Building Permits in Pasadena

Pasadena Building & Safety provides plan review and construction inspection services through the city's Permit Center.

Current codes

Pasadena lists the 2025 California Building, Residential, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy, Wildland-Urban Interface, Historical, Fire, Existing Building, and Green Building Standards Codes as effective January 1, 2026, with city amendments in Title 14 of the Pasadena Municipal Code. This matches the statewide 2025 Title 24 effective date.

Fees

Pasadena publishes valuation-based building-permit and plan-check schedules plus other project-dependent charges. Because fee tables can be revised and projects can trigger different reviews, use the current Permit Center calculation rather than a generic price range.

Plan review and inspections

Building & Safety reviews plans and inspects construction for compliance with applicable codes. Required reviews and inspections depend on project type, zoning, historic status, fire/life-safety issues, and other applicable approvals.

Timing

No universal review duration is stated here. Project complexity and correction cycles vary, and this guide does not substitute a generic 1–12 week estimate.

Professional design

Whether plans require a California architect or engineer depends on the project and applicable licensing law and exemptions. A seal is not described as mandatory for every permit.

Official sources

Use Pasadena's Codes and Regulations and Permit Center pages for local requirements and amendments; use the California Building Standards Commission for statewide Title 24.