Marina, CA Building Permit Guide

Permit Authority

The City of Marina Building Division issues building permits and performs inspections within incorporated City of Marina limits. The city also operates a Permit Center / One Stop Development Center at 209 Cypress Avenue for coordinated development review and outside-agency sign-offs.

Department

City of Marina Building Division, Community Development Department

Address

211 Hillcrest Avenue, Marina, CA 93933

Phone

(831) 884-1214

Email

inspections@cityofmarina.org

Website

https://www.cityofmarina.org/122/Building-Services

Online Permit Portal

Application Process

1. Confirm whether the project needs only a building permit or also planning, encroachment, sewer/water, school-fee, TAMC, or other outside-agency clearances. Marina states encroachment permits must be obtained before building permits are issued, and sewer and water clearance is also required before issuance.
2. Prepare the application package. The city's building permit page says four complete plan sets are required and identifies core plan contents including plot plan, foundation plan, floor plan, exterior elevations, and framing details. Current city handouts for newer submittals also accept digital plan-review packages through Building Division / CitizenServe workflows.
3. Create a CitizenServe account and submit the permit application through the city's online permitting system, or coordinate an in-person appointment with the Permit Technician if needed.
4. Submit all required supporting forms. Depending on scope, city handouts call for items such as owner-builder acknowledgment, construction and demolition forms, sewer-water clearance, school district forms, asbestos affidavit, engineering or energy forms, and project-specific checklists.
5. Pay the required permit issuance and plan-check fees. Marina's Building Division says applicants can apply and pay for building permits online.
6. Respond to plan-check comments and resubmit if corrections are required. Marina's code states plan review expires if no permit is issued within 180 days unless extended in writing.
7. After permit issuance, keep approved plans and permits on site and schedule required inspections at least 24 hours in advance. Do not proceed past each stage until the inspection is approved.

Typical processing time: The city does not publish a standard building-permit turnaround on its Building Division pages. In the City's 2023-2031 Housing Element, Marina states development applications are reviewed for completeness within 30 days and that typical processing time is about 1 month for a single-family home; more complex projects take longer.

Source: City of Marina Building Division, Community Development Department

General Requirements

Marina's current Building Division handouts state permits are required when buildings or structures are constructed, altered, repaired, moved, converted, or demolished. The city also specifically requires re-roof permits and requires encroachment permits for work in the public right-of-way before a building permit can be issued.

Required Documents

• Marina's building permit page requires four complete plan sets with plot plan, foundation plan, floor plan, exterior elevations, and framing details. City handouts and packets also reference permit application, property/APN and owner information, scope of work, sewer and water clearance, owner-builder forms if applicable, construction and demolition documentation, school-fee forms for applicable additions, asbestos affidavit for certain projects, Title 24 / energy documents, and any project-specific engineering or specialty forms.

Permit validity

Under Marina Municipal Code Section 15.08.020, plan review expires if no permit is issued within 180 days from application, with one written extension up to 180 days and additional extensions subject to written request, unchanged scope, and a published fee. Under Section 15.08.025 and the related residential-code amendment, permits expire if the project does not obtain approval for one required inspection within 1 year of permit issuance. The Building Official may grant a one-time 180-day extension, with additional 180-day extensions available in limited cases if the project has at least one approved inspection and the extension fee is paid.

Building code

Marina adopted the 2022 California Building Code, 2022 California Residential Code, and related 2022 Title 24 code set through Ordinance 2022-06, ratified by Resolution 2023-24, effective with the 2022 California code cycle that became effective January 1, 2023. City handouts reviewed in March 2026 still cite the 2022 CBC / CRC / CALGreen / CEC / CMC / CPC / CFC package.

Owner-builder

Marina's Owner-Builder Packet says the city will not issue a building permit until the property owner has read, initialed, signed, and returned the owner-builder acknowledgment form. If an agent is used, the owner must separately authorize that agent, and the city requires identification or other signature verification at permit issuance.

Contractor requirements

Marina states contractors must obtain a City of Marina business license before permit issuance through the HDL portal. The Owner-Builder Packet also states contractors are required by California law to be licensed and bonded and to list license numbers on permits and contracts; the city verifies contractor license applicability and status with CSLB before issuing permits where a licensed contractor is the permit holder.

Fees

Minimum permit fee

$36.00 for building permit valuation under $500, plus a $62.00 permit issuance fee

Plan check fee

valuation-based under Schedule C-1; minimum $23.00 for valuation under $500, plus increasing tiered rates by valuation bracket

Permit fee formula

valuation-based for most building permits under Schedule C-1, with bracketed valuation tiers; the city also lists flat fees for certain miscellaneous permits such as window changeout, exterior siding, re-roof, demolition, and other specific work

Reinspection fee

"Other inspections not specified" are $148.00 overtime / after-hours inspection carries an overtime hourly rate with a 4-hour minimum Marina's inspection page also warns that calling for inspections before work is ready or failing to cancel can result in a reinspection fee

Penalty (no permit)

"Other inspections not specified" are $148.00; overtime / after-hours inspection carries an overtime hourly rate with a 4-hour minimum; Marina's inspection page also warns that calling for inspections before work is ready or failing to cancel can result in a reinspection fee; plan-review and permit-extension provisions in Marina Municipal Code also impose added fees for extended review/permit life

Payment note

Marina's Building Division says applicants can apply and pay online through the permitting portal. Contractors must secure a city business license through HDL before permit issuance. I did not locate a separate published card-processing surcharge note on the Building Division fee pages reviewed.

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

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

• Detached accessory buildings under 120 square feet with no electrical, water, or sewer hookups, per the city's accessory-building handout
• Decks not more than 30 inches above grade at any point, per Marina Municipal Code Section 15.14.020 amending CRC Section R105.2(10)

Important: Marina's publicly posted exemption guidance is narrower than a full CBC / CRC exemption table. Because the city enforces the 2022 California Building Standards Code as locally amended, additional state-code permit exemptions may still apply, but applicants should confirm with the Building Division before relying on them. Separate zoning, planning, sewer/water, encroachment, coastal, school-fee, TAMC, fire, or utility approvals may still be required even when a building permit is not.

Inspections

How to Schedule

• Building Permits (online)
• https://www.cityofmarina.org/122/Building-Services (online)
• (831) 884-1241 (phone)
• (831) 884-1214 (phone)
• inspections@cityofmarina.org (email)

Inspection hours

Monday through Friday by appointment only; inspections must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance. Published windows are AM (8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) and PM (1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.). A current city roofing handout also states inspections are typically available next day.

Time windows

Monday through Friday by appointment only; inspections must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance. Published windows are AM (8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) and PM (1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.). A current city roofing handout also states inspections are typically available next day.

Typical inspection sequence: Marina publishes discipline-specific sequences. For residential construction generally, applicants must keep approved plans and permits on site and obtain approval before proceeding to the next stage. Published examples include tear-off or in-progress inspection followed by final inspection for roofing, and city materials for residential work point applicants to typical sequence handouts and final-inspection minimum requirements.

Marina warns that requesting inspection before the work is ready, or failing to cancel, can trigger a reinspection fee. The fee schedule also lists charges for inspections not otherwise specified and overtime / after-hours inspections.

Additional Resources

• Building code: Marina adopted the 2022 California Building Code, 2022 California Residential Code, and related 2022 Title 24 code set through Ordinance 2022-06, ratified by Resolution 2023-24, effective with the 2022 California code cycle that became effective January 1, 2023. City handouts reviewed in March 2026 still cite the 2022 CBC / CRC / CALGreen / CEC / CMC / CPC / CFC package.
• Verify contractor license: CSLB License Lookup
• Zoning information: View zoning info
• Building permits
• Building Division
• Inspections
• One Stop Development Center
• Fee schedule
• Permit forms and checklists
• Community Development contact page
• Accessory buildings handout
• Owner-builder packet
• Corrected 2022 code-adoption resolution
• License lookup guide: California Contractor License Requirements
• Contract template: California Homeowner-Contractor Agreement

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