About The Systematic Code Enforcement Program

The Systematic Code Enforcement Program (SCEP) is designed to routinely inspect all residential rental properties with two or more housing units on a four-year cycle and to respond to reports of property violations.  Inspections are conducted to ensure the safety and habitability of all occupied rental dwelling units.

The Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) schedules each property for a thorough inspection.  A Notice of Inspection is mailed to each residential rental property owner approximately 30 days before the scheduled inspection.  A secondary notice is posted at the site 5-7 days prior to the inspection to inform the tenants of the date and time to anticipate the arrival of the inspector. Properties that do not meet the minimum standards of the City and State codes regarding issues of maintenance, use, or habitability are identified and a written notice describing the violations is mailed to the owner and posted at the site. This document is called a Notice and Order to Comply or Notice and Order of Abatement.  For most violations, property owners must abate all substandard property conditions within 30 days and according to the Compliance Date specified on the notice.  However, when dangerous or hazardous conditions are observed the compliance period is reduced accordingly.   Soon after the compliance date indicated on the notice, a second inspection is performed to verify that the corrective work has been completed.

If repairs are not completed within the time period specified on the Notice and Order to Comply or Notice and Order of Abatement, the owner will be summoned to an administrative General Manager’s Hearing to explain the reason(s) for non-compliance and specify the date the repairs will be completed. If further enforcement steps become necessary, the file may be forwarded to the Office of the City Attorney as a criminal complaint.  The property may also be subject to inclusion in the Rent Escrow Account Program.

Property owners are charged an inspection fee of $35.52 per unit, per year.  This fee is due annually even if the units are not inspected during that year of the four-year cycle.

It is not necessary to wait until a regularly scheduled inspection to Report a Property Violation. Any person may report Housing Code violations within a residential rental unit or the surrounding common areas of the residential property.  Such violations may be reported by using one of the following methods:

Call the Code Enforcement Complaint Line weekdays between 9:00 am-4:00 pm at (866) 557-RENT;
Visit one of the Los Angeles Housing Department's Public Counters.
Online Report a Property Violation via the Internet.

Persons reporting violations will be contacted by phone within 72 hours.

There is no fee for reporting a violation. Tenants may not be evicted nor harassed by landlords for reporting a violation.  Any personal information provided online will remain confidential. Persons may remain anonymous if a violation is reported by phone; however the report must include the property address of the location and the nature of the violation.  If the violation exists within an individual unit on the property the report must include a contact phone number.  Inspections cannot be scheduled without this information.

If it is inconvenient for the person reporting the violation to meet the inspector as scheduled, another responsible adult, such as a friend or family member must be present at the time of inspection.

If the property is a commercial building, industrial building or a single family dwelling on a property parcel, within the City of Los Angeles, please call the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety at (888) LA4-BUILD or (888) 524-2845.

If the property is located within an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County please call (877) 966-CODE to report a property violation.

Incorporated cities within Los Angeles County have their own individual code enforcement agencies, and should be contacted for violations in their respective jurisdictions, such as Burbank, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Inglewood, Santa Monica, and the City of West Hollywood. Please see the Government Pages in the front of the local phone directory for more information. You may also refer to the links on our homepage for other information.

For more information about the Code Enforcement program, call the LAHD Information and Complaint Line at (866) 557-RENT or send an email to ceuemail@lahd.ci.la.ca.us.