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California Permit
Expediting Services
California's permitting landscape includes hundreds of city and county review authorities, each with its own requirements, process and timeline. We navigate it so your project doesn't stall at the counter.
Ocean Permits & Development helps property owners, architects, contractors, and businesses secure building permits across California. From Los Angeles and the surrounding counties to multi-jurisdiction rollout programs statewide, we manage the permitting process end to end.
Permitting in California is relationship- and process-driven. Knowing which department reviews what, how each jurisdiction prefers submittals, and where projects typically get stuck is the difference between a permit in weeks and a permit in months. As a Women-Owned Business (WBE) based in Los Angeles, we give you a single point of contact who owns your permit from submittal to approval.
What We Handle Across California
Building Permits — Residential & Commercial
New construction, additions, remodels, and tenant improvements through municipal building departments statewide. We manage submittals, track plan check, and respond to corrections.
ADU & Garage Conversion Permits
California's ADU laws have simplified the process significantly, but each city still applies its own local standards. We handle ADU permits across California's municipalities and counties.
Tenant Improvement Permits
Commercial TI permits for office, retail, restaurant, and medical projects. Each jurisdiction has its own process — we manage the variations across cities.
Sign Permits & Multi-Location Programs
Sign permits across California cities, and coordinated rollout programs for chains and franchises opening multiple locations in the same quarter.
Land-Use Entitlements & CUPs
Variances, conditional use permits, and discretionary approvals through planning departments statewide. We advise on strategy and manage the hearing process.
Code Violation Resolution
Retroactive permits and compliance order resolution for properties statewide, whether the jurisdiction is a large city like Los Angeles or a smaller municipality.
Why California Permitting Is Complex
City and county review is not interchangeable
California's incorporated cities and unincorporated county areas have distinct zoning, local building amendments, submittal requirements and review processes. The California Building Standards Code is a statewide baseline, not a single statewide permit counter.
California Coastal Commission jurisdiction
Properties within the Coastal Zone — spanning over 1,100 miles of coastline — require Coastal Development Permits in addition to local building permits. Some areas have certified Local Coastal Programs; others require state Coastal Commission review directly.
Title 24 energy compliance
California's Title 24 energy code is among the most stringent in the country and is updated on a regular cycle. Commercial, residential, and ADU projects all have specific compliance requirements that must be documented at permit submittal.
State ADU laws vs. local implementation
California has passed extensive ADU legislation that limits local governments' ability to restrict conversions and new ADU construction. But each city still applies its own standards within state limits — and how those standards interact with specific properties varies significantly.
Fire Hazard Severity Zones
Large portions of California are designated as High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, triggering additional construction standards (Chapter 7A of the CBC) for new construction and significant remodels. Post-wildfire rebuild areas have additional state and local requirements.
Regions We Serve
Which California authority actually issues the permit?
Establish the parcel's incorporated city or unincorporated county jurisdiction before comparing fees or booking a contractor. LADBS reviews building work inside the City of Los Angeles; it is not the building department for every Los Angeles County address. Unincorporated Altadena follows County Building and Safety, while Montebello, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills have their own municipal processes. Postal addresses, ZIP codes and the assessor's county name do not determine the permitting agency. Record the APN, boundary, zoning designation and existing certificate of occupancy together so the designer starts with the right requirements.
The California Building Standards Commission identifies the 2025 edition of Title 24 as effective January 1, 2026. Confirm the applicable edition for the application date and any valid earlier application rather than selecting a code by the building's age. Local amendments, the Energy Code, CALGreen, accessibility and applicable fire or wildland-urban interface requirements still need coordinated drawings. A statewide baseline does not make a plan set approved in one city automatically acceptable in another.
A concrete LADBS sequence for a Los Angeles project
- Confirm the City boundary, ZIMAS zoning and mapped overlays. Compare the proposed use with permit history and the existing occupancy record. Resolve a Planning entitlement, coastal or historic-review dependency before assuming a straightforward building-only application.
- Prepare the scope-specific architectural, structural, accessibility, energy and trade documents. The project team must identify deferred approvals and separate fire-protection or utility submissions, not leave those interfaces for the contractor to discover during construction.
- Submit through the LADBS pathway appropriate to the work. An eligible minor alteration may use a simpler review track; an assembly conversion, structural addition or complex tenant improvement needs the relevant plan-check disciplines.
- Maintain one correction log across reviewers and consultants. Resubmit coordinated sheets and calculations, then close required Planning, fire, sanitation, school-fee or other clearances before requesting issuance. Building fees are valuation-based under the City's published reference to LABC Section 91.107.
- After issuance, coordinate required inspections, trade approvals and any applicable certificate of occupancy. Neither a permit application nor a business license authorizes construction or use before the required approvals are obtained.
| Scope | Planning allowance after a coordinated submission | Cost basis and important exclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Minor nonstructural alteration | 2–6+ weeks where the review track allows | Local permit and trade charges; eligibility must be confirmed |
| ADU or residential addition | 8–20+ weeks depending on scope and corrections | Valuation, plan check, trades and applicable utilities; statutory ADU review rules are separate from a whole-project schedule |
| Commercial tenant improvement | 8–20+ weeks | Building valuation plus fire, accessibility, trades and any health review |
| Change of use or assembly conversion | 12–28+ weeks | Occupancy, egress, sprinkler/alarm and possible Planning approvals |
| Discretionary entitlement or coastal review | 6–18+ months where required | Planning applications, studies and hearings; not included in a building-only estimate |
These allowances include potential correction cycles, not just the agency's first review. They exclude design preparation, procurement and construction, and they are not promises of priority service. For a rollout, budget each address separately: a restaurant's health approval, a warehouse's storage review and a landlord's base-building upgrades are different cost centers. We quote Ocean Permits' coordination scope separately from agency charges and licensed design work.
| Published line item | Listed base charge | What this is not |
|---|---|---|
| General-use 120V branch circuits, first 1–10 | $17 per circuit | Not the final electrical permit total |
| 201–600 amp service | $34 each | Not utility interconnection, equipment or installation cost |
| 201–600 amp panelboard or switchboard | $38 each | Not a building permit, plan-check or construction allowance |
These are narrow line-item examples, not statewide rates or a complete project quote. The published electrical worksheet also applies minimum charges, an issuing-fee condition and surcharges; other scope and review charges can apply. Confirm the final assessment through LADBS and the current fee calculator before payment. No single ADU, tenant-improvement or statewide permit price can be calculated by adding these three examples.
For a focused scope, compare our ADU permit guide, commercial tenant-improvement process and assembly and entertainment-center approvals. For jurisdiction differences, review Montebello's City review and unincorporated Altadena's County process. A permit feasibility study can identify these differences before a lease or design commitment.
Common Questions
Do you handle permits across all of California?
Our primary operations are in Los Angeles and Southern California, where we have deep day-to-day relationships with local jurisdictions. For projects in Orange County, San Diego, the Inland Empire, and selected Northern California cities, we manage permits on a project-by-project basis with local coordination. Contact us with your specific location and project type — we'll tell you directly whether we're the right fit.
How does California's permitting process differ from other states?
California's building code (Title 24) is more comprehensive and frequently updated than most state codes. California also has additional statewide requirements that other states don't — the Coastal Commission, Fire Hazard Severity Zone standards, aggressive ADU legislation, and CEQA environmental review for discretionary projects. The sheer number of local jurisdictions — each with its own amendments and processes — makes California permitting more complex than most states.
What is Title 24 and why does it matter for my permit?
California Title 24 is the state building standards code. Part 6 — the California Energy Code — is what most people refer to when they say 'Title 24.' It sets minimum energy performance standards for buildings, including requirements for insulation, windows, lighting, HVAC systems, and water heating. Title 24 compliance documentation (energy calculations from a certified energy analyst) is required for most building permit submittals in California. Part 11 — CALGreen — adds mandatory green building standards. Both must be addressed in your permit package.
Does California's ADU law override local restrictions?
State ADU law significantly limits what cities can prohibit, but it doesn't eliminate all local control. Cities can still regulate things like setbacks, height, and design standards within state minimums. Some cities have adopted local ADU ordinances that are more permissive than the state baseline. Understanding how state law interacts with a specific city's local ordinance — and what exemptions apply to your property type — is part of our pre-submittal feasibility review.
What is CEQA and does it affect my permit?
CEQA — the California Environmental Quality Act — requires environmental review for discretionary government approvals that may have significant environmental effects. For most residential permits and smaller commercial TIs, CEQA review is not required (the project is categorically exempt). But discretionary approvals — variances, CUPs, zone changes, and certain large developments — trigger CEQA review, which adds time and documentation to the process. We identify CEQA applicability as part of our pre-submittal analysis.
Our California Locations
Project in California?
Tell us where and what you're building. We'll confirm whether we're the right fit and what the permit path looks like.
Schedule a ConsultationOr call +1 (213) 277-8777