.
    “except as provided in the subdivision regulations of this chapter, no parcel of land may be subdivided or otherwise reduced in area to less than six thousand square feet.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Permits and licenses for land use and construction inside Inglewood city limits.

    • Zoning compliance is determined by the planning and building department director or designee before a permit or license is issued (section 12-3.3).
    • Building permits are issued by the building official under Chapter 11 (section 11-5, section 105.1).
    • Application fee for zoning actions requiring a hearing or plan review is set by the master fee schedule (section 12-3.4).
    • The step-by-step application and plan-check process was not opened.
    “no required permit or license for the use, occupation, development or improvement of any land, or for the construction, erection, or structural modification or alteration of any building or structure shall be issued without prior determination by the planning and building department director or designated representative that the request or application for such permit or license is in compliance with the provisions of this chapter.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Inglewood or Los Angeles County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit eligibility inside Inglewood city limits.
  • Inspections — Inspections for construction inside Inglewood city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Inglewood city limits.
  • Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage for buildings inside Inglewood city limits.
  • Living in an RV — Occupying a recreational vehicle as a dwelling on private land inside Inglewood city limits.
14 more unanswered
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Inglewood publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Los Angeles County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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