Hermosa Beach, CA Building Permit Guide

Permit Authority

Building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, demolition, and plan check functions for private-property construction in the City of Hermosa Beach. Public right-of-way permits are handled by Public Works, and fire-related reviews/fees may also involve Los Angeles County Fire.

Department

City of Hermosa Beach Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division

Address

1315 Valley Drive, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

Phone

(310) 318-0235

Email

CommunityDevelopment@hermosabeach.gov

Website

https://www.hermosabeach.gov/our-government/community-development/building-division

Online Permit Portal

Application Process

1. Confirm whether the work needs a permit. Hermosa Beach states that most residential, commercial, and industrial construction on private property that is new, added, remodeled, demolished, abated, or altered requires a permit, and permits must be obtained before work starts.
2. Assemble the application package. At minimum, submit a building permit application and WELO determination form; depending on scope, the City may require architectural plans, structural plans/calculations, energy and CALGreen sheets, waste management plan, geotechnical report, civil plans, MEP plans, and site photos.
3. Submit digitally or in person. Community Development applications may be emailed to communitydevelopment@hermosabeach.gov with the project address in the subject line. Small digital plan checks may be submitted by email or downloadable link; larger submittals may be submitted in person on a USB drive. Residential rooftop solar has an ACA/SolarAPP+ path.
4. Pay plan review fees. The City states plan review routing does not begin until required plan check fees are paid.
5. City review occurs concurrently. Hermosa Beach states submittals are reviewed concurrently by Planning, Building, and Public Works if needed. Additional outside approvals may also be required, including Los Angeles County Fire, Los Angeles County Health, or Coastal Commission review depending on the project.
6. Respond to corrections and resubmit as needed. Resubmittals must include a narrative response, and revisions must be clearly marked and bubbled.
7. After approval and fee clearance, the permit is issued. Work remains subject to required inspections before final sign-off.

Typical processing time: No general building-permit turnaround is posted on the cited City pages. The City says concurrent review is intended to improve review timeframes, but does not publish a standard number of business days for ordinary building permits.

Source: City of Hermosa Beach Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division

General Requirements

Hermosa Beach requires permits for most construction work on private property, including demolition; buildings/structures including garages and accessory buildings over 120 sq. ft.; decks and patio covers; fireplaces, firepits, and permanent barbecues; pools and spas; retaining walls over 4 feet; masonry/concrete walls over 42 inches; fences over 42 inches; window replacements; kitchen and bath renovations; reroofing; signage; mechanical/electrical/plumbing work; and appliance installation or replacement such as water heaters, furnaces, and air conditioners.

Required Documents

• Building permit application
• WELO determination form
• plans and reports required by scope
• and payment of plan review fees. The City also lists licensed contractor and owner-builder declaration forms in its applications/forms center. For below-grade construction, Hermosa Beach requires geotechnical reporting and an owner acknowledgment of risk for below-street-grade construction.

Permit validity

Under the City's 2025 administrative code changes effective December 9, 2025, the time to begin work cannot exceed 12 months from permit issuance, the time to complete work cannot exceed 4 years unless tied to a Title 17 discretionary approval, and the Building Official may grant up to two extensions for good cause of up to 1 year each. Applications with no permit issued within 180 days may be canceled and may require new plan review fees upon reinstatement or resubmittal.

Building code

The City's Building & Safety Division states Hermosa Beach adopted the 2025 California Building Standards Codes effective January 1, 2026. The emergency code-adoption ordinance also adopts the 2025 California Building Code and 2025 California Residential Code by reference, plus Los Angeles County Title 32 Fire Code where applicable. Note: some downloadable handouts still reference the 2022 codes, but the current City code-adoption page states the 2025 codes are in effect as of January 1, 2026.

Owner-builder

Hermosa Beach requires owner-builder acknowledgment/disclosure forms before permit issuance. The owner-builder form states the City will not issue the permit until the property owner reads, initials, signs, and returns the required disclosures, and warns that the owner-builder is the legally responsible party and may have employer, insurance, and licensing-related risks.

Contractor requirements

The City provides a licensed contractor declaration form and, for ROW permits, expressly requires proof of State contractor license. For owner-builder permits, the City warns owners to verify contractors are properly licensed and have workers' compensation coverage.

Fees

Minimum permit fee

Building permits use Table 3A, which starts at $35.84 for valuation from $1 to $500. Plumbing/mechanical/electrical schedules also include issuance fees; for example, the 12/1/2025 Exhibit C schedule lists an $88 fee for issuing each permit.

Plan check fee

80% of the applicable building permit fee unless otherwise set by City Council resolution.

Permit fee formula

Building permit fees are valuation-based under Table 3A. The Building Official determines valuation. State seismic and building standards fees also apply, and a General Plan maintenance fee applies to projects with valuation of $100,000 or more.

Trade permit fee

Building permits use Table 3A, which starts at $35.84 for valuation from $1 to $500. Plumbing/mechanical/electrical schedules also include issuance fees; for example, the 12/1/2025 Exhibit C schedule lists an $88 fee for issuing each permit.

Reinspection fee

The inspection page says a reinspection fee may be applied if no one is available to meet the inspector.

Payment note

The City says the fastest payment method is in person through Community Development/Revenue Services. It also accepts credit card authorization forms, mailed checks, and drop-box payments, but warns those methods may delay routing and issuance. New applications are not accepted after 5:00 p.m. and payments are not processed after 5:30 p.m.

Fees change. Verify current amounts at the official fee schedule.

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

• Accessory buildings under 120 sq. ft. may not require a Building & Safety permit, but Planning review/approval may still be required.
• Retaining walls under 4 ft. may not require a Building & Safety permit, but Planning review/approval may still be required.
• Fencing and concrete/masonry/brick or similar walls less than 42 inches in height may not require a Building & Safety permit, but Planning review/approval may still be required.

Important: The City's "When Is a Permit Required" handout says the list is not all-inclusive. Hermosa Beach also states the Building Official may maintain a list of exempt work, and planning, coastal, fire, health, or public works review may still apply even when a Building & Safety permit is not required.

Inspections

How to Schedule

• Building inspections are scheduled via the City's online inspection request form at (online)
• inspection information page (online)
• (310) 318-0235 (phone)

Inspection hours

Inspections are conducted 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The daily inspection schedule is typically available by 8:30 a.m. the day of inspection. Building Inspector counter hours and phone availability are 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

Typical inspection sequence: The City does not publish a universal step-by-step sequence on the cited page; all permitted work is subject to inspection, and the exact sequence depends on the approved scope and required inspection types. In practice, applicants should expect inspection milestones tied to the approved permit stages and trade work, ending with final inspection.

Additional Resources

• Building code: The City's Building & Safety Division states Hermosa Beach adopted the 2025 California Building Standards Codes effective January 1, 2026. The emergency code-adoption ordinance also adopts the 2025 California Building Code and 2025 California Residential Code by reference, plus Los Angeles County Title 32 Fire Code where applicable. Note: some downloadable handouts still reference the 2022 codes, but the current City code-adoption page states the 2025 codes are in effect as of January 1, 2026.
• Zoning information: View zoning info
• https://www.hermosabeach.gov/our-government/community-development/building-division
• https://www.hermosabeach.gov/our-government/community-development/applications-forms-handouts
• https://www.hermosabeach.gov/our-government/public-works/permits
• https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/hermosabeach-ca/
• https://www.hermosabeach.gov/our-government/finance-department/citywide-fee-schedule
• License lookup guide: California Contractor License Requirements
• Contract template: California Homeowner-Contractor Agreement

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