LAFD Building Demolition Guidelines

This is a quick one-stop-shopping area to assist you with finding a building scheduled for demolition to drill on, and how to quickly get you through the requirements for drilling on a vacant building.

THIS IS NOT FOR LIVE FIRE TRAINING! For live fire training requirements, contact the In-Service Training Section.

Step 1. Building and Safety Building Demolition link

This first link will take you to Building and Safety’s site for demolition permits where you will find a list of all of the buildings in the city currently scheduled for demolition with the owners name and phone number, along with the type and size of building to be demolished. Many buildings scheduled for demolition have a diagram and plot plan of the building.

Step 2. Example Asbestos Abatement Form

This second link is just an example of what an asbestos abatement form looks like if you need to get one from the building owner. The building must be asbestos-free before we can drill on it. The building owner is required by the city to remove all asbestos before demolition, so we’re not asking them to do anything they’re not already required to do.

Step 3. Liability Release Form

The third link is the standard one-sheet liability release form for you and the owner to sign releasing the City of Los Angeles and themselves from any liability.

Step 4. Safe Neighborhoods Website

This forth step is REQUIRED.  Please call (310) 445-1711 and leave a message  to report training information. Please include:

  • Your name
  • Your station phone number
  • The permit number of the building you’ll be drilling on
  • The drill building address
  • The dates you’ll be drilling at that site

Step 5. Building Code Requirements for Re-Securing Buildings

The fifth link is for re-securing the building when you’re done drilling. The Safe Neighborhood division of the City Attorney’s Office has required us to re-secure the buildings according to code, with the exception of the roof. We may use salvage plastic to cover the openings in the roof. The fifth link is the one-page code requirements from Building and Safety for re-securing a vacant building.