A recurring concern of those working in conservation in Los Angeles has been the perceived lack of clarity and limitations of the city's building codes. In an effort to increase understanding of the true extent of the problem, the GCI organized a one-day roundtable discussion in July 1999, during which experts from the public sector, private development, and academia discussed building codes as they relate to conservation practice in the City of Los Angeles.

A GCI objective in organizing the meeting was to determine whether the participants could achieve consensus concerning the nature and identity of the issues surrounding the impact of building codes on the preservation and reuse of historic structures. The discussions raised the need for more education, training, conservation awareness, and dissemination of information concerning codes related to historic preservation. There was general concurrence that while many of the tools necessary to meet these needs already exist, more can be done to clarify information already available.

In the wake of the meeting, the GCI will continue to study ways that it can contribute to the efforts to preserve historic structures in Los Angeles.