WHY GET A PERMIT?

There are several reasons for obtaining building permits for construction work. The primary one is that getting a permit brings you the services of the plan review engineer and the building inspector. The plan review engineer reviews your plans for completeness and correct information, to assure that your design follows accepted engineering principles and the intent of the codes. The inspector approves each phase of the construction process, checking to see that the work is done safely and properly and according to the approved plans and codes.

Secondly, there are legal and financial liabilities that you face when you don't get a permit. Homeowners and business owners have substantial investments, which can be seriously jeopardized by non-complying construction. Work without required permits is illegal, and can pose serious complications for you when you try to sell your property or apply for refinancing. You may invalidate fire and homeowner's insurance policies if you do work without a permit.

WHAT ABOUT ALL THE RED TAPE?

We want you to get through the regulatory process as quickly as possible. To accomplish this, we constantly work to develop more efficient methods to keep the paper work moving.

Every project is unique and presents a different combination of requirements and clearances. For most residential projects, plans are reviewed by the Building and Safety Division of Building Code Compliance. However, if you plan an ambitious project, additional health, zoning, fire prevention, and other regulations enforced by other departments and agencies may apply.

Part of the Building Division's function is to coordinate each project with these agencies on the many aspects of construction. The plans you submit will be routed to other City departments for review of the regulations they enforce. However, clearances from County, State or Federal agencies must be obtained by permit applicants. Our staff can and will inform you which approvals will be necessary. We strongly recommend that you apply for all out of City approval immediately to avoid delays.

WHEN ARE PERMITS NEEDED?

Most residential, commercial, and industrial construction work on private property, whether new, added, remodeled, or altered need building plans and permits. Permits must be obtained prior to the commencement of any work. For example, listed below are some types of construction work needing permits:

Building or installing:

• New buildings or structures
• Raised deck and/or patio cover
• Fireplaces
• Garages
• Swimming Pools and Spas (Including Portable Spas)
• Storage/recreation buildings
• Retaining walls and fences

Adding or changing:

• Rooms
• Sliding doors, bay windows or other wall openings
• Water lines, outlets, drains, fixtures (such as sinks, garbage disposals, repiping,
  pool plumbing) or any other parts of the plumbing
• Furnaces or any other parts of the heating and gas system
• Electrical wire (service panels, circuits, outlets, or any other parts of the electrical
  systems. See Section 301(b) NEC for exemptions)
• Walls to enclose a porch
• Converting a garage to livable area

Replacing or repairing:

• Roofing
• Termite damage work (replacing siding, foundation sills, etc.)
• Porches
• Wall covering (stucco, siding)
• Sandblasting

Demolishing:

• Any structure, or part of a structure, or any other changes that affect the structure of any building, even an accessory building, on your property.

For commercial and industrial and exterior property owners, permits are also required for tenant improvements such as interior and exterior partitions, kitchen and dining room changes, installation of disabled access features, changes of use, signs and after-hours permits for doing work outside of specified times and dates?etc.

APPROVAL IN CONCEPT

This is a very useful tool to all owners and designers alike. An approval in concept is a preliminary review of a project by various departments, to assure that major design considerations are taken into account at the design stage. This is especially required for large construction projects. We have prepared a memorandum outlining the requirements for project review.

TYPES OF PERMITS

Permits are categorized into groups based on the type of work or trade involved; for example, building, grading, shoring, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, sandblasting. To easily distinguish the various applications, Redondo Beach permit applications have an identification symbol printed on upper right-hand corner of each worksheet.

Building and Safety

• Building
• Electrical
• Mechanical
• Plumbing
• Grading & Shoring
• Sandblasting
• Demolition
• Miscellaneous

Engineering

• Transportation
• Multi-purpose permit for street improvement, sewer connection,
  demo/sewer cap, construction, grading, utilities, encroachment, dumpster,
  etc?

Treasurer

• Dog licenses
• Business licenses
• Parking and Residential Preference Parking Permits
• Garage sales Affidavits

Planning

• Variances
• Zoning Map Amendment
• Planning Commission Review
• Planned Development Review
• Conditional Use Permits
• Administrative Design Review
• Modification
• Temporary Use Permits
• Building Moving Permits
• Tract Map
• Parcel Map
• Extension of Discretionary Approvals
• Appeals
• Entertainment Permit, Massage Practitioner and Business Permits

Fire Department

• Tents
• Carnivals, Circuses, Amusements
• Underground Fuel Tank installation or Removal