Restaurant owners are often surprised that the building permit is not the whole story. In Los Angeles County, any new or remodelled food facility is also reviewed by the Department of Public Health, Environmental Health division, before construction begins. It is a separate submittal with its own reviewers, and its approval is required before you can open.
What the reviewers are looking at
The Health Department reviews the same drawings from a food-safety angle. In broad terms, they check:
- Flow. How food moves from delivery to storage to preparation to service, and whether clean and dirty paths cross.
- Sinks. Hand sinks where staff work, a warewashing setup suited to the menu, and food preparation and mop sinks where they belong.
- Surfaces. Floors, walls and ceilings in food areas that are smooth, durable and cleanable, with the right transitions.
- Refrigeration and storage. Enough of it, in the right places, with clearances for cleaning.
- Ventilation. Exhaust over cooking equipment, and adequate make-up air.
- Restrooms and staff facilities. Provided as the use requires.
- Equipment. A schedule of every piece, with its listing and location on the plan.
Why sets get sent back
Most corrections come from gaps rather than errors: a missing equipment schedule, a hand sink drawn too far from a work station, a finish not called out, a menu that implies cooking the drawings do not support. A set that is complete and consistent, where the equipment schedule, the plan and the mechanical drawings all agree, is reviewed faster.
How it fits with the building permit
The Health review and the LADBS plan check run in parallel, and the building permit is generally issued only when both are satisfied. Because both departments are reading the same set, coordinating it once, properly, is what keeps the two processes from tripping over each other.
What we do
We prepare the food-facility drawings alongside the architectural set: the equipment layout and schedule, finishes, plumbing fixtures and ventilation, coordinated with the kitchen consultant and the mechanical engineer. We submit to the Health Department, answer their corrections and carry the approval through to the inspection before opening. The 30-plus Alfred Coffee locations and cafés such as Louisa Coffee went through this process.
