Planning & Building FAQs

The City of Belvedere is not a full-serve city. This means that the City utilizes outside jurisdictional authorities/districts to provide services to the community. One of these authorities is Marin County Sanitary District 5. This district has statutory authority over the sewer laterals supplying residences within the City of Belvedere. Additionally, there are codes and statutes, approved by the District, that must be adhered to and followed. The District’s website can be reached at www.sani5.org. Should the proposed construction project consist of the addition or replacement of plumbing fixtures or have a project valuation of $50,000 or greater, the proposed construction project shall be required to obtain Sanitary Dist. 5 approval and complete any and all work required by the District. This statute can be found here.

Any roofing project, new as well as repair and replacement of existing, requires a building permit unless the repair and replacement is less than 100 square feet. You can learn more about Building Permit Requirements here.

Note: Regardless of whether or not you roofing project requires a building permit, it will need Planning review and approval as you need to file either a Design Review Application or a Design Review Exemption Application depending on the project scope.

Building permits are required in Belvedere for all additions, alterations, repairs, and for all maintenance that is done to electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems. Fences and gates not higher than 6 feet are subject to building permit exemption. However, most all exterior changes, including fences, require Planning Design Review, even if a building permit is not be required.

The following Municipal Code and Policies govern new and existing fences including repair and replacement. Please review before starting any fence project.

• Belvedere Municipal Code, Title 19.48.190 – Residential Zones—Certain facilities and structures permitted in yards
• Belvedere Municipal Code, Title 20.04.150 – Fences and screening.
• Administrative Policy, Part 15.4 – Fence Repair & Replacement

To confirm whether a building permit and/or Design Review is required for your fence project, contact the Planning & Building Department by email or call (415) 435-3838.

Building permits are required in Belvedere for all additions, alterations, repairs, and for all maintenance that is done to electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems. The following work is exempt from a building permit when being done as a single activity or not in conjunction with a larger project:

• Painting, wallpapering, bookshelves, cabinets, tile or marble work
• Fences and gates not higher than 6 feet
• Roof, deck, and siding repairs when 100 square feet or less
• Retaining walls less than four feet high when it can be demonstrated that there is no lateral pressure against it

Please check with the Belvedere Building Official to confirm that no permit is required. Also, note that most exterior changes require Design Review even though a building permit may not be required.

Each Sheet Of The Plans must include the follow basic information: Job Address; Drawing Scale(s), the date of the drawings, Assessor’s Parcel Number; Owner’s Name; printed contact information, the signature of the person preparing the plans; plans prepared by an Architect or Engineer must stamped and signed. Page 2 of 3 Information Required On Permit Documents: The scope of the work must be shown in a clear and concise manner. Provide only information that is pertinent to the scope of the project. The following is a list of basic requirements, but is not intended to be a comprehensive list, nor would every item be pertinent to every job.

1. Cover sheet with Sheet index, Scope of Work written description, Conditions of Approval, Vicinity Map
2. Floor plan of each level, label all rooms as to their use, existing and/or proposed. If remodeling, clearly identify new from existing elements.
3. Site plan including:
   • Property lines, with dimensions, setbacks, easements, natural features.
   • Contour lines, showing elevation changes on the property.
   • North arrow.
   • Names of abutting streets.
   • The outline of existing and proposed buildings/additions, with dimensions.
   • Driveway and other hard surface parking areas.
   • Location of building sewer, septic tank and leach fields.
   • Location of existing electrical meter/service equipment, label amperes and whether existing service is overhead or underground.
   • Site drainage, conveyance system, and termination.
4. A survey, performed by a state licensed surveyor.
5. Erosion control plan (erosion control must be in place at all times throughout the course of the construction project).
6. Building exterior elevations – all sides.
7. Complete structural drawings including foundations, floor, roof, deck, and wall framing plans. Roof/floor truss layout plan with calculations. A detail is required for each condition where new construction connects to existing construction (foundation, floor, walls, and roof).
8. Cross sections and details to sufficiently describe all construction. Include waterproofing and flashing methods for new opening in exterior walls and for infill framing where an opening is to be eliminated.
9. Fireplace details or manufacturer’s installation instructions.
10. Stairway, handrail and guardrail details.
11. Size, opening and type of glass windows and skylights.
12. Location of electrical panels, switches, outlets and types of lights.
13. Plumbing fixtures with locations dimensioned and the fixture flow-rate.
14. Details of heating equipment (size, location and type of fuel).
15. Compliance with the California Energy Commission requirements (Energy Calculations) CF-1R (from Energy Calculations) on plans and in booklet form. Continuing energy documentation will also be required throughout the construction project.
16. Any and all information necessary to describe the work and show that it will conform to the provisions of the codes, ordinances and laws as adopted by the City of Belvedere.

Note: If you are unable determine which items would apply to your project, please contact the City of Belvedere Building Department at (415) 435-3838.

The California Building Standards Commission has adopted the following construction codes, which are effective in the City of Belvedere as of January 1, 2014:

• 2016 California Building Code
• 2016 California Residential Code
• 2016 California Plumbing Code
• 2016 California Green Building Standards Code
• 2016 California Mechanical Code 2016 California Fire Code
• 2016 California Electrical Code And all local Ordinances and Zoning Code
• 2016 California Energy Code

Permit applications are divided into three categories that determine the timeline for either the permit approval or for the initial plan review comments.

• Some home projects limited in size are subject to Building Permit Exemption when being done as a single activity or not in conjunction with a larger project. These include:
• • Painting, wallpapering, bookshelves, cabinets, tile or marble work
  • Fences and gates not higher than 6 feet
  • Roof, deck, and siding repairs when 100 square feet or less
  • Retaining walls less than four feet high when it can be demonstrated that there is no lateral pressure against it
• Small-sized home projects often only require an Expedited Building Staff Review before a building permit can be issued. This process is usually completed in 1-2 Days.

Small home projects are typically characterized as:

• • Change of contractor.
  • Minor interior electrical repairs, upgrades, or temporary electrical service not requiring plans.
  • Minor interior plumbing repairs, upgrades, or water heater replacement, not requiring plans.
  • Minor interior mechanical repairs, upgrades, or HVAC replacement, not requiring plans.

Roofing and window change-outs. Please contact the Planning Department before submitting a Building Permit applications. These items must be formally exempted from Design Review.

• Medium-sized home projects often require Standard Building Staff Review before a building permit can be issued. This process is usually completed within +/- 10 days.Medium home projects are typically characterized as:
  • Minor interior remodels involving plans.
  • Deck repairs involving plans.
  • Minor retaining wall construction, involving plans.
  • Dock repairs or replacements, at the Lagoon, involving plans.
  • Minor project revisions which do not include exterior changes.
  • Residential solar P.V. systems (not equipped with an ESS system).

• Large-sized projects often require multi-department review — (e.g., Engineering, Fire, Public Works) before a building permit can be issued. An initial Plan Review Letter is usually issued +/- 30 Days.
  • Additions, major repairs involving extensive structural components
  • Major repairs involving extensive structural components Permit Applications for larger more complex projects — an initial plan review letter will be issued in twenty-eight (28) working days.
  • New homes
  • Major remodels involving extensive structural upgrades
  • Large-sized home projects often require Multi-Department Review (e.g., Engineering, Fire, Public Works) before a building permit can be issued. An initial Plan Review Letter is usually issued +/- 30 Days. The Plan Review Letter will outline any additional requirements and next steps.Large home projects are typically characterized as:
    • Additions, major repairs involving extensive structural components.
    • Major repairs involving extensive structural components

    More complex projects will require +/- 35 Days for initial Plan Review Letter to be issued.

    • New homes.
    • Major remodels involving extensive structural upgrades.

To confirm the type of building permit review required for your project, contact the Planning & Building Department at (415) 435-3838.

The Building, Planning, and Public Works Departments all accept permit submittals digitally. This is the preferred method of project submittal. The applications can be sent to Planning and Building Permit Technician, Nancy Miller, at nmiller@cityofbelvedere.org, Building Official, Brian Van Son, at bvanson@cityofbelvedere.org, and/or Associate Planner, Samie Malakiman, at smalakiman@cityofbelvedere.org. Should you wish to submit your application and plans in person, please follow the instructions below;

• Minor bath and kitchen remodel projects must be accompanied by four (4) complete sets for minor repair projects. The plan may be drawn in ¼”= 1′-0 scale. All sheets of plans shall be the same size. All text is to be large enough to be clearly legible (minimum ⅛ inch high lettering).
• Minor remodel projects, minor projects that involve structural work or minor projects that involve exterior work require five (5) complete sets.
• Each Building Permit Application for new structures, additions and substantial remodels must be accompanied by seven (7) complete sets of construction drawings (plans) need to include the drainage plan, the erosion plan as well the landscape plan and two (2) copies of all other documents. Required documents in addition to the construction drawings include specifications, engineering calculations, energy calculations, geotechnical reports, special inspection and structural observation programs along with other related data as needed to fully describe your project and to show in detail that it conforms to the building code minimum requirements.

Please visit the Flood Smart website for floodplain information.

To request an inspection, please call (415) 435-8915. As long as the inspection request is called in before midnight, an inspection may be performed the very next working day. No inspections are performed during the weekends or holidays, and no construction is permitted on those days.