Millbrae, CA Building Permit Guide

Permit Authority

City permit administration is for work within City of Millbrae; other departments (engineering, fire, health, public works, etc.) may also require review/approvals.

Department

City of Millbrae Building Division (Community Development Department)

Address

621 Magnolia Avenue, Millbrae, CA 94030

Phone

650-259-2330

Email

Permit Technician page provides a named contact (Tabitha Romero) , no direct email address was exposed in the scraped source.

Website

https://www.ci.millbrae.ca.us/176/Building-Division

Online Permit Portal

Application Process

1. Register/ log in to the City online permitting portal.
2. Start a new building/electrical/plumbing/mechanical application and complete required application pages (Information, Scope of Work, Application, Submittals).
3. Upload required plans and documents in PDF format and provide property/party details and valuation.
4. Submit electronically; staff checks for completeness and issues review comments if missing items exist.
5. Pay required plan check fees at submittal time.
6. Wait for plan-check routing/review across City departments, then address corrections if issued.
7. Receive permit issuance when all conditions are satisfied.

Typical processing time: No-plan permits are commonly issued in 1�2 business days; prepared-plan permits have a stated 15-business-day review target, with small kitchen/bath remodels often 2�5 business days.

Source: City of Millbrae Building Division (Community Development Department)

General Requirements

Building new or altered structures; work on electrical/plumbing/mechanical systems; demolition where no separate planning approval route is required.

Required Documents

• Project scope details, project valuation, address and party info, electronic plans/specs/energy/calculation docs as applicable, and required attachments.

Permit validity

Not clearly stated as a public, one-line policy on the permit portal pages.

Building code

California Building Code, Residential Code, Electrical Code, Mechanical Code, Plumbing Code, Energy Code, Fire Code, Green Building Standard Code, Wildland-Urban Interface Code (all 2025 editions per City guidance).

Owner-builder

Permit application includes owner-builder disclosure language referencing California contractor-licensing exemption requirements.

Contractor requirements

Application form includes CSLB license fields; City states all contractors need a valid current City of Millbrae business license; owner-built permit work must still follow contractor licensing-law disclosure requirements.

Fees

Minimum permit fee

published fee schedule lists standalone permit issuance at $138.01 and additional plan review/valuation-based components (actual minimum depends on permit type and scope).

Plan check fee

due at time of plan submittal; amount determined by staff.

Permit fee formula

valuation-based rates for many work classes plus flat/administrative fees and staff-determined charges for plan review and related fees.

Reinspection fee

Reinspection-related fee entries appear in the current fee schedule (e.g., hourly inspection rates); older FAQ notes extra inspections after repeated failures, which appears older than current schedule and may be superseded.

Payment note

City accepts debit and credit cards; multiple supplemental impact, utility, and school-district fees may apply for qualifying projects.

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

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

Important: exemptions are narrow and fact-specific; related departments (fire, planning, health, environmental, utility providers) may impose additional non-building approvals.

Inspections

How to Schedule

• E-Process360 (City online permitting portal) (online)
• 650-259-2330 (phone)

Inspection hours

Building inspections are conducted Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.�12:00 and 1:00�4:30; office support for scheduling is generally 8:30 a.m.�4:00/4:30 p.m.

Typical inspection sequence: permits are required for each phase and inspections should occur before work is covered; staged inspections include underground/rough work and final completion stages.

Additional Resources

• Building code: California Building Code, Residential Code, Electrical Code, Mechanical Code, Plumbing Code, Energy Code, Fire Code, Green Building Standard Code, Wildland-Urban Interface Code (all 2025 editions per City guidance).
• Zoning information: View zoning info
• Building Permit
• Forms Other Handouts
• Permits Required And Exempt Work Pdf
• Application For Building Electrical Plumbing And Mechanical Permit Pdf
• License lookup guide: California Contractor License Requirements
• Contract template: California Homeowner-Contractor Agreement

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