Finding · updated June 15, 2026
1% of LA's building permits carry half its construction value
Across 5,634 valued LA building permits, the richest 1% carry 56% of all the construction money. The median permit: $8,450.
Between May 7 and June 9, 2026, the LA Department of Building and Safety issued 6,011 building permits. 5,634 of them carry a declared dollar value, and together they add up to $615M of construction. But that money is spread astonishingly unevenly.
The richest 1% of permits — just 56 of them — account for 56% of every declared construction dollar in the city. The top 10% account for 85%. The median permit, meanwhile, is worth just $8,450 — a re-roof, a water heater, a backyard wall. The single largest, a apartment in ZIP 91303, was declared at $50.5M on its own.
| permit type | permits | declared value |
|---|---|---|
| Bldg-New | 449 (8%) | $274M (45%) |
| Bldg-Alter/Repair | 3,596 (64%) | $226M (37%) |
| Bldg-Addition | 483 (9%) | $76.5M (12%) |
| Nonbldg-New | 158 (3%) | $26.2M (4%) |
| Swimming-Pool/Spa | 256 (5%) | $7.5M (1%) |
| Bldg-Demolition | 148 (3%) | $1.7M (0%) |
The split by type tells the same story from another angle. Brand-new buildings (Bldg-New) are just 8% of the permits but 45% of the dollars. Alterations and repairs are 64% of the permits — the everyday churn of a built-out city fixing itself — yet only 37% of the declared value.