Building Permits in Santa Clarita

The Contract-City Model — The Most Important Thing to Know First

Santa Clarita is a contract city: although it has its own City Hall and elected government, it contracts with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works — Building & Safety Division for building permits, plan review, and construction inspections. This is the most non-obvious fact for property owners searching for permit information in Santa Clarita.

What this means in practice:

• Apply to LA County, not to the City of Santa Clarita, for a building permit
• Use the LA County EPIC-LA portal (epicla.lacounty.gov), not a city-specific portal
• Your permit will be issued under the LA County Building Code (Title 26) and LA County amendments to the 2022 California Building Standards Code (Title 24)
• Construction inspections are performed by LA County Building & Safety inspectors

The City of Santa Clarita's Community Development Department — Planning Division handles zoning reviews, land use entitlements, and planning approvals separately. Large or complex projects may require a planning clearance from the City before LA County will issue a building permit.

Applicable Building Code

Santa Clarita is governed by the LA County Building Code (Title 26), which adopts the 2022 California Building Standards Code (Title 24) with LA County local amendments. Title 24 includes:

• CBC — California Building Code (based on 2021 IBC)
• CRC — California Residential Code (based on 2021 IRC)
• CPC — California Plumbing Code
• CMC — California Mechanical Code
• CEC — California Electrical Code (based on 2020 NEC)
• CEnC — California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6)
• CALGreen — California Green Building Standards Code (Title 24, Part 11)
• LA County Title 26 amendments — local modifications adopted by the County

In addition, LA County Fire Code (Title 32) and Chapter 7A wildfire requirements (see below) apply throughout most of the city.

Wildland-Urban Interface — A Critical Overlay

Most of Santa Clarita — including the Valencia, Canyon Country, Newhall, and Saugus communities — is located within a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) area or State Responsibility Area (SRA). This designation triggers significant additional building requirements under Chapter 7A of the California Building Code, which LA County enforces in its amendments.

WUI construction rules require ignition-resistant design, including:

• Class A fire-rated roofing (tile, metal, or equivalent) — no wood shake
• Ember-resistant vents — 1/16-inch mesh or equivalent at all attic and foundation openings
• Multi-pane (dual-pane minimum) windows with non-combustible frames in hazard zones
• Ignition-resistant or noncombustible exterior wall cladding within specified distances of combustible vegetation
• Noncombustible or protected eaves and soffits
• Defensible space compliance — coordinated with the LA County Fire Department

Before designing any project on a Santa Clarita parcel, verify the parcel's specific fire-hazard severity zone (FHSZ) classification with LA County Building & Safety and the LA County Fire Department. Requirements vary depending on whether the parcel is in a Moderate, High, or Very High FHSZ.

When You Need a Permit

You generally need a building permit from LA County Building & Safety for work in Santa Clarita when:

• Constructing any new building or addition, including accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and JADUs
• Making structural alterations, modifying load-bearing walls, or performing foundation work
• Changing electrical service or wiring (panel upgrades, EV charger installations, rewiring)
• Modifying plumbing or gas lines
• Replacing or modifying HVAC systems
• Replacing a roof (tear-off reroofing — not like-for-like repair of a few shingles)
• Installing or enlarging windows or doors in exterior walls
• Building a swimming pool, spa, or retaining wall above applicable height thresholds
• Installing solar photovoltaic (PV) or battery storage systems
• Demolishing any habitable structure

Minor cosmetic work — interior painting, floor coverings, cabinet replacement without plumbing or electrical changes — is generally exempt. When in doubt, contact LA County Building & Safety before starting.

EPIC-LA — The Online Permit Portal

EPIC-LA (epicla.lacounty.gov) is LA County's online permitting system for properties in unincorporated areas and contract cities including Santa Clarita. Through EPIC-LA you can:

• Create an account and submit new permit applications
• Upload plans and supporting documents for electronic plan review
• Respond to plan check correction notices and resubmit documents
• Pay permit fees online
• Request and track inspection status

In-person service is available at LA County Building & Safety offices for applicants who need counter assistance or prefer paper submittals. Check the LA County Building & Safety website (dpw.lacounty.gov/building-and-safety/) for current office locations and hours.

Permit Costs

LA County Building & Safety calculates permit fees from project valuation using a published fee schedule, with additional charges for plan check, inspections, and applicable impact fees. Typical fee components include:

• Building permit fee — scales with project valuation per the LA County fee schedule
• Plan check fee — a percentage of the building permit fee
• Inspection fees — charged per trade (electrical, plumbing, mechanical)
• Impact fees — for new construction or added habitable square footage (school fees, fire services, sewer, and other agency fees)
• Energy compliance and CALGreen fees — for applicable new construction

Do not rely on third-party fee estimates. Consult the current LA County Building & Safety fee schedule at dpw.lacounty.gov/building-and-safety/ or contact LA County directly for the amounts applicable to your specific project.

Typical Timeline

California ADU rule: Under California Government Code § 65852.2, the agency must issue an approval or denial on a complete ADU permit application within 60 calendar days. This state-mandated ministerial timeline applies to Santa Clarita ADU applications processed through LA County Building & Safety.

Projects in WUI areas should build in additional time for fire-materials verification and any required LA County Fire Department review.

The Process

1. Zoning check — Verify zoning district, overlays, and land use constraints on your parcel with the City of Santa Clarita Planning Division at santaclarita.gov/planning. Confirm whether a planning clearance or entitlement is required before submitting to LA County Building & Safety.

2. Fire-hazard verification — Confirm your parcel's fire-hazard severity zone classification. WUI construction requirements under Chapter 7A must be addressed in the construction documents.

3. Prepare plans — Drawings must comply with the 2022 LA County Building Code (Title 26 / Title 24), including energy compliance (CEnC Part 6), CALGreen (Part 11), and Chapter 7A WUI requirements where applicable. Plans for most non-trivial projects must be stamped by a California-licensed architect or structural engineer.

4. Create an EPIC-LA account — Register at epicla.lacounty.gov to submit applications electronically.

5. Submit the application — Upload plans and required documents through EPIC-LA and pay initial fees. Simple over-the-counter permits may be available for immediate issuance.

6. Plan review — LA County Building & Safety reviewers check for compliance with the building, residential, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, energy, and fire codes. For larger projects, City of Santa Clarita planning review may run in parallel.

7. Corrections — Address plan check comments in a resubmittal through EPIC-LA. Multiple correction cycles are normal; a complete and code-compliant first submittal minimizes delay.

8. Permit issuance — Once plans are approved, pay remaining fees and pull the permit. Keep the permit card and approved plans on-site throughout construction.

9. Inspections — Schedule required inspections at each construction phase through EPIC-LA or by phone with LA County Building & Safety.

10. Final inspection — Pass all final inspections. For new dwellings or additions, this results in a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Final Completion.

Inspections

LA County Building & Safety performs construction inspections in Santa Clarita. Typical inspection stages for a residential project include:

• Setbacks / site layout verification
• Excavation, foundation forms, and reinforcing steel (before concrete)
• Underground plumbing and electrical
• Rough framing (before sheathing)
• WUI materials verification (Chapter 7A compliance, if applicable)
• Rough plumbing, electrical, and mechanical
• Insulation (before drywall)
• Drywall nailing
• Title 24 energy compliance verification
• Final building, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical

Each phase must be signed off before the next phase of work can proceed. The permit card and approved plans must be on-site and accessible to the inspector at every inspection.

Planning vs. Building — Two Different Agencies

Because Santa Clarita uses the contract-city model, owners must navigate two separate agencies for many projects:

For projects requiring both a planning approval (Conditional Use Permit, Site Plan Review, variance, etc.) and a building permit, the City planning clearance typically must be obtained before or in parallel with LA County Building & Safety plan review. Confirm the correct sequencing early to avoid delays.

California Energy Code and CALGreen

Santa Clarita projects are subject to the California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) — one of the strictest in the country — and CALGreen (Title 24, Part 11) mandatory requirements. Key points:

• HERS (Home Energy Rating System) verification by a certified rater is required for new residential construction
• New single-family homes must meet solar-ready or mandatory solar PV provisions under the 2022 code
• CALGreen requires construction waste diversion documentation, water-efficiency fixtures, and indoor air quality measures
• Title 24 energy compliance documentation (CF-1R, CF-2R forms, etc.) must be included with plan check submittal

Common Reasons for Corrections or Denial

• Plans do not comply with the 2022 LA County Building Code (Title 26) or California Title 24
• Missing Chapter 7A WUI ignition-resistant construction details (common in Santa Clarita due to WUI designation)
• Missing Title 24 energy compliance forms or HERS documentation
• Missing structural calculations or engineer's stamp required for the project type
• City of Santa Clarita planning clearance not obtained before or during plan review
• Zoning conflicts (setbacks, height, lot coverage, FAR under the UDC) not resolved
• Missing LA County Fire Department clearance for projects requiring fire review
• Incomplete submittals — missing site plan, civil sheets, or required agency clearance forms

Official Sources and Portals

• LA County Building & Safety Division: dpw.lacounty.gov/building-and-safety/ — permit information, fee schedule, inspection resources
• EPIC-LA online portal: epicla.lacounty.gov — permit applications, plan upload, fee payment, inspection requests
• LA County Building Code (Title 26): library.municode.com/ca/los_angeles_county
• California Building Standards Code (Title 24): dgs.ca.gov/BSC/Codes
• California ADU Law (Gov. Code § 65852.2): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
• City of Santa Clarita Planning Division: santaclarita.gov/planning — zoning, land use, entitlements

Always verify current requirements with LA County Building & Safety and the City of Santa Clarita Planning Division before submitting plans or starting construction.

Disclaimer: This guide summarizes publicly available information from official LA County and State of California sources and is provided for general orientation only. It does not constitute legal or engineering advice. Building code and permitting requirements change — always confirm current rules with the LA County Department of Public Works — Building & Safety Division and the City of Santa Clarita Community Development Department before submitting plans or starting construction.