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Building Safety

Building Safety in Inglewood, CA: What Residents Actually Need to Know

By CityRuleLookup Editorial Team

If you live in Inglewood or are thinking about moving there, building safety are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Inglewood has 5 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of building safety, and some of them might surprise you.

Building Permits

Inglewood adopts the 2019 California Building Code by reference and locally amends Section 105.1 to make it unlawful to build, alter, move, or demolish any structure, or install electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing systems, without first obtaining a separate permit from the Building Official for each building or structure.

Key details: Adopted code: 2019 California Building Code (2018 IBC base). Governing section: IMC § 11-5, amending CBC § 105.1. Fee tiers (alterations): 25% minor / 50% medium / 75% major. Refund deadline: 180 days of fee payment. Penalty: Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine, 6 months jail.

Building, altering, or demolishing a structure, or installing regulated electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing work, without the Section 105.1 permit is a misdemeanor under IMC Section 1-18 because building permit sections are not on the City's infraction list in Section 1-18.1, exposing violators to a fine of up to $500 or up to six months in jail, or both.

Plumbing Permits

Inglewood adopts the 2019 California Plumbing Code by reference under Section 11-11 and locally amends the permit and plan review fee sections, requiring every residential building to have a separate, individual plumbing system and setting fees by City Council resolution rather than a fixed state schedule.

Key details: Adopted code: 2019 California Plumbing Code (2018 UPC base). Local addition: § 713.8, separate plumbing per residence. Common waste line exception: 2x riser size, fully accessible. Fee table: State Table 104.5 deleted; Council sets fee. Penalty: Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine, 6 months jail.

Installing, altering, or replacing a plumbing system without the required permit, or violating the separate-plumbing-system mandate of Section 713.8, is enforced as a misdemeanor under IMC Section 1-18, punishable by up to a $500 fine or six months in jail, since the Plumbing Code sections are not on the City's specific infraction list.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Every Inglewood short-term rental must have working carbon monoxide detectors, disclosed on the floor plan filed with the permit application and posted for guests in an evacuation notice, under Municipal Code Section 8-141(8)-(9) and Section 8-141(1)(h).

Key details: Detector required: Carbon monoxide detector, all STR units. Disclosed on: Application floor plan, § 8-141(1)(h). Guest notice: Evacuation route notice must show locations. Verified at: Initial and renewal inspections. Enforcing division: City Code Enforcement Division.

Missing or non-functioning carbon monoxide detectors are a health and safety violation discoverable at initial or renewal inspection, and are grounds for permit denial, suspension or revocation under Section 8-142(3)(c), which lists notification of existing health or safety violations as an independent ground for action.

Green Building Code

New construction, additions and multifamily projects permitted in Inglewood must set aside accessible space for blue-container and organics-container storage under CALGreen, the state's Title 24 green building code, as adopted locally at Municipal Code § 7-53.11. The requirement applies to five-or-more-unit multifamily buildings and to additions over thirty percent of floor area.

Key details: Trigger 1: 5+ unit multifamily building site. Trigger 2: Addition over 30% of existing floor area. Applicable code: CALGreen, 24 CCR Part 11 (Title 24). City standard effective date: January 1, 2020. CALGreen space sections: §§ 4.408.1, 4.410.2, 5.408.1, 5.410.1.

A project covered by CALGreen that skips the required recycling and organics storage space, or that mismanages C&D debris in violation of Chapter 7, Article 7, can have its building permit conditioned or withheld under § 7-53.11 until it complies, and an already-occupied building found noncompliant can still face the Article 5 civil penalty schedule in § 7-53.13, up to $250-$500 per repeat violation.

Electrical Permits

Inglewood adopts the 2019 California Electrical Code, based on the 2017 National Electrical Code, by reference under Section 11-15, with no local amendments to the technical code, and requires an Electrical Permit before covered work begins, with fees set by City Council resolution.

Key details: Adopted code: 2019 California Electrical Code (2017 NEC base). Local amendments: None (§§ 11-16, 11-17 state 'NONE'). Permit fee source: Set by City Council resolution. Plan review: Extra fee if plans incomplete/changed. Penalty: Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine, 6 months jail.

Performing electrical installation, alteration, or repair work regulated by the California Electrical Code without first obtaining the Section 11-19 Electrical Permit is enforced under the general Building Code permit requirement of Section 105.1 as a misdemeanor under Section 1-18, punishable by up to a $500 fine or six months in jail, since electrical permitting is not on the City's infraction list.

The Bottom Line

Inglewood's building safety rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Inglewood is broadly strict or permissive.

This guide is based on Inglewood's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.