[Added by Ord. 17; amended by Ord. 105]
The City Council finds and declares that laws and ordinances regulating the erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, removal, demolition, conversion, occupancy, equipment use, height, area and maintenance of all buildings and structures in the City, as well as swimming pools and other bodies of water and other related structures, and providing for the issuance of permits and the collection of fees therefore, and declaring and establishing fire zones, is necessary to preserve the public peace, health, safety and welfare.
No building permit shall be issued by any officer, official or employee of the City of Lakewood for any building or structure not in conformity with the provisions of this Article. If any such permit is so issued contrary to the provisions of this Article, such permit shall be void.
[Added by Ord. 87-4]
If an applicant for a permit under this Article is required, as a condition of the issuance of such permit, to indemnify the City or County of Los Angeles from liability or responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property occurring as a proximate result to activities undertaken pursuant to the permit applied for, the applicant may be required to file a certificate of insurance evidencing coverage of the City and/or County of not less than $500,000.00 for bodily injury and $100,000.00 for property damage liability to assure compliance with the foregoing indemnification.
[Added by Ord. 17]
That no permit be issued for the construction of a new home within the City of Lakewood unless the builder or owner agrees to install a garbage disposal unit in said home; that no permit be issued for the remodeling or the rebuilding of a home where in the discretion of the Building Department said remodeling or rebuilding will involve fifty percent (50%) or more new construction unless the builder or owner agrees to install a garbage disposal unit in said home if one is not already installed in same.
[Added by Ord. 2021-8; amended 11-11-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-2]
All houses, residences, dwelling units, buildings, and structures ("addressed building(s)") within the City of Lakewood, other than garages, small outbuildings, shall be numbered in accordance with the address numbering system heretofore adopted and historically used by the City of Lakewood. It shall be unlawful for the owner, occupant or person in charge or control of any such addressed building, required to have an address number under the provisions of this section, to fail or refuse to obtain and properly display upon any such addressed building, the official address number or numbers assigned by the City for such addressed building(s). This is important to provide vital locational information to allow efficient access by emergency, utility, service, postal and any other delivery or personal service.
A. 
The address numbering for buildings in the R-1 and R-A zone shall comply with California Residential Code R319.1 and California Building Code 501.2 as each are amended from time to time. Each numeric digit shall be a minimum of four (4") inches in height with a one (1") inch stroke in plain Arabic digits.
B. 
The address numbering for all buildings not in the R-1 or R-A zone shall comply with the California Building Code, Section 502.1.
C. 
The address numbering for each addressed building on the lot or parcel shall be plainly visible from the public streets of the City of Lakewood, as hereinafter provided, and shall not be hidden from view from the street by any trees, bushes, shrubs, or any other obstruction.
D. 
In all cases where the addressed building or buildings are located on or back of the property line of the street on which it fronts and to which it is addressed, the address numbers shall be placed on the addressed building either at the side of the main entrance, over the main entrance, upon the porch or the numbers may be placed over or at the side of the gateway to the property or upon any other structure near to but back of the property line in such a manner that the address(es) shall be plainly visible from the street.
E. 
In the case where the addressed building or unit is behind another addressed building or is in a building complex with many addressed buildings or units, which may be accessed by a private drive, then the building address(es) for such buildings or units shall be displayed on a structure designed specifically to display the addresses of all such addressed building or units on the lot or upon the addressed building nearest to and fully visible from the street. A directional arrow or locational diagram may be required to be added to provide clear wayfinding direction. Such rear addressed buildings or units may have a second set of addressed numbers attached to such addressed buildings for confirmation purposes.
[Added by Ord. 370]
Wherever house numbers have been placed upon curbs in accordance with a permit issued as provided in this Code or pursuant to authorization of the City Council, said numbers shall only be removed, changed or obliterated when authorized by said permit or the City Council. No person shall, and it is hereby declared unlawful for any person to remove or to paint over or to obliterate or destroy any house number painted upon a public curb dedicated to or owned by the City if said house number had been previously painted or placed thereon by the City, or by an agent or contractor of the City, or pursuant to a permit issued by the City, unless the removal, obliteration, or painting over the same has been authorized by the City or by a permit issued by the City.