Brief

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez moved to implement AB 671 (Chapter 470, Statutes of 2025), a state law requiring the Los Angeles Building Department to certify that restaurant tenant improvement projects comply with applicable health and safety codes. The motion was introduced February 17, 2026, and advanced through Planning and Land Use Management Committee on May 12, 2026. The item is scheduled for City Council vote on May 22, 2026, and remains active.

Full summary

AB 671, chaptered into law on October 9, 2025, requires local building departments to allow a qualified professional certifier — rather than city staff alone — to certify that restaurant tenant improvement projects comply with applicable building, health, and safety codes. The law sets firm timelines: the local building department must approve or deny an application within 20 business days of receiving a complete submission. If it fails to act within that window, the certified plan is automatically deemed approved for permitting purposes, provided all fees and required documents have been submitted. For resubmissions after a denial, the department has 10 business days to respond. The law also imposes an audit requirement: local building departments must conduct a random audit of at least 20 percent of all tenant improvement applications submitted per week for certification. On the revenue side, AB 671 permits local building departments to charge permit fees to applicants using a qualified professional certifier, and allows the City to adopt, by ordinance, additional qualifications or requirements for who may serve as a qualified professional certifier. The motion by Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, seconded by John S. Lee, directs the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety — in consultation with the Department of City Planning, the City Administrative Officer, and the City Attorney — to report back on how the department is implementing these new state requirements. The motion does not itself enact any local ordinance; it is an oversight and accountability step to ensure the department is adapting its processes to comply with the new law. The motion was referred to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee on February 17, 2026. The committee voted 5-0 to recommend adoption on May 12, 2026, with members Blumenfield, Hutt, Nazarian, Lee, and Raman all voting yes. No fiscal impact analysis had been completed at that stage, and no community impact statements were submitted. The City Clerk scheduled the item for full Council consideration on May 22, 2026. No final Council action has been recorded yet.

Activity (4)

• 2026-05-19 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on May 22, 2026.
• 2026-05-12 Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-05-08 Planning and Land Use Management Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 12, 2026.
• 2026-02-17 Motion referred to Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

Documents (3)

• 2026-05-12 Report from Planning and Land Use Management Committee · report
• 2026-05-12 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-02-17 Motion · motion