Replace Door(S)

REPLACE DOOR(S)

General
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) Electronic Permit System (e-Permit system) allows for the issuance of a building permit to replace door(s) with the same size, type and location as the existing door(s). If changes in size (smaller or larger), type, or location are desired, or if the door jam needs replacement, a plan check conducted at the public counter of a LADBS Construction Services Center is required. Structural calculations prepared by an engineer or architect licensed by the State of California are required for structures over 1 story or if the size of the new door(s) significantly exceed that of the existing door(s). Two sets of the following indelible plans are required for plan check:

A floor plan drawn to a scale of 1/4 inch to 1 foot showing the existing use of each room and the size and type of each existing door and window in the room.
A floor plan drawn to a scale of 1/4 inch to 1 foot showing the proposed use of each room and the size and type of each proposed door and window in the room.
Complete structural plans and calculations signed by an engineer or architect if required as noted above.

For residential buildings located within a municipal airport noise boundary as designated by the "Community Noise Equivalent Level" (CNEL) data element, all exterior replacement door(s) must comply with the standards noted below based on the noise contour boundary value that the building is located in.
Door Requirements

General. In all dwellings, every interior door in a doorway through which occupants pass shall have a minimum clear width of 32 inches. Every required exit for new doorways shall be of a size as to permit the installation of a door not less than 3 feet in width and not less than 6 feet 8 inches in height.
Separartion of Private Garages. In the one-hour occupancy separation between Group R3 (dwelling) and Group U (garage) Occupancies, the separation may be limited to the installation of materials approved for one-hour fire-resistive construction on the garage side and a self-closing, tightfitting solid-wood door 1-3/8 inches in thickness, or a self-closing, tightfitting door having a fire-protection rating of not less than 20 minutes when tested in accordance with Part II of Uniform Building Code Standard 7-2. Under no circumstances shall a private garage have any opening into a room used for sleeping purposes.
Sliding Glass Door Assemblies. Full height sliding glass doors and adjoining full height fixed panes within the assembly shall be constructed of approved impact hazard glazing.
Security Requirements (Exterior Doors Only)

General. The active leaf of a pair of doors, and the bottom leaf of Dutch doors, shall be equipped with a deadbolt and deadlocking latch. The deadbolt and latch may be activated by one lock or individual locks. The lock or locks shall be key-operated from the exterior side of the door and open from the interior side by a device which does not require a key, special knowledge, or special effort to operate.
Swing Doors. Swing wood doors shall be of a construction of one of the following:

Solid-core doors not less than 1-3/8 inches in thickness,
Hollow-core doors or doors less than 1-3/8 inches in thickness either of which are covered on the inside face with 16-gauge sheet metal attached with screws at 6-inch maximum centers around the perimeter, or
Wood panel type doors with panels fabricated or lumber not less than 9/16 inch thickness, provided shaped portions of the panels are not less than 1/4 inch thick. Individual panels shall not exceed 300 square inches in area. Stiles and rails shall be of solid lumber with overall dimensions of not less than 1-3/8 inches in thickness and 3 inches in width. Mullions shall be considered a part of adjacent panels unless sized as required herein for stiles and rails, except mullions over 18 inches long may have as overall width of not less than 2 inches. Carved area shall have a thickness of not less than 3/8 inch. Dimensional tolerances published in recognized industry standards may be utilized.

Door Stops. Door stops of in-swinging doors shall be of one-piece construction with the jamb, or joined by rabbet to the jamb.
Hinges. All pin-type hinges which are accessible from outside the secured area when the door is closed shall have non-removable hinge pins. In addition, they shall have minimum 1/4 inch diameter steel jamb stud with 1/4 inch minimum protection unless the hinges are shaped to prevent removal of the door if the hinge pins are removed.
Strike Plates. The strike plate for latches and the holding device for projecting deadbolts in wood construction shall be secured to the jamb and the wall framing with screws not less than 2-1/2 inches in length.
Cylinder Guards. Cylinder guards shall be installed on all cylinder locks whenever the cylinder projects beyond the face of the door or otherwise accessible to gripping tools.
Deadbolt. Deadbolts shall contain hardened inserts to repel cutting tools. A straight deadbolt shall have a minimum throw of 1 inch and an embedment of not less than 5/8 inch into the holding device receiving the projected bolt.
Glazing. Glazed opening within 40 inches of the required locking device of the door, when the door is in the closed position, shall be fully tempered glass or approved burglary resistant material, or shall be protected by metal bars, screens or grills having a maximum opening of 2 inches.
Sliding Doors. Sliding doors shall be equipped with locking devices, and shall be provided with a device in the upper channel of the moving panel to prohibit raising and removing of the moving panel in the closed or partially open position.
Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL)Requirements

Per Section 1208A.8.5 of the City of Los Angeles Building Code, residential buildings located within a municipal airport noise boundary shall comply with prescriptive standards established by the Los Angeles County Building Code Manual (LACBCM) for mitigation of interior noise levels due to the airport. There are three municipal airport noise boundaries designated by the "Community Noise Equivalent Level" (CNEL) data element with the values, "65 dB < 70 dB", "70 dB < 75 dB" and "75 dB +". For residential buildings located in a CNEL noise boundary, all exterior replacement door(s) must comply with the standards summarized in the table below. Click on each "CNEL Noise Boundary" hyperlink to review the complete text of the prescriptive standards.

CNEL Noise Boundary Prescriptive Standards Established by LACBCM for Mitigation of Interior Noise Levels When Exterior Door(s) Are Replaced

65 dB < 70 dB

Hollow core or lightweight doors and doors with glazed openings shall be replaced with doors that have a minimum laboratory sound transmission class rating of at least STC 35 dB.
Solid core or heavy panel doors shall be fitted with a drop seal at the sill and vinyl bulb seals at the jambs and head.

70 dB < 75 dB

Exterior hinged doors to rooms that are exposed to aircraft noise shall be replaced with a door and seals that have a laboratory sound transmission class rating of at least STC 40 db. A new rabbeted frame shall be provided for each new door to replace the existing frame.
Access doors from a garage to a room within a dwelling shall be replaced with a door and seals that have laboratory sound transmissions rating of at least STC 30 db.
Sliding glass doors to rooms that are exposed to aircraft noise shall be fitted with a secondary sliding glass door installed on the exterior of the existing door and trimmed on all exposed sides with wood trim that is at least 2-inches thick (nominal).
The joint between the wall opening and the new doorframe required in Item No. 3 a, b or c above shall be continuously filled with glass fiber insulation and the exterior cover trim shall be continuously caulked to seal the joint.

75 dB +

Exterior hinged doors to rooms shall be replaced with a door and seals that have a laboratory sound transmission class rating of at least STC 40 db. A new rabbeted frame shall be provided for each new door to replace the existing frame.
Access doors from a garage to a room within a dwelling shall be replaced with a door and seals that have a laboratory sound transmission rating of at least STC 30 dB.
Exterior sliding glass doors in rooms shall be fitted with a secondary sliding glass door installed on the exterior of the existing door and trimmed on all exposed sides with wood trim that is at least 2 inches thick (nominal).
The joint between the wall opening and the new door frame required in Item No. 3 a, b or c above shall be continuously filled with glass fiber insulation and the exterior cover trim shall be continuously caulked to seal the joint.

Inspection Requirements

In most cases, only one inspection is required after the new door(s) are installed. For door replacement permits issued using the LADBS e-Permit system, the inspector will provide the required inspection signature card at the first (or only) inspection. To reach your inspector to verify inspection requirements for your project, call the LADBS Customer Call Center at 888-LA4BUILD (888-524-2845) for calls originating inside of Los Angeles County. For calls originating outside of Los Angeles County, call (213) 482-0000.
Inspection Requests

You can schedule an inspection by using our Automated Inspection Request System (AIRS) which is available anytime (except between 2am and 3am) or by contacting our Customer Call Center (CCC) during our regular business hours (7am to 5pm). Both are available at 888-LA4BUILD (888-524-2845) for calls originating inside of Los Angeles County. For calls originating outside of Los Angeles County, call (213) 482-0000. To reach AIRS select option 1, to reach CCC select option 2. When calling for an inspection you will need to know the permit number, the site address, the date and type of inspection needed, and the name and phone number of the person to receive a confirmation call on the morning of the inspection. Inspections are available for the next business day until 3pm on the previous business day using AIRS and until 2pm on the previous business day using CCC. An AIRS Sequence Chart is helpful when scheduling an inspection request using AIRS.

After the new door(s) are installed, use the "335 - Final" AIRS inspection code. When using AIRS to schedule an inspection request, it is recommended that you write down your inspection request confirmation number for future reference. This confirmation number can be obtained by pressing the "1" key in step 10 as shown on the AIRS Sequence Chart.

CNEL Noise Boundary	Prescriptive Standards Established by LACBCM for Mitigation of Interior Noise Levels When Exterior Door(s) Are Replaced
65 dB < 70 dB	Hollow core or lightweight doors and doors with glazed openings shall be replaced with doors that have a minimum laboratory sound transmission class rating of at least STC 35 dB. Solid core or heavy panel doors shall be fitted with a drop seal at the sill and vinyl bulb seals at the jambs and head.
70 dB < 75 dB	Exterior hinged doors to rooms that are exposed to aircraft noise shall be replaced with a door and seals that have a laboratory sound transmission class rating of at least STC 40 db. A new rabbeted frame shall be provided for each new door to replace the existing frame. Access doors from a garage to a room within a dwelling shall be replaced with a door and seals that have laboratory sound transmissions rating of at least STC 30 db. Sliding glass doors to rooms that are exposed to aircraft noise shall be fitted with a secondary sliding glass door installed on the exterior of the existing door and trimmed on all exposed sides with wood trim that is at least 2-inches thick (nominal). The joint between the wall opening and the new doorframe required in Item No. 3 a, b or c above shall be continuously filled with glass fiber insulation and the exterior cover trim shall be continuously caulked to seal the joint.
75 dB +	Exterior hinged doors to rooms shall be replaced with a door and seals that have a laboratory sound transmission class rating of at least STC 40 db. A new rabbeted frame shall be provided for each new door to replace the existing frame. Access doors from a garage to a room within a dwelling shall be replaced with a door and seals that have a laboratory sound transmission rating of at least STC 30 dB. Exterior sliding glass doors in rooms shall be fitted with a secondary sliding glass door installed on the exterior of the existing door and trimmed on all exposed sides with wood trim that is at least 2 inches thick (nominal). The joint between the wall opening and the new door frame required in Item No. 3 a, b or c above shall be continuously filled with glass fiber insulation and the exterior cover trim shall be continuously caulked to seal the joint.