Commercial construction Cost in Los Angeles — 2026

Name: Commercial construction in Los Angeles
Brand: NP Line Design
Availability: InStock

Retail, office, TI, mixed-use — permit-aware LADBS + LACity.

2026 LA County range

$100K–$2.0M

Updated 2026-04-18

Typical timeline

12–50 weeks

On-site construction, plus design + permit phase

Authored by Netanel Presman — CSLB RMO #1105249 · Updated 2026-04-18

What does commercial construction actually cost in LA in 2026?

Commercial construction and tenant improvements in Los Angeles cost $40 to $950 per square foot in 2026 depending on project type. Office build-outs run $50-$150/sqft, retail and showroom $75-$200, restaurant and bar $200-$500, and medical office $375-$950. LADBS commercial plan check averages 2 to 3 months for full tenant improvements. Title 24 2026 standards require heat pump expansion for commercial HVAC, ASHRAE Guideline 36 controls, enhanced indoor air quality ventilation, and electric-ready commercial kitchens. California ADA standards exceed federal (2 accessible parking spaces per 25 vs 1 per 25; 96-inch van aisles vs 60-inch federal). NP Line Design (CSLB #1105249) provides design-build commercial construction with LADBS permit management, Title 24 compliance, and ADA accessibility under one contract.

What drives the price?

·Office build-out: $50-$150/sqft
·Retail/showroom: $75-$200/sqft
·Restaurant/bar: $200-$500/sqft (kitchen equipment 40-70% of budget)
·Medical (primary care): $375-$500/sqft; specialty/surgery $500-$950
·Warehouse-to-office conversion: $75-$200/sqft plus seismic retrofit 20-30% of budget
·Industrial/warehouse TI: $40-$100/sqft
·HVAC $35-$60/sqft, electrical $6-$34/sqft on typical commercial
·Post-wildfire demand premium: +5-10% through 2026-2027

Cost by neighborhood — all 167 LA markets

LA County median adjusted per neighborhood tier. Click any neighborhood for a scoped chat pre-seeded with local context.

Most affordable 5

Most premium 5

All 167 neighborhoods

Encino$110K–$2.2M Woodland Hills$110K–$2.2M Sherman Oaks$110K–$2.2M Studio City$115K–$2.3M Pacific Palisades$122K–$2.4M Brentwood$122K–$2.4M Santa Monica$122K–$2.4M Venice$122K–$2.4M Beverly Hills$132K–$2.6M Silver Lake$115K–$2.3M Acton$95K–$1.9M Agoura Hills$110K–$2.2M Alhambra$102K–$2.0M Altadena$110K–$2.2M Arcadia$115K–$2.3M Arleta$102K–$2.0M Artesia$102K–$2.0M Athens$95K–$1.9M Atwater Village$110K–$2.2M Azusa$102K–$2.0M Baldwin Hills$102K–$2.0M Baldwin Park$102K–$2.0M Bel Air$132K–$2.6M Bell$102K–$2.0M Bell Gardens$95K–$1.9M Bellflower$102K–$2.0M Boyle Heights$102K–$2.0M Burbank$110K–$2.2M Calabasas$110K–$2.2M Canoga Park$102K–$2.0M Canyon Country$102K–$2.0M Carson$102K–$2.0M Castaic$102K–$2.0M Cerritos$102K–$2.0M Chatsworth$110K–$2.2M Chinatown$102K–$2.0M Claremont$102K–$2.0M Commerce$95K–$1.9M Compton$95K–$1.9M Covina$102K–$2.0M Crenshaw$102K–$2.0M Culver City$115K–$2.3M Diamond Bar$102K–$2.0M Downey$102K–$2.0M Downtown LA$102K–$2.0M Duarte$102K–$2.0M Eagle Rock$110K–$2.2M East Los Angeles$102K–$2.0M Echo Park$115K–$2.3M El Monte$102K–$2.0M El Segundo$115K–$2.3M Elysian Park$102K–$2.0M Florence-Firestone$95K–$1.9M Gardena$102K–$2.0M Glassell Park$110K–$2.2M Glendale$110K–$2.2M Glendora$102K–$2.0M Granada Hills$110K–$2.2M Hacienda Heights$102K–$2.0M Hancock Park$122K–$2.4M Harbor City$102K–$2.0M Harbor Gateway$102K–$2.0M Hawaiian Gardens$102K–$2.0M Hawthorne$102K–$2.0M Hermosa Beach$122K–$2.4M Hidden Hills$132K–$2.6M Highland Park$110K–$2.2M Huntington Park$95K–$1.9M Hyde Park$102K–$2.0M Industry$95K–$1.9M Inglewood$102K–$2.0M Irwindale$102K–$2.0M Jefferson Park$102K–$2.0M Kagel Canyon$102K–$2.0M Koreatown$102K–$2.0M La Canada Flintridge$132K–$2.6M La Crescenta-Montrose$102K–$2.0M La Habra Heights$102K–$2.0M La Mirada$102K–$2.0M La Puente$102K–$2.0M La Verne$102K–$2.0M Lake Balboa$102K–$2.0M Lake Los Angeles$95K–$1.9M Lakewood$102K–$2.0M Lancaster$95K–$1.9M Larchmont$115K–$2.3M Lawndale$102K–$2.0M Leimert Park$102K–$2.0M Lincoln Heights$102K–$2.0M Littlerock$95K–$1.9M Lomita$102K–$2.0M Long Beach$102K–$2.0M Los Feliz$115K–$2.3M Lynwood$95K–$1.9M Malibu$132K–$2.6M Manhattan Beach$132K–$2.6M Mar Vista$115K–$2.3M Marina Del Rey$122K–$2.4M Maywood$95K–$1.9M Mid-Wilshire$115K–$2.3M Mission Hills$102K–$2.0M Monrovia$115K–$2.3M Montebello$102K–$2.0M Monterey Park$102K–$2.0M Mount Washington$115K–$2.3M Newhall$102K–$2.0M North Hollywood$102K–$2.0M Northridge$102K–$2.0M Norwalk$102K–$2.0M Pacoima$102K–$2.0M Palmdale$95K–$1.9M Palos Verdes Estates$132K–$2.6M Panorama City$102K–$2.0M Paramount$102K–$2.0M Pasadena$122K–$2.4M Pearblossom$95K–$1.9M Pico Rivera$102K–$2.0M Playa Del Rey$115K–$2.3M Playa Vista$122K–$2.4M Pomona$102K–$2.0M Porter Ranch$110K–$2.2M Quartz Hill$95K–$1.9M Rancho Palos Verdes$132K–$2.6M Redondo Beach$122K–$2.4M Reseda$102K–$2.0M Rolling Hills$132K–$2.6M Rolling Hills Estates$132K–$2.6M Rosemead$102K–$2.0M Rowland Heights$102K–$2.0M San Dimas$102K–$2.0M San Fernando$102K–$2.0M San Gabriel$110K–$2.2M San Marino$132K–$2.6M San Pedro$102K–$2.0M Santa Clarita$102K–$2.0M Santa Fe Springs$102K–$2.0M Saugus$102K–$2.0M Shadow Hills$102K–$2.0M Sierra Madre$115K–$2.3M Signal Hill$102K–$2.0M South El Monte$102K–$2.0M South Gate$95K–$1.9M South Pasadena$122K–$2.4M Stevenson Ranch$102K–$2.0M Sun Valley$102K–$2.0M Sunland-Tujunga$102K–$2.0M Sylmar$102K–$2.0M Tarzana$110K–$2.2M Temple City$110K–$2.2M Torrance$102K–$2.0M Valencia$102K–$2.0M Van Nuys$102K–$2.0M Vernon$95K–$1.9M View Park$102K–$2.0M Walnut$102K–$2.0M Walnut Park$95K–$1.9M Watts$95K–$1.9M West Adams$102K–$2.0M West Covina$102K–$2.0M West Hills$110K–$2.2M West Hollywood$122K–$2.4M Westchester$115K–$2.3M Westmont$95K–$1.9M Whittier$102K–$2.0M Willowbrook$95K–$1.9M Wilmington$102K–$2.0M Winnetka$102K–$2.0M

What LA rules actually apply?

LADBS commercial plan check averages 2-3 months for full TI via ePlanLA digital submission (paper phased out 2025)
Express permits same-day for minor alterations/MEP only ($150-$500); counter plan check 1-2 weeks for simple TI ($500-$2,000)
Title 24 2026 (effective Jan 1, 2026): heat pump expansion for end-of-life rooftop units, ASHRAE Guideline 36 controls, enhanced IAQ ventilation, electric-ready kitchens - non-compliance $500-$2,000/day/violation
California ADA: 2 accessible parking spaces per 25 (vs 1 per 25 federal), 96-inch van aisles (vs 60-inch federal)
Restaurants require Type I hood system, grease interceptor, LA County Health Dept plan check, fire suppression
Medical offices require medical gas $15K-$25K per treatment room, positive/negative pressure HVAC, lead-lined walls for radiology, HCAI compliance if hospital-associated
Plan check fees 65-80% of permit fee on top of base application cost

What homeowners miss that costs them money

⚠Kitchen equipment represents 40-70% of restaurant build-out budget - value engineering must happen before design lock
⚠Warehouse-to-office conversions trigger seismic retrofit adding 20-30% to budget; 1,500+ LA County warehouses fit this profile
⚠Medical office infection control during construction is a separate scope with negative-pressure containment, not a line item to compress
⚠Inadequate drawings, unresolved structural issues, ADA violations, missing Title 24 calcs, and incomplete fire/life safety plans are the top five plan check rejection causes
⚠Restaurants and medical offices are highly variable by equipment scope - early equipment selection drives entire MEP design

Get a scoped estimate — tell Baily your project.

Commercial construction cost scoping — built by NP Line Design.

Who is Baily?

Baily is named after Francis Baily — an English stockbroker who retired at 51, became an astronomer, and in 1836 described something on the edge of a solar eclipse that nobody had properly articulated before: a string of bright beads of sunlight breaking through the valleys along the moon's rim.

He wasn't the first to see them. Edmond Halley saw them in 1715 and barely noticed. Baily's contribution was clarity — describing exactly what was happening, in plain language, so vividly that the whole field of astronomy paid attention. The phenomenon is still called Baily's beads.

That's what we wanted our AI to do. Every inbound call and text has signal in it — a homeowner's real question, a timeline, a budget, a hesitation that means “yes but.” Baily listens to every one, 24/7, and finds the beads of light.

Baily was a businessman before he was a scientist. That's our vibe too.

Questions LA homeowners actually ask

For this service, the most affordable LA markets right now are Acton, Athens, Bell Gardens — roughly $95K–$1.9M. 5% below LA County median.