City Building Permits
Half Moon Bay, CA Building Permit Guide
How to apply for a building permit in Half Moon Bay, California. Permit authority, application steps, fees, and inspection requirements.
Permit Authority
City services apply within Half Moon Bay municipal limits; El Granada and Miramar listed as city-mailing addresses that are under San Mateo County jurisdiction and should be verified before filing.
- Department
- City of Half Moon Bay Building, Planning and Public Works Inspections / Building Division
- Address
- 501 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
- Phone
- (650) 712-6660 (Building Permit Technician), (650) 726-8270 (Building/Planning support)
- Website
- https://www.halfmoonbay.gov
Online Permit Portal
Platform: Cloudpermit • Account required: Yes • Submission: Online or in-person
Additional resources:
Application Process
- Confirm if City of Half Moon Bay permit jurisdiction applies (city vs county boundary areas).
- Create Cloudpermit account and start application.
- Review and follow the Submittal Checklist, then submit plans/fields electronically.
- City performs plan check routing (Planning, Building, Public Works, Coastside Fire, CCWD, Health as applicable).
- Pay plan check and permit fees at submission (plan-check is required before approval).
- Request inspections after permit issuance.
Typical processing time: City indicates allow at least 10 business days for plan check processing.
Source: City of Half Moon Bay Building, Planning and Public Works Inspections / Building Division
General Requirements
new construction, demolition, remodeling, expansion, addition, or repair to a structure; examples include additions, pools, hot tubs, covered patios, decks/trellises, bathroom and kitchen remodels, shed and solar/solar storage work, and most interior/exterior remodeling.
Required Documents
- permit application in Cloudpermit
- owner/contractor/designer information
- construction plans
- drawings with name/address/stamp/signature
- clear, readable plan sets
- digital submission generally accepted.
- Permit validity
- - Construction must start within 365 days of permit issuance; if no work starts and no inspections are called, permit is null and void. - Permit may be renewed for one-half original permit fee with no plan changes when requested within one year. - Building Official may extend an unexpired permit once for up to 180 days on written request.
- Building code
- as of Jan 1, 2026, submissions must conform to current 2025 California Building Code; City references also link to 2022 Residential Code for exempt-work definitions.
- Owner-builder
- property owners and licensed contractors may apply. Owners doing their own work may need an Owner-Builder Declaration; otherwise Workers’ Compensation is required.
- Contractor requirements
- contractors may need applicable CA contractor registration/insurance and business licensing requirements (Cloudpermit registration required for contractors).
Fees
- Minimum permit fee
- schedule is valuation-based; FY 2025-26 bracket shows a base starting band in the low-$300 range for small valuations (table published by City).
- Plan check fee
- 65% of building permit fee.
- Permit fee formula
- valuation-based tiers for building permit; plan check fee is 65% of permit fee; planning/business process layer includes city processing fee (20% of plan check) and other potential flat or hourly inspection fees.
- Reinspection fee
- reinspection billed on inspection/hourly line items; additional penalties can apply for permit violations (City code).
- Payment note
- online submission includes payment workflow; City materials also list in-person credit/debit/cash/check options and fee payment with permit submittal.
Fees change. Verify current amounts at the official fee schedule.
Work That Does NOT Require a Permit
- one-story detached accessory structures up to 120 sq ft
- fences <= 7 ft
- retaining walls <= 4 ft
- water tanks <= 5,000 gallons (height/width limits)
- sidewalks/driveways
- minor finish work
- prefab pools under 24 in depth
- some tiny/small accessory items.
Important: Permit is still required for many listed items when they exceed thresholds or include plumbing/electrical or structural changes. - Exemptions do not waive Planning, zoning, right-of-way, or other ordinance requirements. - Fence and shed projects can still be subject to setback and HOA or planning constraints.
Inspections
How to Schedule
- Cloudpermit (online)
- Scheduling deadline
- Cloudpermit for standard scheduling and cancellation; for legacy/older permits use inspection hotline for next-day scheduling.
- Time windows
- City posts Mon–Thu inspection periods around daytime windows (including Monday–Thursday mornings and Friday window); building process document also references Friday afternoon hours, so verify at time of request.
Typical inspection sequence: plan review/approvals (Planning/Fire/Public Works/CCWD/Health as applicable) -> permit issuance -> scheduled inspection request -> first/next inspections -> final inspection.
Additional Resources
- Building code: as of Jan 1, 2026, submissions must conform to current 2025 California Building Code; City references also link to 2022 Residential Code for exempt-work definitions.
- Zoning information: View zoning info
- Forms Publications Codes
- Plan Checks
- License lookup guide: California Contractor License Requirements
- Contract template: California Homeowner-Contractor Agreement
Information on this page was last verified: March 2026. Permit rules and fees change — confirm current requirements directly with the City of Half Moon Bay Building, Planning and Public Works Inspections / Building Division before applying.
Need help with your project?
Navigating permits in Half Moon Bay can be complicated.
Jaspector connects you with local experts who can review your scope, verify your contractor, and help you understand what permits your project actually needs.
Learn how Jaspector worksOther cities in San Mateo County
View all San Mateo County jurisdictions →