229 Bicknell Ave, Santa Monica: Condo Building Guide

229 Bicknell Ave in Santa Monica, ZIP 90405, has 27 condominium units on the Los Angeles County Assessor's 2026 roll, recorded as built in 1963. Units run from 292 to 1,741 square feet, with a median of 602, and 18 are one-bedrooms. The county record is at /condo-buildings/229-bicknell-ave-santa-monica-90405.

The record does not name the homeowners association or give dues, rules, amenities, parking, reserves, management or condition, and it does not say whether any unit is for sale. This guide sets out what we could verify on November 6, 2026 from county, state and City of Santa Monica records, and who holds the rest.

Small units, even by Santa Monica's register

Our register at /condo-buildings/in/santa-monica lists 84 Santa Monica buildings with 20 or more condo units, holding 2,770 units. Its median unit of 602 square feet is the second smallest of the 84. Only 2647 6th St, at /condo-buildings/2647-6th-st-santa-monica-90405, is lower, at 556. Half of the 84 have a median above 1,186.

The mix is 18 one-bedrooms, six two-bedrooms, two studios and one three-bedroom. One-bedrooms are two-thirds of this address, against about a third of all units on the register (924 of 2,770). The smallest recorded unit is about a sixth the size of the largest, and the roll does not say why, so compare any listing's stated size with the seller's documents.

Age alone tells you little. 535 Ocean Ave, at /condo-buildings/535-ocean-ave-santa-monica-90402, shares the 1963 date but has 49 units, a median of 1,585 square feet and nothing smaller than two bedrooms.

A 1963 building with 1990s subdivision reports

The project page linked from the register page classifies all 27 parcels under Assessor use code 010E, condominium conversion, on Tract 49193, Lot 1. It also shows that the California Department of Real Estate lists two subdivision public reports for that tract, issued between February 3, 1994 and June 16, 1995.

Those are report dates. They do not establish when the condominium was created or what work was done at the time, and the roll gives no conversion date. Ask for the recorded condominium plan and covenants through your title company.

Neither record addresses rent control, and we draw no conclusion about this address. Whether a particular unit is covered is a question for the City's Rent Control Agency.

What we found on the City's seismic retrofit list

Santa Monica Municipal Code Chapter 8.58 sets enforcement priorities: unreinforced masonry and concrete tilt-up buildings first, then soft-story buildings with three or more stories, soft-story buildings with 16 or more units, non-ductile concrete and steel moment frame buildings, and smaller soft-story buildings. The Assessor's roll does not record construction type, so we cannot say whether any category fits this property.

On November 6, 2026 we searched the City's published list of 1,504 locations. 229 Bicknell Ave does not appear, though five other Bicknell Ave addresses do. The City's separate dataset of completed retrofit projects does not show 229 either.

That is not a clearance. The list's data was last edited in September 2019 and the completed-projects data in January 2023, so neither is a current status. The code also says that failing to receive a notice does not relieve an owner of the obligation, and that a sale does not change compliance dates. In the other direction, the City says being listed does not confirm a building is deficient or unsafe.

Ask the City's Building and Safety Division, (310) 458-8355, about this address. Ask the association whether it holds any order, structural evaluation, compliance letter or Certificate of Completion of Seismic Retrofit Work.

The one active permit on file

The City's Active Building & Safety Permits dataset, updated November 5, 2026, lists one permit at this address. Permit 23BLD-4224, an electrical permit issued August 22, 2024, has no completion date and expires April 3, 2027. It describes a new main switchboard, distribution panels and foundations for future level 2 EV chargers, with charger installation under separate permits.

It does not show whether chargers exist today, who could use them or how parking is assigned. The dataset covers active permits only, so it is not a building history.

The documents a seller has to hand over

California Civil Code section 4525 requires a seller to give a prospective buyer the governing documents, the association's most recent annual report documents, a written statement of current assessments and unpaid amounts, approved assessment changes not yet due, unresolved violation notices, any rental prohibition and, on request, approved board minutes from the past 12 months. Under section 4530 the association must supply them within 10 days of the owner's written request, and may charge the seller a reasonable cost-based fee.

Read the annual budget report closely. Section 5300 requires it to summarize reserves, say whether major repairs are being deferred, say whether special assessments are anticipated, and summarize the association's insurance, including earthquake coverage. Section 4525 does not name seismic orders, so ask directly. Our checklist is at /research/condo-document-checklist.

Section 4525 also lists the most recent balcony inspection report under section 5551, the rule known as SB 326. It covers load-bearing decks, balconies, stairways and walkways more than six feet above ground and supported substantially by wood, in buildings with three or more attached multifamily units. The first inspection was due by January 1, 2025, then every nine years. The roll does not show whether this property has such elements or has been inspected. Background is at /blog/sb-326-balcony-inspection-la-condos.

To find the association, note that the state's subdivision name, 229 BICKNELL AV SANTA MONICA PR, is not the HOA's name. Section 5405 requires associations to file a statement with the Secretary of State giving the association's name, address and any managing agent, which is open to public inspection. Search bizfile Online or ask the seller. More on association research is at /condo-associations.

Santa Monica asking figures, and their limits

As of November 6, 2026, neither the register page nor /market-reports/santa-monica renders a price, rent or dues figure for this address, so we quote none.

For citywide context, that report shows 157 condos listed for sale as of November 6, 2026, at a median asking price of $1,250,000, about $967 per square foot, with a median size of 1,327 square feet. The 36 one-bedroom listings ask a median of $699,000, and the 49 one-bedroom rentals a median of $3,350 a month. These are asking figures from listings on this site, not closed sales, and they do not describe this building. The typical listing is more than twice this address's median size, so a citywide per-foot figure is not a value for a unit here. The neighborhood guide is at /neighborhoods/santa-monica and the wider Los Angeles picture at /market-stats.

Transfer tax at Santa Monica's rates

According to the City, its documentary transfer tax is $3.00 per $1,000 of value on transfers under $5 million, on top of the county's $0.55 per $500. Applied to the $699,000 one-bedroom median asking price, as arithmetic only, that is $2,097 to the City and about $769 to the county. The City's page does not say which party pays, so settle that in your contract. Itemize your own at /research/closing-cost-calculator.

Questions buyers ask about 229 Bicknell Ave

Who publishes this

LA Condo HQ is published by Eltherion, LLC, a research publisher rather than a brokerage. It does not list on the MLS, represent buyers, negotiate offers or close transactions, and it holds no association records.