Guide to construction inspections in unincorporated LA County areas. How EPIC-LA works, how it differs from LADBS, and when InspectPilot will support it.
If your property is in the City of Los Angeles, you work with LADBS. If it's in unincorporated LA County, you work with the LA County Department of Public Works (DPW). Many contractors work across both jurisdictions and need to navigate two completely different systems.
| Detail | City of LA (LADBS) | LA County (DPW) |
|---|---|---|
| Building department | LADBS | Dept. of Public Works |
| Online system | iRFIS | EPIC-LA |
| Phone system | 311 / AIRS IVR | County DPW hotline |
| Permit format | 15-digit permit number | Varies by area |
| Inspection deadline | 3 PM day before | Varies |
| Advance booking | Up to 3 business days | Up to 3 business days |
| InspectPilot support | Full (at launch) | Coming soon |
EPIC-LA (Electronic Permit Issuance and Customer-service system for LA County) is the County's permitting and inspection management platform. Contractors can apply for permits, request inspections, and check results online. The interface differs from LADBS iRFIS, but the core workflow is similar: submit a request, receive confirmation, inspector arrives, results posted.
The inspection types and sequences are largely the same between City and County — both follow California Building Code. The differences are administrative: different systems, different inspector pools, different phone numbers, and occasionally different code interpretations on edge cases. Contractors working across both jurisdictions often find themselves managing two separate tracking systems, which is one of the problems InspectPilot is designed to solve.
We're building EPIC-LA integration for contractors who work in both City and County jurisdictions. Join the waitlist to get beta access when it launches. In the meantime, InspectPilot fully supports LADBS (City of LA) inspections.
Through EPIC-LA online or by calling the County DPW building department. The process is similar to LADBS but uses a different system and different phone numbers.
LADBS covers the City of LA. LA County DPW covers unincorporated areas. Different systems (iRFIS vs EPIC-LA), different inspectors, but similar inspection types and sequences.
LA County (EPIC-LA) support is in active development. Join the waitlist to get beta access when it launches. Priority given to contractors working in both jurisdictions.
Yes. InspectPilot fully supports LADBS (City of LA) inspections today. LA County support will be added as an expansion of the same dashboard.
Join the waitlist for LA County support and get full LADBS automation in the meantime.
Free to start. No credit card required. LA contractors get priority access.