City
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County. Local services, county offices, and places worth knowing.
Place answer
Starting or stopping LADWP water and power
Use LADWP's residential request for home water or power. A landlord's multi-unit request is different, and moving out needs a separate stop-service request.
Details and requirementsCity offices
Start with the task in front of you.
Los Angeles is incorporated. Start with the city for work inside its limits, while Los Angeles County still handles property records, taxes, courts, elections, many benefits, and county alerts. Los Angeles County handles local public health.
- Property Open the property-tax guide
Assessed value, exemptions, tax bills, and appeals
Los Angeles County assessor handles value and exemptions. The clerk of the board handles a formal value appeal. The tax collector handles the bill, payment, and penalties.
- Records Open the records guide
Deeds, birth and death records, marriage records, and name changes
Los Angeles County recorder is the usual office for deeds and many public records. Vital-record access depends on the record and year. A legal name change or divorce decree can involve Superior Court.
- Property work Open official city planning
Building permits, ADUs, zoning, code, water, and septic
Start with the city planning or building office for an address inside Los Angeles. Start with the county for an address outside local limits.
Browse planning and building offices - Housing Open official housing help
Rent rules, repairs, notices, and eviction papers
Start with a local rent, housing, or code office if one serves the address. Court papers go to the Superior Court self-help path, and the deadline on the papers keeps running.
Browse local housing and rent offices - Household help Open the benefits guide
CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, General Assistance, and IHSS
Los Angeles County social-services agency is the main local office. Coverage, food, cash aid, and in-home support remain separate programs with separate notices.
- Public health Open health and benefits help
Vaccines, disease reporting, health records, and local health programs
Los Angeles County public health is the local health jurisdiction. Health coverage and benefits still use separate programs and offices.
- Business Open official business licensing
Business setup, seller's permits, local licenses, and regulated work
State filings and tax accounts do not replace Los Angeles zoning, licensing, building, fire, or health approvals for the address.
Browse business licensing offices - Neighborhood services Open local-office help
Potholes, streetlights, graffiti, trash, and service requests
For a city-maintained street or service inside Los Angeles, start with the local request system. County roads, Caltrans routes, utilities, private property, and separate service providers use different reporting systems.
- School and care Open the school and care guide
School enrollment, student records, and child-care checks
The school district handles assignment and records. County offices can help with some family services, while the state licenses child-care facilities.
- Parking Open parking help
Residential, guest, overnight, and local parking permits
A local parking permit is separate from a citation, moving ticket, and toll notice. Match the permit to the address, vehicle, district, or parking facility.
- Tickets Open ticket help
Traffic court, parking citations, and toll notices
Los Angeles County Superior Court handles traffic court matters. A city or issuing agency handles parking. The toll operator handles toll notices.
- Safety Open emergency checks
Emergency alerts, evacuations, smoke, roads, and power
Use the county or city alert system for local warnings. Follow the local emergency office for evacuation wording, then check the matching state fire, smoke, road, or utility update.
Official city links
Start local when the address is inside Los Angeles.
The official website is always listed. A direct service link appears only after an official public page has been checked; an unlisted service has not been guessed.
County offices
County offices still handle countywide work.
Los Angeles does not replace the county for records, property taxes, courts, elections, benefits, public health, or county alerts. The official links stay together below.
Los Angeles County
City, county, and district responsibilities
The city line changes some rules, but not every public office.
The mailing address can say Los Angeles even when the property sits outside local limits. Check the city line before relying on a local rule or permit page.
City limits choose the local permit office
Inside Los Angeles, the city usually handles permits, zoning, parking, business licenses, and local code. Outside the city line, start with county planning or building.
The county still handles county work
Los Angeles County handles property value and tax bills. It also handles deeds, elections, health, and many aid programs. Living inside Los Angeles does not move those jobs to the city.
A provider can have its own boundary
Water, sewer, fire, schools, transit, trash, and power may belong to a special district or other provider. Use the address, parcel, or service bill to find the right agency.
Practical notes
Office, map, permit, and paperwork notes for Los Angeles
Place answer · Rules and licenses · Reviewed July 22, 2026
In Los Angeles city, ZIMAS is the first property map
Los Angeles City Planning says ZIMAS shows zoning and other property information for addresses in the city.
Place answer · Rules and licenses · Reviewed September 15, 2026
Los Angeles 311 is the first stop for many neighborhood fixes
MyLA311 gives Los Angeles residents one place to start many non-emergency city requests, including graffiti, potholes, bulky-item pickup, dumping, streetlights, parking enforcement, and city information.
Place answer · Rules and licenses · Reviewed July 3, 2026
Los Angeles business registration starts with the Office of Finance
Los Angeles business owners usually start with the Office of Finance for a Business Tax Registration Certificate, then check whether the business needs other city permits.
Place answer · Rules and licenses · Reviewed July 3, 2026
An LA County business name filing starts with the County Clerk
Los Angeles County fictitious business name filings are handled by the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, separate from city business tax, seller's permits, and state business filings.
Place answer · History and culture · Reviewed July 1, 2026
The Arroyo Seco Parkway shows how the freeway age began
The Arroyo Seco Parkway between Pasadena and Los Angeles was the first freeway in the West, and it still shows the early shape of car-era planning.
Place answer · Home and property · Reviewed July 14, 2026
LAFD brush clearance status can be checked by parcel
LAFD's parcel tool uses an Assessor Parcel Number, while an account made with the APN and mailed PIN can show inspection photos and email pass-or-fail notices.
Stories & Notes
Stories and local context in Los Angeles County
Place story · History and culture
Grand Central Market keeps downtown Los Angeles hungry and busy
Grand Central Market opened in 1917 inside the Homer Laughlin Building and still gives downtown Los Angeles a lively food-hall anchor.
Place story · History and culture
Los Angeles State Historic Park turns old rail land into open space
Los Angeles State Historic Park sits on former Southern Pacific rail land near Chinatown, with landscape details that point back to river, rail, and arrival stories.
Place story · History and culture
Hollyhock House gives Los Angeles a garden-house landmark
Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Art Park connects Frank Lloyd Wright, Aline Barnsdall, garden-house design, public tours, and Los Angeles's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Place story · Outdoors
The LA River feels different in the Glendale Narrows
The Glendale Narrows shows the Los Angeles River as a real city river, with softer-bottom habitat, bike paths, bridges, and a recreation zone near Elysian Valley.
Place story · History and culture
Union Station gives Los Angeles one grand rail front door
Los Angeles Union Station opened in 1939, joining older rail terminals into one landmark station that still anchors downtown transit.
Place story · History and culture
Central Library keeps a California story above the reading rooms
Los Angeles Central Library opened in 1926, and its rotunda murals still turn a library visit into a small downtown art and history stop.
Place story · History and culture
The Hollywood Sign began as a hillside real-estate billboard
Los Angeles' Hollywood Sign started as the Hollywoodland sign in 1923, a large electric billboard for a hillside real-estate development.
Place story · History and culture
Watts Towers is Los Angeles art built by one determined person
Watts Towers turns one person's long backyard project into a Los Angeles landmark, with tile, glass, steel, concrete, and a strong neighborhood presence.
- 2025 population
- 3,869,089
- Land area
- 470.518 sq mi
- Water area
- 31.486 sq mi