LA SHRA Lot Splits: Does Map Approval Let You Start Building?
Published by Nshanyan Enterprises | October 8, 2026
An approved lot-split map is one step toward new homes. Before construction starts, you also need an issued building permit.
SHRA, often called SB 684/1123, gives qualifying small housing projects a simpler review path. To plan your project, keep three steps separate: approval of the land split, permission to build, and permission to use the finished homes.
This guide covers the City of Los Angeles. Other cities and unincorporated parts of LA County have their own local review agencies.
1. Find out what your map approval covers
A subdivision map shows how land will be split into separate lots. Eligible SHRA projects receive ministerial review. That means staff checks the project against set rules without a discretionary public hearing.
The City says an SHRA application can cover only the land split. It encourages owners to seek approval for the housing development at the same time. Before treating an approval as a green light for your whole project, ask which parts it covers. Source: LA City Planning SHRA guidance
2. Building plans need their own review
Your construction plans explain how the homes will be built. LADBS, the City’s building department, reviews those plans. Other departments may also need to give approvals.
The City’s building process chart shows the main steps: plan review, corrections, permit issuance, construction inspections, and final approval. Source: LADBS building process chart
A Certificate of Occupancy is the City’s approval to use or live in the completed building. Getting a building permit comes earlier.
3. An early-start permit may help
SHRA provides a path to a building permit before the final subdivision map is recorded. Recorded means the map has been officially filed with the LA County Recorder. City approval and County recording are separate steps. Source: LA City Planning final-map glossary
LA’s SHRA memo explains that the applicant needs tentative-map or parcel-map approval and a building-permit application the City has deemed complete. Applicable permit requirements still need to be met.
LA also applies a recorded agreement that holds back the Certificate of Occupancy, or equivalent final approval, until the final map is recorded.
There’s a risk to consider: the City warns that changes to the final map may require changes to construction based on the tentative map. See Early Start Building Permits in LA’s SHRA memo.
4. Know when the 60-day clock starts
Under Government Code Section 66499.41(c), the agency must approve or deny a qualifying parcel-map or tentative-map application within 60 days after receiving a completed application. Source: Government Code Section 66499.41(c). Also confirmed in the City SHRA guide.
That rule covers the map decision. It does not promise a building permit or finished homes within 60 days. Ask for written confirmation of when the application became complete. Keep that date separate from the day you first submitted paperwork.
Make a one-page project check
Before setting a construction or move-in date, ask your project team to fill in these four lines:
Map approval: Where is the approval letter, and what conditions remain?
Building permit: Has it been issued? If so, what work does it allow?
Map recording: Who is handling it, and what still needs to be done?
Move-in approval: Which inspections and final approvals remain?
For each open item, add the person handling it and the next step. This is a planning aid, not proof that the project is approved.
Ask one cost question too: If the final map changes, what would need to be redrawn or rebuilt?
Have a property in mind? Contact Nshanyan Enterprises for a free initial project review. Bring the address, any plans or approval letters, and your main questions.
This is general information, not legal advice or a promise of approval. Confirm current requirements with the City and qualified project professionals.
How this guide was made: AI was used to research the linked public agency sources and write this plain-language guide. It does not include a review of any specific property.
