Los Angeles County officials confirmed on Tuesday that the city’s Department of Building and Safety has issued stop-work orders for three residential properties in the Bel Air neighborhood after inspectors identified structural deviations from approved plans during routine compliance checks.
The properties, located along Stone Canyon Road and Benedict Canyon Drive, were flagged for unauthorized modifications to load-bearing walls and foundation reinforcements, according to internal memos reviewed by World Today News. Inspectors noted that alterations included the removal of interior support columns and the addition of subterranean extensions not reflected in original permits filed between 2020 and 2022.
City building officials said the violations were discovered during a targeted audit initiated following a 3.2-magnitude tremor recorded in the Santa Monica Mountains on March 14, which prompted a citywide review of hillside construction in high-seismic zones. The audit, overseen by Deputy Chief Inspector Maria Chen, focuses on properties with basements exceeding 2,000 square feet or those undergoing significant excavation.
Owners of the affected properties have been notified and given 14 days to submit corrected engineering plans or halt all construction activity. Failure to comply could result in daily fines of up to $2,000 per violation, with potential referral to the City Attorney’s office for misdemeanor charges under Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 91.108.
The Department of Building and Safety emphasized that the stop-work orders are administrative, not criminal, and are intended to ensure public safety rather than penalize homeowners. Officials stated that no injuries or structural failures have been reported at the sites to date.
Neighborhood associations in Bel Air and Holmby Hills have requested access to the inspection reports, citing concerns about cumulative impacts of underground development on slope stability and groundwater runoff. The city has not yet released the full reports, pending internal review.
As of this afternoon, no permits for retroactive approval have been submitted for any of the three properties. The Department of Building and Safety confirmed that reinspections will occur only after revised plans are filed and approved.
