Licensed General Contractor in lafayette Since 2007

This is where Lafayette differs from its neighbors. In a single-family district, design review is triggered by two measurements: total structures over 6,000 square feet of gross floor area, or height over 17 feet, measured from average grade at the lowest foundation wall to the highest point. Multi-family and downtown districts are different, where any change to appearance triggers it. Minor projects go to the Zoning Administrator; larger ones to the Design Review Commission.

Official info: Lafayette design review triggers

Lafayette has its own Planning & Building Department, but it contracts plan check and inspection to the Contra Costa County Building Inspection Department. You file with the city through GeoCivix, then, where they apply to your project, it is on you to collect approvals from the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District and the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District before the county reviews. Staff check your application for completeness within 30 days.

Official info: Lafayette building permits

Two things share this name here. Designers can already get an ADU plan pre-approved by the city and the county without tying it to an address; those are listed online and you contact the designer about price and fit. Separately, Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda are jointly funding a free plan library, still in draft and estimated for early spring 2027. Either way you save design time, not permits: the plan is not site-specific, so your lot still needs planning and building approval plus foundation calculations.

Official info: Lafayette pre-approved ADUs

A new Tree Protection Ordinance took effect on 9 January 2025. Replacement is now one, two or three trees depending on the diameter of what came out, and in-lieu fees are gone. On developed property, indigenous trees like oak, bay, buckeye and madrone are protected at 12 inches. Riparian species are protected at 6 inches. Native trees of any size are protected in restricted ridgeline areas. Dead trees still need a permit and an arborist report, but no fee and no replacements.

Official info: Lafayette tree permit

Worth knowing before you pay for a permit: you don't need one for a tree whose trunk sits within five feet of an existing building or attached structure, measured from the closest point of the trunk at 4.5 feet above the ground. Pruning by a certified arborist is also exempt if it takes less than a quarter of the tree, and heavier pruning is allowed to keep 10 feet of clearance from a building, its roof and any chimney outlet. Photograph the tree with a tape measure before it comes out.

Official info: Lafayette tree permit exemptions

Move more than 50 cubic yards of soil and you need a grading permit. The figure counts cut plus fill together, so a hillside addition reaches it faster than most owners expect. Under 200 cubic yards the Zoning Administrator decides. At 200 or more the commission decides instead, which means a public hearing and a longer calendar. Grading has to comply with the Residential Design Review Guidelines.

Official info: Lafayette grading permit

Lafayette runs several other permits that catch remodels. A Creek Setback Determination sets how close to the water you can build. A Hillside Development Permit covers steeper lots. Water-efficient landscape rules kick in once the planting reaches a certain size, and a waste plan through Green Halo covers your construction debris. Each has its own trigger, which is why we check the records before design starts.

Official info: Lafayette permits index

The city suggests a study session on bigger projects, and so do we. It puts a rough design in front of the Design Review Commission before you've paid an architect to finish the drawings, and the feedback usually makes for a better project and an easier review. On a job already headed for a hearing, one evening here can save you a redesign.

Official info: Lafayette study session