Planning guide · updated October 2026
Palo Alto is a city of established neighborhoods on flat, tree-lined streets, with Eichler tracts, historic districts near downtown and a band of foothills to the west. Most of the permit process here is about fitting a new or larger house into that pattern. A second story usually means Individual Review or a design written to the City’s two-story objective standards, and the City also brings its own rules on trees, flood zones, basements, energy and how an old house comes down. This guide lays out the path for new custom homes, whole-house remodels and additions, so the design and the schedule are built around it from day one.
We are a licensed general contractor taking on new custom homes, second-story additions and whole-house remodels on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, with Palo Alto in our service area. To talk through your Palo Alto lot or house, call 805-712-8993 or use the form at the bottom of the page.
The short answer
The City of Palo Alto issues building permits through its Development Services center and online portal. A one-story home in the R-1 district, or a home in the R-E district, gets its zoning check from Planning as part of the building permit. A new two-story home or a second-floor addition above a small size has to either meet every one of the City’s two-story objective design standards or go through Single-Family Individual Review, a discretionary Planning approval with neighbor notice, before the building permit. Protected trees, flood zones, basements, historic status and the City’s deconstruction rules add steps on many lots. (we confirm per lot)
1. Who reviews what
The City runs nearly every step, including the utilities
Palo Alto is a charter city in Santa Clara County, and it handles planning, building, public works, fire and utilities in-house. That makes the process more self-contained than in many cities: almost every sign-off for a house comes from a City department.
| City office or agency | What it covers on a house project |
|---|---|
| Planning and Development Services, Current Planning | Zoning compliance, Individual Review (IR) for two-story work, Home Improvement Exceptions, variances, historic review files and neighbor notice. |
| Development Services, Building Division | Plan check, building and deconstruction permits, and inspections. Each application is assigned a Project Coordinator who checks it for completeness before plan check starts. |
| Public Works Engineering | Grading and drainage, excavation and grading permits, street work in the right-of-way, flood zone review and the construction dewatering rules for basements. |
| Urban Forestry (Public Works) | Protected trees on private lots, street trees, the tree protection sheet on building plans and tree permits. |
| Historic Preservation staff and the Historic Resources Board | Exterior changes to homes on the City’s inventory, in a historic district or found eligible for a state or national register. |
| Palo Alto Fire Department | Fire code review, sprinklers and access, and wildfire requirements in the foothills. |
| City of Palo Alto Utilities | The City runs its own electric, gas, water and wastewater services, so new service, upgrades and disconnections before a teardown go through City Hall rather than an outside utility. |
| Zero Waste Palo Alto | The deconstruction and construction materials rules that replaced conventional demolition. |
Summarized from City of Palo Alto Planning, Development Services, Public Works, Historic Preservation and Zero Waste pages, read October 31, 2026.
An address is worth checking before anything else. The Stanford campus and some nearby lands sit in unincorporated Santa Clara County rather than the City, and East Palo Alto is a separate city in San Mateo County. Inside city limits, the City’s online Parcel Report lists the zoning, flood zone and historic status for an address, and it is the first thing we pull. (we confirm per lot) For the kind of homes we build here, see our Palo Alto page.
2. Does your project need Individual Review?
One story, two stories, and the overlay question
The City’s Planning forms and applications page sorts single-family work into a few lanes:
- One-story homes in R-1 and homes in R-E: no separate planning application in most cases. Planning reviews the plans against the zoning rules as part of the building permit, using the City’s single-family building permit checklist.
- New two-story homes and larger second-floor additions: the design must meet all of the two-story objective design standards the City adopted in February 2025. If it doesn’t, the project needs Single-Family Individual Review (IR) before the building permit can be filed.
- Single-story overlay neighborhoods: some neighborhoods, many of them Eichler tracts, carry a single-story overlay zone that keeps homes to one story. The Parcel Report shows it, and it settles the second-story question before design starts.
- Historic properties: exterior changes to a listed or eligible home add historic review, and a house in a historic district is judged against the district as a whole.
The objective standards route trades design freedom for a faster, more predictable approval, since the test is yes or no. IR allows more flexibility, but it is discretionary, involves the neighbors and takes longer. On a lot with close neighbors and mature trees, we often sketch both and let the owner choose with the trade-off in view.
3. How Individual Review works
Notice, comments, a proposed decision and a possible hearing
IR is a staff-level review led by the Director of Planning. It exists to protect neighborhood character and neighbors’ privacy, not to dictate a style; the City’s own guidelines say IR is not design review in the architectural-style sense. The process runs roughly like this:
| Stage | What happens | Who is involved |
|---|---|---|
| Optional preliminary review | An early look at a concept before the formal filing; the City updated its IR preliminary process in April 2026. | Applicant and Planning staff |
| Pre-application and intake | The full IR package is uploaded as a pre-application on the City’s online portal, then filed at a Planning intake appointment with a signed IR statement of understanding. | Applicant, Planning intake |
| Notice and comment | Adjacent owners and residents get a mailed notice and a notice is posted on the property; written comments received during the comment period become part of the staff review. | Neighbors, Planning |
| Staff review | The planner checks the design against the IR guidelines and the zoning rules and may ask for revisions. | Planning staff, design team |
| Proposed decision | The Director issues a proposed written decision to approve, approve with conditions or deny, and mails notice of it to the neighbors. | Director of Planning |
| Hearing request | The applicant or an adjacent owner or occupant can ask for a Director’s hearing on the proposed decision before it becomes final. | Applicant, neighbors, Director |
Simplified from the City of Palo Alto IR and Home Improvement Exception review process handout and the IR submittal checklist, read October 31, 2026.
The IR submittal checklist asks for more than a typical plan set. It wants a streetscape elevation showing the new house with the homes on each side drawn to scale, a privacy diagram showing second-floor windows against the neighbors’ windows, patios and major planting near the property lines, a contextual front setback diagram where it applies, and a data table with net lot area, floor area and lot coverage. Those exhibits take real survey work, so we line up the surveyor early.
4. The IR guidelines
What the City looks for in a two-story design
The Single-Family Individual Review Guidelines, illustrated with do-and-don’t drawings and paired with a key points checklist the applicant fills in, cover these topics:
- Basic site planning: placing the house, garage and yards in a way that fits how the street is laid out.
- Height, mass and scale: new homes and upper floors consistent with the neighborhood, with particular care next to one-story houses. The key points suggest putting more floor area on the ground floor than upstairs, avoiding first floors set high above grade, tall wall planes and boxy forms, and tucking some floor area into the roof.
- Form and rooflines: a few simple, well-proportioned volumes, consistent roof pitches, and garages and entries kept subordinate to the main house. The checklist warns against forcing the roof to fit an interior-driven floor plan; test the roof early and adjust the plan.
- Street-facing facades and entries: an entry and facade that relate to the street at a human scale.
- Privacy: second-floor windows and decks sized, placed and oriented to limit direct views into the neighbors’ windows and patios at the sides and rear.
On a second-story addition, the guidelines apply to the new upper floor, while the existing parts of the house being remodeled are exempt. In flood-prone areas, where floors sit higher, the checklist notes that a two-story design next to one-story homes may need lower plate heights and more of the house on the ground floor to stay in scale.
5. Zoning checks on every house
Floor area, daylight planes and contextual setbacks
Whatever the planning path, Planning checks the plans against the R-1 or R-E zoning rules, which the City explains in its Single-Family Zoning Technical Manual on the ordinances, maps and guidelines page. The items that shape most Palo Alto houses:
- Net lot area: street easements, watercourse easements and land inside the top of a creek bank come off before floor area and coverage are figured, and a surveyor’s report may be required if the number differs from the City’s records.
- Floor area and lot coverage limits, with some allowance for covered porches and patios.
- Daylight planes: sloped limits rising from the side and rear lot lines that the house has to fit under, which is why the plans need spot grades around the house and a first-floor elevation.
- Contextual front setback and garage placement: on many blocks the front setback and the garage location are set by the pattern of the neighboring homes rather than a single fixed number.
- Front-yard paving: much of the front setback has to stay permeable.
- Outdoor equipment: heat pumps, pool equipment and similar units have to meet the City’s noise ordinance, with spec sheets on the site plan.
For remodels, the City offers a Home Improvement Exception that can relax specific development rules when a project keeps most of the existing exterior walls. The exception is discretionary and follows the same notice-and-comment process as IR. A variance is a separate tool with its own process, for example when a protected tree limits how a lot can be used.
6. Eichler homes and historic houses
Two kinds of older house with their own guidance
Eichlers. Palo Alto has a large share of the mid-century Eichler homes built on the Peninsula, and the City publishes Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines on its ordinances, maps and guidelines page. They address what makes these tracts distinct: low rooflines, post-and-beam construction, glass walls to the rear yard and modest street faces. Many Eichler tracts also sit in single-story overlay zones. A remodel or addition that respects the low profile tends to move more smoothly, and on these houses the radiant slab, the exposed roof deck and the single-pane glass are where the construction surprises usually are.
Historic resources. The City’s historic project review page explains that homes on the City’s inventory, on the California or National Register, inside a local or national historic district, or found eligible for those registers are historic resources and need review for many exterior projects. Unevaluated older houses may need research to settle their status. Interior work, normal repairs and landscaping usually don’t trigger historic review if the exterior doesn’t change. Professorville, near downtown, has its own district design guidelines, and minor work consistent with the federal preservation standards can often be handled at staff level, while larger changes go to the Historic Resources Board. For what an older house tends to reveal during demolition and framing, see our guide to remodeling an older home.
7. Trees
Protected trees, street trees and the tree protection sheet
Palo Alto’s tree ordinance protects more trees than many owners expect. The City’s protected trees page lists the categories:
- Street and public trees, all protected; any work on or within the drip line of a street tree needs a Tree Permit from Urban Forestry, and property lines sometimes sit several feet behind the sidewalk.
- Native protected species above a set trunk size: coast live oak, blue oak, black oak, valley oak, bigleaf maple, incense cedar and coast redwood.
- Protected mature trees of other species above a larger trunk size, except listed invasive and high-water-use species.
- Designated trees set aside during a development approval, replacement trees, and Council-designated heritage trees.
Building permits that involve exterior work carry the City’s T-1 tree protection sheet, which sets tree protection zones where storage, excavation, paving and soil disturbance are off limits unless approved, and calls for careful methods like air-spade trenching near roots. Removing a protected tree on a residential lot needs its own application. On a typical Palo Alto lot, a large oak or redwood in a side or rear yard can decide where an addition goes, so we get the arborist out before the architect draws a footprint.
8. Flood zones and basements
Two issues that are specific to the flatlands
Flood zones. According to the City’s floodplain management page, every part of Palo Alto is in some flood zone, but most of the city is in the lower-risk Zone X. Special Flood Hazard Areas cover a large bay-side area of east Palo Alto and creek overflow areas near San Francisquito Creek and other creeks, and they fall under the City’s flood hazard regulations in the Municipal Code.
| Flood area | Where it shows up | What it means for a house project |
|---|---|---|
| Zone X | Most of the city. | Lower risk; the special floodplain building rules don’t apply, though the City notes every part of Palo Alto carries some flood risk. |
| Bay-side Special Flood Hazard Area | A large area of east Palo Alto toward the Bay, behind levees FEMA does not count as protection. | New homes and large remodels follow the City’s flood hazard regulations: an elevated lowest floor, flood-resistant materials below it, equipment raised and an elevation certificate. |
| Creek overflow areas | Shallow flooding areas near San Francisquito Creek and smaller pockets near other creeks. | Same regulations, with the base flood elevation read from the flood map contours for the specific lot. |
Simplified from the City of Palo Alto floodplain management page and the Public Works flood zone documents, read October 31, 2026. The FEMA flood map and the City Parcel Report have the final word for a given address.
Two details matter on additions. A FEMA letter of map amendment that took an existing house out of the flood area is invalidated once the footprint is enlarged, so an addition can pull a house back into the flood rules until a new letter is issued. And a large improvement to a house in a flood area can trigger the substantial improvement rules, which bring the whole house up to the flood standards rather than just the new part. Basements are not allowed in a Special Flood Hazard Area.
Basements elsewhere. Palo Alto has a shallow water table in many areas, and the City regulates construction dewatering closely. The Public Works forms and permits page posts the dewatering regulations and permit applications. A soils report has to come in before the building permit, groundwater depth is measured again before the excavation and grading permit when the dig comes close to it, and if water is close enough, a cutoff wall or a controlled pumping system is required. Pumping is only allowed during the drier months the City sets, with monitoring wells, water-quality limits, a public fill station and, during the job, trucking water to irrigation sites. If groundwater turns up unexpectedly, work stops until the dewatering requirements are met. A basement here is very buildable, but it needs to be planned into the schedule and the budget from the first meeting.
9. Fire
The foothills, wildfire zones and fire sprinklers
The flatlands are mostly outside the state’s fire hazard zones, but the foothills west of the city center are a different story. In 2025 the City adopted the State Fire Marshal’s updated fire hazard severity zone map by ordinance; the State Fire Marshal’s fire hazard severity zone maps show the state zones, and the very high hazard areas in the foothills are treated as wildland-urban interface. Homes there are built to the state’s wildfire building code, Chapter 7A, with Class A roofing, ember-resistant vents, ignition-resistant or noncombustible exterior walls, protected gutters and roof valleys, and defensible space and vegetation management around the house.
New homes in California also need fire sprinklers, and the Palo Alto Fire Department reviews sprinkler and access items during plan check. Foothill lots bring slope, long driveways and fire truck access into the picture as well; our fire hazard severity zone guide goes through the wildfire code item by item, and our hillside lot guide covers how we plan grading, retaining and foundations on a slope.
10. Deconstruction and the building permit
How the house comes down and how the new one gets approved
Deconstruction, not demolition. Since July 2020, Palo Alto has not allowed conventional demolition of a whole structure. The City’s deconstruction ordinance page explains that a house being fully removed must be taken apart carefully so materials can be reused and recycled, under its own permit. Before applying, the owner gets a salvage survey from a City-approved reuse organization. Before the deconstruction permit is issued, the regional air district issues its approval number, and the City’s Utilities department disconnects electric, gas and water service, which requires the house to be vacant. On site, materials are separated for reuse and recycling, debris boxes come from the City’s franchised hauler, and the salvage records and weight tags are uploaded to the City’s tracking system before final inspection. Deconstruction takes longer than a bulldozer, and the City itself advises planning ahead for it.
The building permit. The City’s Apply for a Building Permit page lays out the steps. You register on the Accela Citizen Access portal, submit a building permit pre-application with the plans and documents in the City’s file format, and a Project Coordinator reviews the package for completeness before it becomes a formal application and goes into plan check. A new house package typically includes the planning approval letter and conditions, civil and grading plans with a survey, architectural and structural plans, the T-1 tree protection sheet, the CALGreen sheets, a construction pollution prevention plan, Title 24 energy forms, structural calculations and, where foundations call for it, a geotechnical report. The City’s Public Works review adds its standard conditions, a logistics plan for the street and, on new homes, its grading and drainage guidelines. One local item that surprises people: Palo Alto prohibits copper roofing materials.
Inspections are booked through the City’s inspection app or the portal, and the final is booked by phone. Applications and issued permits expire if they sit idle, so a long pause between approval and construction needs an extension request.
Energy and green building. Permit applications from January 1, 2026 fall under the state’s 2025 Energy Code. On top of the state code, the City’s green building and energy reach code page sets local reach codes: new homes and substantial remodels must beat the state energy target by a set margin, a Certified Energy Analyst is required on those projects, and any new gas appliance must come with electric-ready wiring for a future replacement. The City is updating these local codes for the 2026 to 2028 cycle, so we confirm the version in force when the permit is filed. See our Title 24 overview for how this affects heat pumps, solar and insulation.
11. Remodels and second-story additions
What changes when you work with the existing house
Remodels and additions in Palo Alto use the same City process, but a few triggers apply only to existing homes:
- Second-floor additions above a small size need IR or must meet the two-story objective standards; first-floor additions usually get their zoning check inside the building permit.
- Single-story overlay lots can’t add a second story at all, so the extra space comes from the footprint or, where the lot allows, a basement.
- Substantial remodel line: removing or replacing a large share of the exterior walls, raising much of the wall plate height or replacing much of the roof framing makes the project a substantial remodel under the City’s energy reach code, with the stricter energy target.
- Flood areas: a bigger footprint can void an existing flood map letter, and a large improvement can trigger the substantial improvement rules for the whole house.
- Trees: new foundations and trenches near a protected tree need tree protection measures and often an arborist report.
- Historic and Eichler homes: exterior changes on a historic resource add historic review, and Eichler tracts have their own design guidelines.
- Small like-for-like work: some kitchen and bath remodels within the existing footprint, window replacements of the same size on non-historic homes and heat pump installs can qualify for instant permits, which licensed contractors pull online.
Our pages on whole-home remodels and home additions describe how we run that kind of job from estimate through final.
12. Order of steps
How we usually sequence a Palo Alto project
| Step | What happens | What usually sets the pace |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel Report and title | Zoning district, any single-story overlay, flood zone, historic status, easements and creek setbacks. | Quick once the address is known. |
| Survey, trees and soils | Boundary and topographic survey for net lot area and daylight plane, an arborist report where protected trees are close, and a soils report if a basement is on the table. | Consultant calendars. |
| Pick the planning path | One-story or R-E home with Planning review inside the building permit, a two-story design written to the objective standards, or an IR application. | How much design flexibility you want. |
| Design and neighbors | Massing, windows and decks worked against the IR guidelines or the objective standards; an early conversation with the neighbors on each side. | Owner decisions and design rounds. |
| Planning approval | IR notice, comment period, proposed decision and any hearing request; historic review alongside where it applies. | Neighbor comments and revisions. |
| Building permit | Pre-application on the City portal, completeness check by the Project Coordinator, then plan check by Building, Planning, Public Works, Urban Forestry, Fire and Utilities. | Correction rounds. |
| Deconstruction and site work | Salvage survey, utility disconnection, air district approval and deconstruction for a teardown; tree protection fencing and erosion control before grading. | Utility work orders and salvage pickup. |
| Build, inspect and close out | Inspections booked through the app or the portal, the final booked by phone, and the materials and salvage records uploaded before final. | Construction and inspection scheduling. |
The order we typically follow on a Palo Alto job; each property shifts it a little.
For a realistic picture of how design, approvals and construction add up, see our custom home timeline guide; owners weighing running the job themselves should read our owner-builder vs licensed contractor guide first. Building further south? The Town of Los Gatos and the City of Saratoga run different processes; see our Los Gatos permit guide and our Saratoga design review guide.
13. Before you design
Questions to answer about your Palo Alto property
- Is the address inside the City of Palo Alto, or on Stanford or other unincorporated County land?
- Is it zoned R-1 or R-E, and does it carry a single-story overlay?
- What is the net lot area after easements and creek setbacks?
- Will a second story be designed to the objective standards, or go through Individual Review?
- Do the contextual front setback and garage placement rules apply on this block?
- Which protected trees, on the lot, next door or in the street, are close to where you want to build?
- Is the house on the City’s historic inventory, in a historic district or an Eichler tract?
- What flood zone is the lot in, and is there an existing flood map letter for the house?
- If you want a basement, what does the soils report say about groundwater?
- Is the lot in the foothills fire zone, and how will a fire engine reach the house?
- For a teardown, how will the salvage survey, utility disconnection and deconstruction fit the schedule?
- Who on your team will coordinate the surveyor, arborist, engineers, neighbors and the City from application to final?
If you already have an architect, we estimate and build from their drawings. If you don’t, our sister studio Harrod Drafting & Design can design the house or the addition and prepare the permit set.
How we help
What Harrod Built brings to a Palo Alto project
Harrod Built is a family-run general contractor (CSLB #986950) building new custom homes, remodels and additions from the Central Coast to the South Bay and the Peninsula. On a Palo Alto project, this is the work we take on:
- A property read before design. Parcel Report, overlay, flood zone, trees, historic status, net lot area and the planning path, followed by a written estimate built on what we find.
- Budget checks during IR. When neighbors or staff ask for changes to massing, windows or decks, we estimate the revision while it is still a drawing, so the owner decides with the numbers in hand.
- Consultants in the right order. Surveyor, arborist, soils and civil engineers, and the energy analyst, brought on when the City needs their work.
- Teardown logistics. Salvage survey, utility disconnection, air district approval and deconstruction sequenced so the site is ready when the permit is.
- Basement planning. Groundwater checks, the dewatering method and the dry-season window planned into the schedule where a basement makes sense.
- Design if you need it. Harrod Drafting & Design, our drafting studio, designs new homes and additions and prepares permit sets; we build just as readily from your own architect’s plans.
- Gardens and hardscape. Paso Robles Landscaping can design and install planting and permeable paving that respect the tree protection zones and the front-yard rules.
- Running the job. A project manager and site lead schedule City inspections, keep the tree protection and erosion control in place and send the owner regular updates.
You can confirm our license on the state license lookup, and the state’s tips for hiring a contractor are worth a read before hiring any contractor, along with our note on how to check a CSLB license. Besides Palo Alto, we work in Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley, Los Gatos and Saratoga, and across Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, offering general contracting and design-build. See our process page for how a job moves from first estimate to move-in, and our guide to choosing a contract type for the trade-offs between contract types. Our page on building a high-end home in Palo Alto covers the local market.
Have a Palo Alto house, lot or set of drawings? Send the address and whatever plans exist. We will check the zoning, the planning path, the flood and tree items and the utility work, and come back with a written estimate. Call 805-712-8993 or contact us.
Sources: City of Palo Alto Planning and Development Services: Forms and Applications page (single-family homes, Two-Story Objective Design Standards, IR process, guidelines and checklists, Home Improvement Exception, variances, tree removal forms); Development Ordinances, Maps, Guidelines and Standards page (Single-Family Zoning Technical Manual, Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines, Professorville Historic District Design Guidelines); Apply for a Building Permit page; Historic Preservation project review page; Green Building Code Requirements page. Public Works: Protected Trees page; Floodplain Management page; Engineering forms and permits page (dewatering regulations, excavation and grading, flood zone documents, basement drainage policy, copper roofing ordinance); Zero Waste deconstruction ordinance page. City IR and Home Improvement Exception process handout, IR guidelines and key points checklist, IR and building permit submittal checklists, residential remodel and addition checklist, deconstruction permit checklist, groundwater dewatering regulations and the City’s adoption of the 2025 state fire hazard map, as published by the City. CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal fire hazard severity zone page. California Energy Commission 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards. Contractors State License Board. All checked October 31, 2026. This guide is general information, not legal or code advice; the City of Palo Alto and the other agencies have the final word on any property.
Who issues building permits in Palo Alto?
The City of Palo Alto Development Services center issues building permits for homes inside city limits, through the City’s Accela Citizen Access portal. A Project Coordinator checks each application for completeness before plan check. Homes on Stanford lands and other unincorporated areas go through Santa Clara County instead.
Do I need Individual Review to build a two-story house in Palo Alto?
Not always. A new two-story home or a second-floor addition above a small size can skip Individual Review if the design meets every one of the City’s two-story objective design standards adopted in February 2025. If it doesn’t, Single-Family Individual Review is required before the building permit. One-story homes in R-1 and homes in R-E usually get their zoning check inside the building permit.
How does Individual Review work in Palo Alto?
After the IR package is filed, adjacent neighbors get a mailed notice and a notice is posted on the property. Written comments during the comment period are considered in the staff review against the IR guidelines on site planning, mass and scale, rooflines, the street facade and privacy. The Director then issues a proposed decision, and the applicant or an adjacent owner can request a Director’s hearing before it becomes final.
Can I tear down a house in Palo Alto?
A house can be fully removed, but not by conventional demolition. Palo Alto requires deconstruction: a salvage survey by a City-approved reuse organization before applying, air district approval and City utility disconnection before the permit is issued, materials separated for reuse and recycling on site, and the salvage records uploaded before final inspection.
Can I build a basement in Palo Alto?
Often, yes, but not in a Special Flood Hazard Area, where basements are not allowed. Elsewhere, the City requires a soils report before the building permit and regulates construction dewatering closely: where groundwater is close to the dig, a cutoff wall or controlled pumping is required, pumping is limited to the drier months the City sets, and monitoring and water reuse requirements apply.
Which trees are protected in Palo Alto?
Street trees, native oaks, coast redwoods, bigleaf maples and incense cedars above set trunk sizes, other mature trees above a larger size except listed invasive and high-water-use species, heritage trees and trees designated during a development approval. Exterior building permits include the City’s tree protection sheet, and removing a protected tree needs a permit.
Planning guides
Budget and planning guides
Building or remodeling in Saratoga
Saratoga’s design review paths, hillside rules, protected trees and County Fire.
Building or remodeling in Los Gatos
Architecture and Site review, hillside standards and story poles in the Town.
Remodeling an older home in California
What tends to turn up once walls open, and how to plan around it.
Title 24 energy code for a new home
Heat pumps, solar, insulation and ventilation under the state code.
Building in a fire hazard severity zone
Roofs, vents, siding, glazing and decks for homes in mapped wildfire zones.
How long a custom home takes
Design, approvals, permits and construction laid end to end.
Choosing a contract type
Fixed-sum or cost-plus, and how each handles changes and allowances.
How to check a CSLB license
Reading a builder’s state license record before you sign anything.
Building or remodeling in Atherton
Zoning clearance, special structures permits, heritage trees, basements, drainage and construction rules.
Building or remodeling in Woodside and Portola Valley
ASRB and ASCC design review, story poles, geology, significant trees, grading and the fire district.
Building or remodeling in Los Altos
Design review, the Zoning Administrator, daylight plane, protected trees and the City permit path.
Building a new home in Los Altos Hills
Site development review, Fast Track, floor area by slope, story poles, oaks and the Town permit path.
Start your project
Planning a home, remodel or addition in Palo Alto? Tell us about your property.
A few details help us call you back with useful answers about budget, schedule and permits.
805.712.8993michael@harrodbuilt.com
1345 Riverside Ave, Paso Robles, CA 93446
CSLB License #986950
