What is different about West Hollywood, California?
West Hollywood calls the program Soft, Weak or Open-Front, or SWOF. Ordinance 17-1004 applies to specified older wood-frame buildings with open ground-floor conditions.
Current local facts to put in the project file
| Official fact | Planning meaning |
|---|---|
| Ordinance 17-1004 was adopted April 17, 2017 and took effect April 1, 2018 | Use the West Hollywood ordinance, not LADBS rules |
| The program applies to permits applied for before January 1, 1978 | Confirm the building record and city screening |
| Screening is due 1 year and plans 2 years from notice | The notice date starts the local schedule |
| Permit and construction start are due at 4 years and completion at 5 | Procurement and tenant planning must fit before field work |
| Covered occupied residential projects require tenant habitability review | The THP clearance can affect permit release |
| New Phase 2 construction grant applications closed February 3, 2026 | Do not market the local construction grant as open |
The city’s main retrofit page posts updated deadlines and grant changes. Review it again before relying on an older roadmap or FAQ.
Turn the local record into a work plan
Complete the professional screening, develop plans, coordinate Building and Safety with Rent Stabilization, serve required notices, complete work and preserve final records.
Which cost and occupied-building assumptions belong in the file?
West Hollywood’s FAQ reports a consultant rough-order range of $40,000 to $160,000 for a majority of soft-story retrofits, while warning that each building varies. Use it as context only.
The city requires a checklist, may require a full THP, publishes a 10-business-day review for a complete submission and requires notices at least 10 days before work under the described process.
Use the 2026 cost guide to separate the cost rows that matter in West Hollywood. Then check the occupied-construction guide for the resident, access and utility duties that belong in this proposal.
Questions the West Hollywood proposal must resolve
- Which SWOF notice date starts this building’s five-year schedule?
- Who handles screening, plans, permits and construction milestones?
- Who prepares the tenant habitability material and required notices?
- Is grant funding excluded unless a current written approval supports it?
Put Building and Safety tasks beside Rent Stabilization tasks. Name who prepares habitability material, answers comments, serves notices and keeps proof. Use the contractor comparison guide to compare SWOF design, tenant coordination, grant status and final records as separate duties before setting a construction start.
Before signing, check the notice date against all five milestones and attach the current tenant-habitability path to the proposal.
Frequently asked questions
Is West Hollywood’s construction grant still open?
The city says new Phase 2 construction applications closed February 3, 2026. Check the page for any later change.
Does inclusion in the survey prove the building is unsafe?
No. The city says further evaluation by a qualified California civil or structural engineer is required.
When do the five years begin?
The program describes milestones from official notice to the owner. Use the property notice and current city update.