Temple City, CA Building Permit Guide

Permit Authority

Temple City Building & Safety reviews plans, issues permits, and conducts inspections for construction within Temple City limits, including encroachment permits for work in the public right-of-way.

Department

Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division

Address

9701 Las Tunas Drive, Temple City, CA 91780

Phone

(626) 285-0488

Email

building@templecity.us

Website

https://www.templecityca.gov/630/Building-Safety

Online Permit Portal

Application Process

1. Confirm zoning/planning approval first. Temple City states plans must be approved by Planning before online building submittal.
2. Contact Building & Safety to confirm the correct application type, required supporting materials, and fees, then submit the plan check application.
3. Pay plan check fees in full before uploading plans. Temple City states plan check and permit fees are generally 120% of Los Angeles County fees.
4. Submit plans online. If fees are under $2,000, applicants can submit and pay online; if fees exceed $2,000, applicants can submit online and mail payment to City Hall.
5. Forward the submission confirmation email to building@templecity.us to verify submittal.
6. Complete electronic plan review. Temple City says most projects must be submitted for plan check, all plans must be submitted electronically, and the City contracts with Transtech for plan review services.
7. After approval, pull the permit and schedule inspections as construction proceeds.
8. Processing time estimate: Temple City's building review process states average review is about two weeks or less, with additional review fees after more than two resubmittals.

Source: Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division

General Requirements

Temple City Municipal Code section 7-1-2 requires a permit before erecting, constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving, improving, removing, connecting, converting, demolishing, or equipping a building or structure, and before grading work. Separate permits are also required for automatic fire-protection systems.

Required Documents

• Temple City's building permit application requests project address, APN, description of work, owner/applicant/contractor/designer information, construction valuation, occupancy/construction type, and a document checklist for plan sets, energy calculations, structural calculations, mechanical plans, plumbing plans, electrical plans, and soils reports as applicable. The City also states other agency approvals such as Planning, Fire, Health, and other referral agencies may be required before permit issuance.

Permit validity

Temple City's Building & Safety page states plan check approval is good for 1 year from submittal and permits are valid for 6 months from issuance, both extendable. The current municipal code is stricter on lapse conditions: a plan check application expires if no permit is issued within 1 year, and a permit expires if work is not started within 1 year or if no required building inspection is approved within 1 year from the last approved inspection. Extensions may be granted in 180-day increments with fees, up to the code limits.

Building code

Temple City adopted the 2023 Los Angeles County Building, Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, Residential, and Existing Building Codes and the 2022 California Green Building Standards Code through Ordinance No. 22-1066. For building permits specifically, Title 7, Chapter 1 adopts Los Angeles County Title 26 as in effect on or before January 1, 2023, which adopts the 2022 California Building Code.

Owner-builder

Temple City permit forms include an owner-builder designation. The Los Angeles County fee schedule used by Temple City also provides a reduced investigation-fee minimum for one- or two-family dwellings when work without a permit was performed by an owner-builder, indicating owner-builder applications are recognized.

Contractor requirements

Temple City permit forms require contractor name, California state license number, license class, expiration date, and workers' compensation carrier/policy information. In practice, contractors should hold the appropriate California contractor license for the scope of work.

Fees

Minimum permit fee

Temple City uses 120% of Los Angeles County fees for plan check and permit fees other than encroachment permits. The current LA County building valuation fee table shows the lowest building permit fee at $63.71 plus a $39.99 permit issuance fee; Temple City's equivalent baseline would therefore be 120% of those county amounts. Source: https://www.templecityca.gov/1320/Fees ; https://dpw.lacounty.gov/bsd/lib/fp/fees/County/2025/2025-2026%20County%20Building%20Valuation%20Fee%20Table.pdf

Plan check fee

Temple City uses 120% of the applicable Los Angeles County plan check fee. The LA County valuation table shows plan check fees by valuation and notes a minimum standard-plan plan check fee of $218.17.

Permit fee formula

Valuation-based for most building permits, using Los Angeles County's building valuation fee tables, then multiplied by 120% by Temple City. Encroachment permits use the City fee schedule.

Penalty (no permit)

Because Temple City uses LA County fee schedules, applicants should also expect county-based charges for extra review due to plan changes or omissions ($158.63 per hour county baseline), investigation fees for work without permits (county minimum $487.88, or $243.94 for one- or two-family owner-builder work), and noncompliance fees.

Payment note

If fees are under $2,000, Temple City allows online payment and submission. If fees are over $2,000, applicants may submit online but mail payment to Temple City City Hall, c/o Online Building Submittal, 9701 Las Tunas Drive, Temple City, CA 91780.

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

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

• Painting, wallpapering, carpet, vinyl, tile, cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work where disabled-access requirements do not apply
• Repairing broken window glass not required to be safety or security glazing
• One-story detached accessory structures such as tool sheds or pump houses up to 120 square feet, up to 12 feet high, with roof projection up to 24 inches
• Chain-link, wrought-iron, and similar fences up to 12 feet high
• Masonry, concrete, wood, and similar fences up to 6 feet high
• Wood fences up to 8 feet high if at least 60% open and not wind-loadable
• Retaining walls up to 4 feet measured from bottom of footing to top of wall, unless supporting surcharge or certain liquids
• Ground-mounted radio/TV antenna towers up to 45 feet and ground-supported dish antennas up to 15 feet above grade
• Light standards up to 30 feet high
• Detached flagpoles up to 15 feet high
• Certain nonhazardous tanks meeting code size/support limits
• Decks, walks, and driveways not more than 30 inches above grade, not over a basement/story below, and not part of an accessible route
• Prefabricated above-grade pools accessory to Group R-3 occupancies if under 18 inches deep or not over 5,000 gallons
• Minor electrical repair items listed in section 7-1-2(C), including replacement of lamps, switches, receptacles, sockets, and similar items
• Portable mechanical equipment and certain like-for-like appliance component replacements listed in section 7-1-2(D)
• Plumbing stoppage clearing and leak stopping that does not involve pipe or fixture replacement, plus certain residential fixture changes not involving replacement of existing waste and vent piping except the trap

Important: Temple City states permit exemptions do not authorize work that violates code or other laws and do not remove the need for approvals from other city departments or state/federal agencies.

Inspections

How to Schedule

• Building inspections are requested by phone at (626) 656-7327. Daily inspection schedule page (online)
• (626) 656-7327 (phone)

Scheduling deadline

Next-day requests must be left before 3:30 p.m.; later requests go to the next available business day.

Inspection hours

Inspections are conducted Monday through Thursday. Next-day requests must be left before 3:30 p.m.; later requests go to the next available business day. Permit-tech counter hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Plan checker hours are Monday and Wednesday, 8:00-11:30 a.m.

Time windows

Inspections are conducted Monday through Thursday. Next-day requests must be left before 3:30 p.m.; later requests go to the next available business day. Permit-tech counter hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Plan checker hours are Monday and Wednesday, 8:00-11:30 a.m.

Typical inspection sequence: Temple City describes construction after permit issuance with inspections at various stages of construction. The specific required sequence depends on the approved permit/job card and scope, but applicants should expect staged inspections as work progresses to completion.

Additional Resources

• Building code: Temple City adopted the 2023 Los Angeles County Building, Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, Residential, and Existing Building Codes and the 2022 California Green Building Standards Code through Ordinance No. 22-1066. For building permits specifically, Title 7, Chapter 1 adopts Los Angeles County Title 26 as in effect on or before January 1, 2023, which adopts the 2022 California Building Code.
• Zoning information: View zoning info
• License lookup guide: California Contractor License Requirements
• Contract template: California Homeowner-Contractor Agreement

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