Del Mar, CA Building Permit Guide

Permit Authority

City of Del Mar only; permits are reviewed for compliance with municipal code and other city approvals before issuance.

Department

City of Del Mar, Building Services (Planning & Community Development handles planning counter intake for building permits)

Address

1050 Camino del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014

Phone

(858) 375-9514 (Building Services); (858) 375-9313 (Planning department for building permit request); (858) 375-9516 (Planning/Counter)

Website

https://www.delmar.ca.us/133/Building-Services

Online Permit Portal

Application Process

1. Confirm permit type. Most exterior construction improvements require Design Review before Building Permit is submitted.
2. If needed, request pre-application contact with Planning at planning@delmar.ca.us or (858) 755-9313.
3. Initiate building permit processing through Planning (planning@delmar.ca.us or call (858) 755-9313).
4. Submit Building Permit Application and associated documents electronically (no paper plans accepted) via email to Planning for transfer to Building/plan check.
5. If using eTRAKiT, create/login to AEC account and submit required permit type package with Building Permit Application PDF.
6. Pay required fees before application is processed; Building and Planning review stages do not proceed until fees are paid.
7. Typical processing sequence: Planning review (including zoning/design reviews) → Building Division plan check → final issuance/inspection scheduling.

Typical processing time: Planning Department review in Project Processing Guide states ~15 working days from submittal for planning review.

Source: City of Del Mar, Building Services (Planning & Community Development handles planning counter intake for building permits)

General Requirements

City ordinance states permits are required for construction, alteration, demolition, repair, conversion, etc. for buildings/structures unless specifically exempt (23.12.084/301.1); permits also required for fences and retaining walls.

Permit validity

Not explicitly stated in the public pages/codes reviewed.

Building code

City adopted Uniform Codes framework based on 2010 California Building Code and related technical codes, with permit administration under Del Mar Municipal Code Ch. 23.12 (2010 ordinance text currently in Municipal Code archive).

Owner-builder

Applicants must either be a licensed contractor or file an owner-builder exemption declaration under California law (BPC §§7031.5, 7044) on the City’s Building Permit Application.

Contractor requirements

For required permits, City form requires declaration that applicant/contractor is licensed under California Contractors State License Law or legally exempt.

Fees

Minimum permit fee

not published in plain text on web-indexed documents; appears in scanned City fee PDF link only.

Plan check fee

separate from permit fee and charged at submittal for required documents; additional plan review may apply when submittals change.

Permit fee formula

Municipal Code indicates permit fees and plan-review fees are based on City-adopted valuation tables and separate ordinance rates; plan review fees are additional to permit fees.

Reinspection fee

Fire/permit fee schedule lists re-inspection fee at $127.00; no publicized citywide reinspection penalty formula found in HTML-extractable sources.

Penalty (no permit)

Fire/permit fee schedule lists re-inspection fee at $127.00; no publicized citywide reinspection penalty formula found in HTML-extractable sources.

Payment note

Credit card and e-check accepted online for all permit types/fees; cards or checks accepted at City Hall during normal hours. Additional 3% card service fee applies to in-person card payments at City Hall/Beach Safety Center (effective Jan 3, 2023).

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

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

• Work not requiring a building permit per ordinance examples: One-story detached accessory structures <=48 sf for R-3 single-family properties Oil derricks Movable cases/partitions <=5 ft 9 in (with accessibility rules) Certain small water tanks on grade <=5,000 gallons and <=2:1 ratio Small platforms/walks/drives in accessory single-family back/side yard limits Painting/papering and similar finish work Temporary theater/film stage sets/scenery Window awnings ≤54 in projection on certain occupancies Small prefabricated swimming pools <=5,000 gallons for R-3 accessory use

Important: Even if an item is exempt from building permit, separate plumbing/electrical/mechanical permits may still be required. Most exterior work may still need design review/other discretionary approvals before any building permit is issued.

Inspections

How to Schedule

• Permit portal (online)

Inspection hours

Building counter service: Mon/Wed 1:00 PM – 5:30 PM (in-person and remote services) Tue/Thu/Fri: remote service only Building inspections by appointment, Monday-Friday

Additional Resources

• Building code: City adopted Uniform Codes framework based on 2010 California Building Code and related technical codes, with permit administration under Del Mar Municipal Code Ch. 23.12 (2010 ordinance text currently in Municipal Code archive).
• Zoning information: View zoning info
• License lookup guide: California Contractor License Requirements
• Contract template: California Homeowner-Contractor Agreement

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