Form 195 – Information on Fire Flow Availability for Building Permit

Form 195: The Fire Flow Form That Can Make or Break Your LA County ADU Permit If you're building an accessory dwelling unit ADU in Los Angeles County, you'l...

Written by 1-800-ADU-Pros

Last updated: July 16, 2026•8 min read

Form 195 – Information on Fire Flow Availability for Building Permit

Form 195: The Fire Flow Form That Can Make or Break Your LA County ADU Permit

If you're building an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in Los Angeles County, you'll eventually run into a one-page document called Form 195. It's small, it's easy to overlook, and it routes through your water company instead of a permit counter — which is exactly why it quietly stalls so many ADU projects. Here's what it is, why it matters, and how to get it done without losing weeks.

What Form 195 Actually Is

Form 195, officially "Information on Fire Flow Availability for Building Permit," is a Los Angeles County Fire Department form. On it, your local water company certifies how much water is available to fight a fire at your property — measured as gallons per minute (GPM) at 20 PSI of pressure — plus the location and size of the nearest fire hydrant and the diameter of the water main serving you.

Why does the Fire Department care about your garden cottage? Because a new living space means new fire risk, and firefighters need enough water and hydrant access to respond. Form 195 is how the county confirms that before signing off on your build.

Here's the part that saves you real time: if the certified numbers meet the minimum thresholds and your project sits outside a Fire Hazard Severity Zone, the Building Department can approve your project right on the form. That lets you skip a full, open-ended Fire Prevention Division plan review.

Who Needs It (and Who Might Skip It)

Form 195 applies to most new detached ADUs, plus one- and two-family dwellings and townhomes, in unincorporated LA County and the many cities served by LA County Fire.

You can typically use the streamlined "approved on the form" path when:

The entire structure is under 3,600 square feet
The property is not in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone
The water flow and hydrant/access requirements are met

Some interior garage-conversion JADUs and certain post-fire rebuilds may not need a fresh test — for example, Lincoln Avenue Water Co. dropped the fire flow test requirement for fire-rebuild homeowners starting August 25, 2025. Always confirm with your purveyor.

The Numbers You Have to Hit

These are the thresholds your water system must demonstrate:

Non-sprinklered ADU: at least 1,000 GPM at 20 PSI for one hour
Sprinklered ADU: at least 500 GPM at 20 PSI for one-half hour (sprinklers cut required flow in half)
In a Fire Hazard Severity Zone: at least 1,250 GPM at 20 PSI for one hour

Plus access rules: the public hydrant can't be more than 450 feet away via vehicular access (750 feet on large, low-density lots), and every part of the ADU must be within 150 feet of a 20-foot-wide paved road that's clear to sky and under 15% grade. Sprinkler your detached ADU and that 150-foot reach stretches to 300 feet.

How to File It, Step by Step

Download Form 195 from the LA County Fire Department website and complete Part I — address, APN, square footage, stories, and the sprinklered Yes/No box.
Pull together your plans: scope of work, site plan, and floor plan.
Find your water purveyor — the form goes through them, not the Fire Department.
Submit Part I and your plans to the water company (most take email).
Pay the fire flow test fee. At many companies, the clock doesn't start until you pay.
The water company completes Part II — flow test results, hydrant data, signature.
Submit the completed form with your ADU permit package. The Building Department fills in Part III and approves if you meet the thresholds.

Fees and Timeline

The Fire Department doesn't charge for the form — your cost is the water company's test fee. Lincoln Avenue Water Co., for instance, charges $200; Valley County Water District charges a service application fee plus a test fee. Budget roughly $150–$400.

Expect about 7–10 business days for the test to come back. Once approved, Form 195 is valid for 24 months.

Common Pitfalls

Don't confuse the 60-day ADU planning approval with this. Planning and fire/building review are separate, and the fire side has no fixed deadline.
The water company only fills in Part II — you're responsible for Part I and the plans.
A Fire Hazard Severity Zone, a 3,600+ sq ft structure, a too-far hydrant, or a substandard access road kicks you into full Fire Prevention Division review.
The form expires after 24 months — don't pull it too early.
Failing on flow? Adding sprinklers halves the requirement and extends your access distance, often rescuing a borderline lot.

Get Form 195 moving early, in parallel with your plans. It's one of the few ADU steps you can't speed up at the permit counter — but you can start it the day you have a site plan.

Reference card

Official number: Form 195 (Rev. 02/22)
Issuing body: County of Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division (Fire Prevention Engineering, 5823 Rickenbacker Road, Commerce, CA 90040; (323) 890-4125). Part II is completed by your local water purveyor (water company / district).
What it is: Form 195, "Information on Fire Flow Availability for Building Permit," is a one-page LA County Fire Department form on which your local water company certifies the fire flow (gallons per minute at 20 PSI), the nearest fire hydrant's location and size, and the water main diameter serving your property. The Building Department uses it to confirm there is enough water and hydrant access to fight a fire at your new or expanded dwelling. When the certified numbers meet the minimum thresholds and the project is not in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone, the Building Department can approve the project on the form itself — letting you skip a full, open-ended Fire Prevention Division plan review. The form covers one- and two-family dwellings, townhomes, and ADUs, and is valid for 24 months.
Who needs it: Applies to most new detached ADUs (and additions to one/two-family dwellings and townhomes) in unincorporated LA County and many contract cities that use LACoFD. You generally need it whenever the Building Department requires proof of fire flow before issuing the building permit. You may be able to skip a separate full Fire review if the structure is under 3,600 sq ft, sits outside a Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and meets the flow and access thresholds — the form itself becomes the approval. Some garage-conversion JADUs inside the existing footprint and certain fire-rebuild homeowners (e.g., LA Water Co. exempted post-fire rebuilds starting Aug 25, 2025) may not need a fresh test — confirm with your purveyor and plan checker. Projects in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone, over 3,600 sq ft, or that fail the access/flow tests must go to the Fire Prevention Division instead.
Fees: No fee is charged by the Fire Department for the form itself; the cost is the water purveyor's fire flow test fee, which varies by company. Example: Lincoln Avenue Water Co. charges $200 for a fire flow test (and $200 for a separate Will Serve letter). Valley County Water District charges a non-refundable utility service application fee plus a separate fire flow test fee (amounts published on its fee page). Budget roughly $150–$400 depending on the purveyor; confirm the exact amount with yours.
Timeline: Typically about 7–10 business days for the water purveyor to complete the test and return the form (some quote a 10-day turnaround), often starting from when payment is made. Approved Form 195 is valid for 24 months. The separate planning 60-day clock does not apply to the building-and-fire review, which has no set timeline.

Requirements

Form 195 first page (Part I) completed by you/the applicant: building address, APN, owner info, occupancy, type of construction, square footage, number of stories, and whether the unit is sprinklered
Construction plans to give the water company: scope of work, site plan, and floor plan
Fire flow thresholds the water system must meet (structure under 3,600 sq ft, outside a Fire Hazard Severity Zone): at least 1,000 GPM at 20 PSI for one hour if non-sprinklered, OR at least 500 GPM at 20 PSI for one-half hour if sprinklered
In a Fire Hazard Severity Zone: minimum 1,250 GPM at 20 PSI for a 1-hour duration
Hydrant distance: no portion of the lot frontage to the public hydrant may exceed 450 feet via vehicular access (extended to 750 feet where there is less than one dwelling unit per lot acre)
Access: all portions of the ADU within 150 feet (300 feet if the detached ADU is fire-sprinklered) of a vehicular access road at least 20 ft wide, clear to sky, paved with concrete or asphalt, not exceeding 15% grade
Payment of the water purveyor's fire flow test fee (and any utility service application fee)

How to file

Download Form 195 from the LA County Fire Department site and complete Part I (Project Information) yourself — address, APN, square footage, stories, occupancy, and the sprinklered Yes/No box
Gather your construction plans (scope of work, site plan, floor plan)
Identify your water purveyor (the water company/district that serves the parcel) — Form 195 routes through them, not through the Fire Department directly
Submit the completed Form 195 first page plus plans to the water purveyor (most accept email; some require their own fire-flow application form)
Pay the purveyor's fire flow test fee; at many companies the processing clock starts only once payment is made
The water purveyor completes Part II (A) and (B): hydrant distance, main diameter, static/residual PSI, measured fire flow at 20 PSI, and signs/dates it
Receive the completed form back and submit it with your ADU building permit package; the Building Department fills in Part III and approves on the form if all thresholds are met
If any threshold is not met, the Building Department routes the project to the LACoFD Fire Prevention Division for a separate approval before the building permit can issue

Common pitfalls

Confusing the 60-day ADU planning approval with fire/building review — they're separate processes and the fire flow/plan-check side has no fixed deadline
Assuming the water company does everything — you must complete Part I and supply plans; the purveyor only fills in Part II
A Fire Hazard Severity Zone property needs 1,250 GPM and usually can't take the streamlined Form 195 shortcut — it heads to Fire Prevention Division review
A hydrant farther than 450 ft (or 750 ft on large low-density lots), or a substandard access road (under 20 ft wide, over 15% grade, unpaved), fails the form and triggers full Fire review
Letting the form go stale — it's only valid for 24 months, so timing it too early in a slow project can force a re-test
Forgetting the sprinkler tradeoff — adding fire sprinklers cuts the required flow in half and extends allowable access distance, which can rescue a borderline lot
Structures of 3,600 sq ft or more (combined area) don't qualify for the streamlined path at all
Submitting before paying — at many purveyors the processing timeline doesn't start until the fee is paid

Sources

Explore more:Permits & Feasibility

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