Beverly Hills Building Department 2026: Permits, Inspections & Services

The Beverly Hills Building Department operates as the Building & Safety Division within the City’s Community Development Department. It handles building permits, construction plan reviews, inspections, and building-code compliance for properties within Beverly Hills, California.

If you need to obtain a construction permit, schedule an inspection, check an existing permit, or find the correct building requirements, the information below explains the process and provides direct access to official city services.

Beverly Hills Building & Safety: Contact Information

Before visiting: Call 310-285-1000 to confirm whether your project requires an appointment. The Permit Center handles different applications through walk-in, appointment, and electronic review services.

The city’s published Plan Review and Permitting Guide (PDF) explains which projects can receive counter service.

Official Online Services

Which Construction Projects Need a Permit?

Beverly Hills Municipal Code Section 9-1-107 generally requires appropriate permits before regulated construction, structural alterations, improvements, demolition, or grading begin.

Work That May Be Exempt

Under Beverly Hills Municipal Code 9-1-107(B), certain work may be exempt from a building permit. Examples include ordinary painting and similar finish work, as well as some small detached accessory structures subject to strict limits.

For example, a qualifying one-story detached tool or storage shed may be exempt when it does not exceed 7 feet in height, the aggregate projected roof area does not exceed 120 square feet, and the maximum roof projection does not exceed 24 inches. This particular exemption does not apply in the Trousdale or Hillside Areas.

How to Apply for a Beverly Hills Building Permit

The city uses an initial online application followed by staff processing, fee assessment, and electronic plan review where needed. This is the practical sequence for a new project.

1. Confirm your project and jurisdiction. Make sure the property is inside Beverly Hills city limits and identify the construction work you intend to perform.
2. Prepare your application and supporting documents. Gather the project description, address, valuation, plans, and any required authorization or professional documents.
3. Submit the online application. Open the City’s Online Plan Review and Permit Application, complete the required fields, and save the reference number provided after submission.
4. Follow the City’s payment and plan-upload instructions. City staff reviews the initial request, assesses applicable fees, and provides instructions for payment and uploading plans through ProjectDox when required.
5. Respond to corrections and obtain the permit. Complete any required plan revisions, receive approval, pay remaining applicable charges, and obtain the issued permit before starting regulated work.

Start here: Official Beverly Hills Online Permit Application.

The city’s application instructions indicate that initial staff processing generally takes approximately 2–3 business days. This is not a guarantee of permit issuance or full plan approval within that period.

What Documents Should You Prepare?

Requirements depend on the project, but the city’s published permitting guide identifies the following common items:

• Completed plan review and permit application.
• Construction drawings or plans appropriate to the project.
• Contractor authorization letter, when someone acts for the license holder.
• Property-owner or HOA authorization, when applicable.
• Structural calculations or engineering documentation for relevant work.
• Title 24 energy documentation, when required.
• Asbestos reports, roofing reports, or sound-transmission documentation when applicable.
• Additional project-specific forms, including construction management or site-related documents.

For electronic plan review, the city generally requires landscape-oriented drawings, one plan sheet per file, appropriate file names, space for the approval stamp at the upper right, and professional digital signatures or stamps where required. PDF is the preferred drawing format.

Review the specific electronic submission instructions before uploading plans.

Building Permit Fees and Plan Review Times

How Much Does a Permit Cost?

Beverly Hills does not charge one fixed amount for every construction permit. Fees vary with project valuation, scope, plan review requirements, and applicable development or inspection charges. Project valuation can include labor and materials.

The city’s published fee resources include separate fiscal-year schedules. For applications in the 2026–2027 fiscal year, review the FY 2026–2027 Taxes, Fees & Charges schedule.

To obtain your project-specific amount: Prepare the project address, work description, estimated valuation, and plans, then contact the Permit Center or request a consultation. The city provides payment instructions after processing applicable applications.

How Long Does Plan Review Take?

The city’s published 2025 permitting guide gives the following general electronic plan-review categories:

These are planning-guide estimates, not guaranteed 2026 approval deadlines. Resubmittals, incomplete drawings, interdepartmental reviews, and project-specific requirements can extend the process. Some minor projects may qualify for counter review instead.

How to Schedule a Building Inspection

Inspections are required at appropriate stages of permitted construction. The exact inspections depend on the approved work and may involve foundations, framing, plumbing, electrical, mechanical systems, or final building approval.

Scheduling Steps

1. Find your issued permit number and identify the inspection type needed.
2. Sign in to CitySmart.
3. Open the relevant permit and follow the inspection scheduling option.
4. Select an available date and submit the request.
5. Keep approved plans and required inspection documentation ready for the inspector.

Need to cancel? Use CitySmart. If the inspection is within 24 hours, call 310-285-1000 so staff can notify the inspector.

After-hours special inspections: The city requires 72-hour advance notice, preliminary inspector approval, the applicable request form, and payment of the special inspection fee.

Fire and Public Works Inspections

Not every inspection goes through the same authority. Rough fire alarm inspections may be coordinated with the building inspector, while other fire sprinkler, fire alarm, and fire-life-safety inspections are generally coordinated through Fire Prevention at 310-281-2703.

For public right-of-way work under certain PW permits, the city requires a Public Works pre-construction meeting scheduled at least five business days before the proposed start date.

See the official inspection instructions for the correct scheduling route.

2026 Beverly Hills Building Codes

Effective January 1, 2026, Beverly Hills adopted the 2025 California building standards editions with local amendments under Beverly Hills Municipal Code Title 9.

The city also identifies the 2025 California Historical Building Code and California Referenced Standards Code among its adopted technical codes.

Local amendments matter: Do not rely only on statewide code summaries. Beverly Hills may impose additional requirements related to hillside properties, zoning, grading, fire safety, and other construction conditions.

Official references: City building-code adoption information and Beverly Hills Municipal Code.

Contractor Licensing and Owner-Builder Requirements

The Building & Safety Division states that a licensed contractor is required for projects valued at $1,000 or more, subject to applicable owner-builder provisions.

Beverly Hills describes its owner-builder option as applicable to owner-occupied single-family homes and owner-occupied condominiums for interior work only. Commercial and multifamily properties do not qualify under the city’s stated owner-builder policy.

Before applying, confirm who will be listed as permit holder, whether contractor registration or authorization is needed, and whether the proposed arrangement qualifies under California law.

Contractor licenses can be checked through the California Contractors State License Board. Owner-builder forms are available in the city’s form library.

Permit Records, Property Information and Final Approval

Search Existing Building Permits

Property owners, buyers, and contractors can use the city’s Property Information system to investigate available building permit records.

1. Visit the official Permit Records page.
2. Open the CitySmart Property Information link.
3. Search the property using the available identifying information.
4. Review available permit entries and inspection or permit information.
5. If records are missing, contact the Permit Center or submit a public records request.

The city reports maintaining building permits dating to 1918, electrical/mechanical/plumbing records from 1987, and certificates of occupancy from the late 1950s, subject to record availability.

Copies of original building plans may require written permission from the property owner and the licensed professional who prepared them. These records are not necessarily available for immediate public download.

Certificate of Occupancy or Completion

When a project requires a Certificate of Occupancy or Completion, the applicant submits the applicable city application and checklist. The assigned inspector verifies final inspections, required records, associated permit approvals, and applicable fees before the certificate proceeds through the city’s approval process.

Find the certificate application through Building Inspections.

Important Local Construction Rules

Hillside and Trousdale properties: These areas can have additional rules or different exemptions. Verify your zoning district and hillside designation before planning grading, additions, accessory structures, or major renovations.

Jurisdiction warning: A Beverly Hills mailing address does not, by itself, prove the property is inside Beverly Hills city limits. Confirm the parcel’s governing jurisdiction before applying through the city.

For work elsewhere in Los Angeles County, consult our Arcadia building permit guide and Azusa building permit guide. Use the city responsible for the project address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official Beverly Hills Building Resources

Use these primary government resources to complete applications, obtain forms, or verify project-specific requirements:

• Building & Safety Division — department information, adopted codes and permit prerequisites.
• Online Permit Application — new building permit and plan review requests.
• CitySmart — inspection scheduling, permit access and payments.
• Electronic Plan Review — ProjectDox submissions, corrections and file requirements.
• Application and Form Library — forms, guides and construction checklists.
• Official Fee Schedules — published city fees by fiscal year.
• Building Inspections — scheduling, special inspections and completion certificates.
• Permit Records — property information, historical permits and records requests.
• Beverly Hills Municipal Code — local construction, zoning and permit regulations.

Information verified: October 9, 2026. Official schedules, fees, portal functions and regulatory requirements may change. USBuilding.org is an independent informational resource and is not affiliated with or operated by the City of Beverly Hills.