Do you need a permit?

The short answer

It depends on what you're building, where it is on your property, and your specific city's requirements — San Diego County covers many different cities, each with its own building department and rules. There's no single blanket answer that applies everywhere, which is exactly why this trips up so many homeowners.

Generally requires a permit

• Any driveway approach where it connects to the public street (the portion in the public right-of-way)
• Public sidewalk repair or replacement
• Retaining walls above a certain height (commonly around 4 feet in California, sometimes lower depending on what's above or below the wall)
• Foundations, slabs, and any structural work tied to an addition, ADU, or new construction
• Most commercial flatwork and parking areas

Often does not require a permit

• A standalone backyard patio not attached to a covered structure
• Small, private walkways not connected to the public sidewalk
• Minor, like-for-like repair of small sections of existing flatwork

These are general patterns, not guarantees — some cities are stricter than others, and even a "usually doesn't need a permit" project can require one depending on size or your specific lot.

Who's actually responsible for pulling it?

When you hire a licensed contractor, pulling the permit is typically the contractor's job, not yours — it should be included as part of the project, not something you're expected to navigate at city hall yourself. If a contractor tells you to pull your own permit for work they're doing, that's worth asking about directly.

Why skipping a required permit is a bad idea

Unpermitted work can create real problems later: it can complicate selling your home, cause issues with insurance claims, and in some cases a city can require you to remove or redo work that wasn't properly permitted and inspected. The upfront hassle of permitting is almost always smaller than the problems that show up later without one.

Serving San Diego County

We're licensed and insured to work throughout San Diego County, including San Diego, La Mesa, El Cajon, Chula Vista, National City, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, Santee, Lakeside, Poway, Coronado, and Escondido.