Does My Home Improvement Need a Permit?

Once you decide to undertake a home improvement project, you’ll invest time and energy determining your budget, your floor plan layout, architectural style, and whether your project’s scope necessitates the involvement of a contractor, architect, or both. But it’s important to consider an additional, and equally critical consideration: whether your project will need a building permit, and if so, how to go about obtaining it.

California’s ADU Solar Requirements: Does My ADU Need Solar Panels?

In 2020, California became the first state to require new homes to be equipped with solar panels to offset the use of grid electricity as part of its goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. Known as the California Solar Mandate or Title 24, this standard applies to single-family homes, apartments, condos, and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

The California Coastal Commission

The California Coastal Commission is a state agency with quasi-judicial regulatory oversight over land use and public access in the California coastal zone. The Commission’s mission is “To protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the environment of the California coastline”. The Commission was established in 1972 by voter initiative via Proposition 20, initiated in part in response to the controversy surrounding the development of Sea Ranch, a planned coastal community in Sonoma County. Sea Ranch and other similar coastal projects of that era prompted the formation of activist groups whose efforts eventually led to putting Proposition 20 on the ballot.

The Role of Architects in Construction Projects

Architects are in charge of design and project planning, and they are also responsible for the visual appearance of buildings and structures. The term “architect” refers only to individuals who are registered with a local governing body. To become licensed, architects must meet specific professional training requirements and pass board exams. Architectural services can be obtained from unlicensed persons, but they cannot call themselves architects and generally, with the exception of single-family residences, they cannot sign construction documents.

Basic Steps For Creating An ADU

An ADU is an additional living unit with kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping facilities in addition to those of a main residence. It may be physically attached or detached from the primary residence. Also known variously as “granny units”, “second units”, or “carriage houses”, ADU’s provide opportunity to use what may be surplus space on a residential lot to house in-laws or relatives, or to provide supplementary income to make one’s mortgage more affordable. This article outlines a general process for creating an ADU. Whether or not you will need all of the steps outlined depends on the scope of your project and the city or county area you live in. Also, please note that while the steps are presented in an order that may be useful to you, you may need to adjust the order of the steps to make it fit your particular situation.

Your Discretionary Permit on the Central Coast: The California Coastal Commission

Overview:
The California Coastal Commission is a state agency with quasi-judicial regulatory oversight over land use and public access in the California coastal zone. The Commission’s mission is “To protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the environment of the California coastline”. The Commission was established in 1972 by voter initiative via Proposition 20, initiated in part in response to the controversy surrounding the development of Sea Ranch, a planned coastal community in Sonoma County. Sea Ranch and other similar coastal projects of that era prompted the formation of activist groups whose efforts eventually led to putting Proposition 20 on the ballot.

Development Defined:
Development activities are broadly defined to include construction of buildings, divisions of land, and activities that change the intensity of use of land. Development usually requires a Coastal Development Permit from either the Coastal Commission or local government. The Coastal Zone is described as the area from the Mean High Tide Line to a distance of between a couple of hundred feet in urban areas, to up to several miles in rural areas.
The Commission is the primary agency which issues Coastal Development Permits. However, once a local agency puts in place a Local Coastal Program (LCP) certified by the Commission, that local agency takes over the responsibility for issuing Coastal Development Permits. A Local Coastal Program (LCP) is composed of a Land Use Plan and an Implementation Plan. A Land Use Plan details the Land Uses permissible within the local jurisdiction’s area, specifying the general policies applicable to each Land Use. The Implementation Plan is responsible for implementing the policies contained in the Land Use Plan. The Implementation Plan is generally a part of a city’s zoning ordinance.

Coastal Zone Regulation, County of Santa Cruz:
In Santa Cruz County this zone extends about five miles inland from the North Coast. From Natural Bridges to 41st Avenue in Capitola, it extends about 0.6 miles inland. From Capitola to the south County boundary, it extends to Highway One.
Within this Zone, any person who wishes to do any sort of land development must obtain a Level 5 development permit. “Development” includes:
• Construction, reconstruction, alteration, or demolition.
• Grading, removing, placement, and extraction of earth material.
• Subdivision and minor land division.
• Change in the density or intensity of land use.
• Harvesting major vegetation, except for agriculture and timber harvesting.
Coastal Commission proceeding in the County of Santa Cruz are administered as Level-V application and heard in Public Hearing by the Zoning Administrator. For more information see: https://www.sccoplanning.com/PlanningHome/ZoningDevelopment/DevelopmentPermits/Level5ZoningAdministratorPermits/CoastalPermits/CoastalZonePermits.aspx

Coastal Zone Regulation in City of Santa Cruz:
The City of Santa Cruz has a fully certified local coastal program. Applications are processed either by administrative review or, if necessary, before the City’s Planning Commission. For more information go to: https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/about-us/general-plan

Coastal Zone Regulation in City of Capitola:
The City of Capitola has a fully certified local coastal program. Applications are processed through the Planning Department’s discretionary permit process administered by the City’s Department of Community Development and if necessary, heard by the Planning Commission. Additional information go to: http://www.cityofcapitola.org/general/page/community-development-home

Coastal Zone Regulation in Monterey County:
The Local Coastal Plan for the County of Monterey was written in conjunction with a citizen’s advisory committee and adopted by the Board of Supervisors as part of the the County’s Zoning Ordinance. Because the County of Monterey’s Coastal Plan has been certified by the State of California Coastal Commission, the County is authorized to issue Coastal Permits. Implementation is through the County’s Regional Management Agency (RMA): https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-i-z/resource-management-agency/planning

Coastal Zone Regulation in City of Marina:
The City of Marina has a fully certified local coastal program. For information about Marina’s local coastal land use plan go to: http://www.ci.marina.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=171

Coastal Zone Regulation in Sand City:
Sand City has a fully certified local coastal program. For information go to: http://www.sandcity.org/government/departments/Planning.aspx

Coastal Zone Regulation in City of Seaside:
City of Seaside has recently implemented a local coastal program in accordance with California Coastal Commission requirements: https://www.ci.seaside.ca.us/272/Local-Coastal-Program

Coastal Zone Regulation in City of Monterey:
City of Monterey has recently implemented a local coastal program in accordance with California Coastal Commission requirements: https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-i-z/resource-management-agency-rma-/planning/application-process-forms-fees/permit-process/coastal-development-permit

Coastal Zone Regulation in City of Pacific Grove:
The City of Pacific Grove does not currently have a local coastal program in place. Coastal permit applications within City limits are referred to the regional California Coastal Commission. The City has an implementation plan located at: https://www.cityofpacificgrove.org/sites/default/files/general-documents/local-coastal-program/pg-ip_feb-2017.pdf

Coastal Zone Regulation in City of Carmel:
The City of Carmel has a fully certified local coastal program. Carmel-By-The-Sea’s Local Coastal Program (LCP) was certified by the Coastal Commission in 2004. The link to the City’s Coastal Land Use Plan is at: http://www.coastal.ca.gov/sc/carmel-rev-lup.pdf

Timing Your Construction Project

As with many things in life, the timing of your construction project can be critical to its success. Construction tends to be a seasonally-driven industry, with the prevailing goal being to avoid breaking ground during the winter rainy season. This is not a hard-and-fast rule of course – there are notable exceptions which we will discuss. To best understand the ins-and-outs of project scheduling, this article outlines the design process, from selecting your design team, to how permit processing can impact your project schedule, to ball-parking how long it takes to build a construction project.

Recover and Rebuild: Expedited Building Permit Processing in Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz County Planning Department indicates that it is committed to an expedited and streamlined process, to ensure that our community can rebuild as quickly as possible. The Department indicates that the immediate first step is for it to conduct Assessments regarding basic infrastructure and property status before an Owner can begin planning for rebuilding. County staff, in coordination with Cal Fire, are in process of assessing public and private infrastructure and are working hard to assess properties as quickly as possible.

10 Tips Toward Your Successful Building Permit Submittal

Navigating the building permit process can be thought of as one of the more onerous tasks a homeowner or builder will carry out or, with proper preparation, a necessary task to be carried out relatively effortlessly and with minimal stress. Whether you are a homeowner who prepared your own plans, one who has hired a drafting service and is now doing the legwork necessary to submitting for building permits, or a building contractor who prepared drawings for that homeowner and now is submitting an application on their behalf, here are 10 tips to help your permit intake meeting go smoothly and efficiently.

2019 Energy Code – A Brief Summary of Changes

On May 9, 2018, the California Energy Commission adopted the 2019 Title 24, Part 6 Energy Code updates that will take effect January 1, 2020. Key changes for new residential and non-residential projects include mandatory residential PV, new requirements for HERS testing, and updates to non-residential standards.