Many of the best restaurant locations in Los Angeles were never restaurants. Turning a shop or an office into one is possible, but the city treats it as a new use of the building, and that brings a longer list of requirements than a simple remodel.
Start with the Certificate of Occupancy
Every commercial space has a Certificate of Occupancy that states its approved use. If it says retail or office, a restaurant needs a change of use permit from the building department. In the City of Los Angeles that is the Department of Building and Safety. Ask the landlord for the certificate before you negotiate the lease.
Zoning and parking
First confirm that the zone allows a restaurant. Then look at parking: restaurants traditionally need more parking spaces than shops, and that has stopped many conversions. California law AB 2097, in effect since 2023, removed minimum parking requirements for most projects within half a mile of a major transit stop, which has opened up many older storefronts. Whether your address qualifies has to be checked case by case.
Occupancy and safety
Under the building code, a small restaurant with fewer than 50 occupants is treated like a business space. At 50 or more it becomes an assembly space, with stricter rules.
- A second exit and doors that swing out
- Fire sprinklers for larger assembly spaces
- More restroom fixtures
- Exit signs and emergency lighting
Accessibility
A change of use triggers accessibility upgrades: the entrance, the route through the space, the restrooms and a share of the seating. In older buildings with a step at the door or narrow restrooms this needs to be solved early in the design.
Kitchen systems
A former shop has no kitchen exhaust, no grease interceptor and usually too little gas and power. Check whether a hood duct can reach the roof, where an interceptor can go, and whether the utilities can be upgraded. In a multi-story building the exhaust route alone can decide whether the location works. A change that increases sewer discharge may also bring a sewer facilities charge.
Before you sign
Have the space reviewed during the lease negotiation. An hour on site usually shows whether a conversion is simple, expensive or not possible. Ask for a lease condition that lets you leave if the change of use is not approved.
Sources
By Albert Galstyan · November 11, 2026
