I am considering buying a lot in the Shadow Hills area of Los Angeles. It is right next to the road, where the utilities are, so utilities would have to be run on to the property. I am trying to figure out what the approximate permit and planning costs would be. In other words, how much am I looking to spend (after the purchase of the land) before we put a shovel in the ground?
Great question. I’m assuming your new property will be receiving it’s utilities from LADWP. The minimum new water service fee for a 1" water service to a property that is on a street with a water main is $3285. That is assuming there is a water main on the street. Don’t assume. Call LADWP and give them the address and make sure because Shadow Hills, as the name implies, is in the hills and many properties up there receive their water from a main on another street via an easement through a neighboring property. Needless to say you will pay a heck of a lot more than $3285 if there is not a water main near by. For example: if they have to trench trough a street that has been paved within a year you will pay approximately $212,000 to repave the street in addition to costs to run the pipe. Not that that’s the case but that’s the kind of thing you might run into if you don’t research your specific property location with LADWP beforehand. You also need to factor in temporary water for the construction site which LADWP will supply via a nearby fire hydrant for $600 plus $90 a month throughout the project which I would plan for taking about a year to complete.
LADWP charges $1000 for temporary overhead power which can be used during construction in lieu of a generator. This assumes there are poles with the right transformers within range of your property. In general if there are power lines going to an adjacent property very close by you will be fine. If not you can expect to pay several thousands more for new transformers and possibly a new pole drop to where your house will be going. The good news is that there are not a lot of fees beyond the $1000 temp power fee if everything is already in place for the power drop. I think LADWP has $170 initial service application fee or something like that for services 200 amps and under (typical for your average residential home say under 3500 square feet).
The best way to nail down these costs are to call LADWP and give them the address or APN and they will tell you exactly what is involved and the cost: 1 (800) DIAL - DWP