Plans, Permits & Design in Malibu

City of Malibu Building Safety Division (Community Development Department). The city runs its own Building Safety Division and issues its own building and grading permits. The entire city lies within the coastal zone, and because the Local Coastal Program was certified in 2002 the city itself issues coastal development permits under its Land Use Plan and Local Implementation Plan, including review against the ESHA overlay. Onsite wastewater treatment systems are permitted through the Environmental Sustainability Department's environmental health office, and installing a new system requires its own coastal development permit. Processing depends heavily on required geotechnical, biological and wastewater studies, so schedules vary considerably from parcel to parcel. We prepare the drawings, make the submittal and handle plan-check corrections ourselves, so you are not the one chasing the city.

Everything from tight beachfront strips between the highway and the sand to multi-acre canyon and ridge parcels with steep buildable pads and long private driveways. In practice that means nearly every property runs on an onsite wastewater system rather than a sewer, and its rated capacity limits added bedrooms and constrains where a pool, equipment pad and backwash line can sit..

All of it, including Point Dume, Malibu Colony, Serra Retreat, Big Rock. We are based in Los Angeles at Cahuenga Pass, so Malibu is a short run for our crews rather than a job we service from out of the area.

Plans, drawings and permit management in this market generally runs $4,500 to $25,000+. What moves it is project type and size, whether structural engineering, Title 24 or a soils report is required, and how many jurisdictions or review bodies are involved. We give line-item pricing after seeing the site rather than quoting a number over the phone.

Yes. Plans and permits is a service we sell on its own, and plenty of clients use us for the drawing set and permit management and build with someone else. We would rather do it properly than tie it to a construction contract.

Because the required consultants vary. A straightforward patio cover needs a modest set. An ADU on a sloped lot may need structural engineering, Title 24, a soils report and a survey, and each of those is a separate specialist fee on top of the city's own plan-check and permit charges.

Most commonly incomplete structural detail, missing Title 24 forms, drainage not shown, or a discrepancy between the site plan and the survey. Corrections are normal, not a failure. The thing that costs time is a slow response to them, which is why we act as the applicant.

Yes, where a community requires it. HOA architectural review runs on its own calendar and its own standards, entirely separately from the city, and starting it late is one of the most common reasons a project slips.