Plans, Permits & Design in San Marino
Permit-ready plans, engineering and Title 24, with or without the build.
Built for San Marino Homes
Almost every visible exterior change here passes a design committee, so our drawings are built for that room from day one: massing, roof pitch, materials, and how an addition reads from the street. The payoff is lot size: large, level parcels that hold a real pool, a shaded loggia, and a detached studio without crowding. The constraints are the trees and the aging utilities underneath them.
Almost everything is single-family, in R-1 districts with minimum lot sizes from 9,000 to 60,000 square feet, deep front setbacks, formal landscaping, and generous rear yards.
We are a design-build team, which means the people who draw your project are the people who build it. Design, engineering, permits and construction run through one project manager and our own crews, so nothing gets lost in a handoff between a salesperson and a subcontractor. We are licensed, bonded and insured, CSLB license #1119054.
Permits in San Marino: Plan check, permits, and inspections are handled by the Building Division of the Community Development Department, and design review runs through the department's planning staff. The Design Review Committee meets twice a month and reviews all new homes, all two-story additions, certain one-story additions, and architectural changes visible from public view.
The tree preservation ordinance (Municipal Code Article 23.19) requires a City tree removal permit before removing an established tree, heritage tree or oak tree on a residential lot, and violations bring fines plus a required tree restoration plan.
The Raymond Fault Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone runs through the city. State law exempts most individual one- and two-story wood-frame homes from the zone's fault-study requirement, and we confirm early whether the City asks for a geologic report on a given lot.
Permit details checked September 2026 against City of San Marino, San Marino Municipal Code and State of California. Rules change, so we confirm them again for your parcel.
What We Build
- Design Review Committee submittals
- Oak and established-tree permitting
- Sewer lateral and electrical service upgrades
- Measured surveys and existing-condition drawings
- Permit-ready plan sets for submittal
- Structural engineering coordination
- Title 24 energy compliance documentation
- ADU and addition planning packages
- Pool, hardscape and structure permits
- Soils and geotechnical report coordination
- HOA architectural review submissions
- City submittal and plan-check correction responses
- Inspection scheduling and sign-off
Local Conditions
What to Know in San Marino
These local conditions change the scope, the schedule and the budget.
Estate parcels carry dense mature canopy (oaks, camphors, magnolias) whose root plates and drip lines dictate where a pool, spa, or cabana can physically go.
Original 1920s and 1930s houses often have clay sewer laterals and small electrical services that must be replaced before pool equipment, a full outdoor kitchen, or a detached unit is energized.
Front-yard walls, formal hedges, and a single narrow side yard mean heavy equipment usually stages from the street with protection mats and sometimes a crane.
Level ground and high water-table-free soils make deep pools and sunken lounges straightforward, but formal front elevations push equipment enclosures and utility runs to the rear.
Investment
What It Costs in San Marino
Real Southern California price ranges, not teaser numbers.
Plans, drawings and permit management
$4,500 to $25,000+
What moves it: project type and size, whether structural engineering, Title 24 or a soils report is required, and how many jurisdictions or review bodies are involved
Detached ADU
$150,000 to $400,000+
What moves it: square footage, finish level, utility runs, and site access; garage conversions typically run well below a ground-up detached build
Retaining walls
$60 to $150 per face foot
What moves it: height, whether the wall is engineered, material choice, drainage behind the wall, and access for equipment and materials
Your lot, access and finishes set the price. We walk the site, then show you where every dollar goes.
Get a line-item price for your San Marino propertyThe Process
How We Work in San Marino
Feasibility
We check zoning, setbacks, easements and utilities to confirm what the property will actually support before you spend on drawings.
Survey & As-Builts
The site and existing structure are measured and drawn so the permit set starts from reality, not an old plot plan.
Design Development
Plans and elevations developed to the level of detail plan check expects, with 3D so you can see it clearly.
Consultants
Structural engineering, Title 24 and, where the site needs it, a soils report are coordinated into one set.
Submittal
We make the submittal and act as the applicant, so correspondence with the city comes to us rather than to you.
Corrections & Issue
We respond to plan-check corrections, resubmit, and see the permit through to issue.
Questions
What San Marino Homeowners Ask
Who issues the permits for this work in San Marino?
City of San Marino Community Development Department, Building Division. Plan check, permits, and inspections are handled by the Building Division of the Community Development Department, and design review runs through the department's planning staff.
The Design Review Committee meets twice a month and reviews all new homes, all two-story additions, certain one-story additions, and architectural changes visible from public view. The tree preservation ordinance (Municipal Code Article 23.19) requires a City tree removal permit before removing an established tree, heritage tree or oak tree on a residential lot, and violations bring fines plus a required tree restoration plan.
The Raymond Fault Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone runs through the city. State law exempts most individual one- and two-story wood-frame homes from the zone's fault-study requirement, and we confirm early whether the City asks for a geologic report on a given lot.
We prepare the drawings, make the submittal and handle plan-check corrections ourselves, so you are not the one chasing plan check.
What makes building in San Marino different?
Almost everything is single-family, in R-1 districts with minimum lot sizes from 9,000 to 60,000 square feet, deep front setbacks, formal landscaping, and generous rear yards. One local condition that shapes the work: Estate parcels carry dense mature canopy (oaks, camphors, magnolias) whose root plates and drip lines dictate where a pool, spa, or cabana can physically go.
Which parts of San Marino do you work in?
All of it, including Lacy Park, Old Mill, Mission District and Huntington Library area. Our crews run every job out of our Cahuenga Pass base in Los Angeles, with our own people on site.
What do plans and permits cost in San Marino?
Plans, drawings and permit management: generally $4,500 to $25,000+ across Southern California. 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.
Can you do the plans without doing the build?
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.
Why do permit costs vary so much?
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.
What causes plan-check corrections?
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.
Do you handle HOA approval too?
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.
More Services in San Marino
Planning Guides
Before You Build in San Marino
Costs, materials and process notes from our own projects.
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Read guideNeed Plans & Permits in San Marino?
Sit down with your project manager and get an accurate estimate. We call you back within one business day.
Licensed, bonded & insured · CSLB license #1119054