Irvine, California Building Permit Cost Calculator

Irvine does not use an ICC valuation-multiplier table for the base permit. Schedule II: Building Safety Fees (effective August 15, 2026, CC Resolution No. 24-41) charges separate per-square-foot plan check and per-square-foot inspection rates by project category, plus a flat permit issuance fee at the counter. New single-family dwellings and detached condos are billed at a model plan check rate per sq ft plus a production plan check rate per sq ft, with inspection billed per sq ft; plumbing, mechanical and electrical are bundled into those residential rates rather than billed per fixture. Residential remodels and additions have their own per-sq-ft plan check and inspection rates with a floor per job. On top of the base fees Irvine adds a 10% Automation Fee on all building, grading, electrical, plumbing and mechanical plan check and inspection fees (residential remodels are excepted), plus the state-mandated SMIP seismic surcharge. A Plan Check Submittal Quality Incentive refunds 30 percent of building plan check fees on qualifying new construction approved on the first submittal. SUPERSESSION 2026-09-10: this row cited Schedule II effective August 15, 2025 (file civica-25632-2025-26-schedule-ii-building-safety.pdf), which still returns HTTP 200 but is no longer the schedule the city links from its Community Development fee schedule page. The FY 2026-27 Schedule II, Building Safety and Grading Fees, took effect on AUGUST 15, 2026 - one day after this row was last verified - still under CC Resolution No. 24-41, and raised nearly every amount by roughly 3 percent. The figures below are from that FY 2026-27 edition. The 10 percent Automation Fee (residential remodels excepted) and the state SMIP surcharge ($13.00 per $100,000 residential, $30.80 commercial, $0.55 minimum) did not change. NOTE: item 19 of the new document still carries boilerplate text quoting a $200.93 hourly rate for plan changes while its own table sets the plan check hourly rate at $207.56; the table figure is used here and the discrepancy is left unresolved.

Irvine publishes no line item titled "deck." A permitted deck is priced under Schedule II item 6, Patio Covers, Trellis, Carports, Miscellaneous Residential Structures, which bills a per-square-foot plan check rate and a per-square-foot inspection rate with separate residential and commercial minimums per job. Add the $30.87 residential permit issuance fee and the 10% Automation Fee on plan check and inspection. Structural work that needs engineering calculations can instead be billed at the miscellaneous hourly rates. Schedule II is effective August 15, 2026 per CC Resolution No. 24-41. SUPERSESSION 2026-09-10: this row cited Schedule II effective August 15, 2025 (file civica-25632-2025-26-schedule-ii-building-safety.pdf), which still returns HTTP 200 but is no longer the schedule the city links from its Community Development fee schedule page. The FY 2026-27 Schedule II, Building Safety and Grading Fees, took effect on AUGUST 15, 2026 - one day after this row was last verified - still under CC Resolution No. 24-41, and raised nearly every amount by roughly 3 percent. The figures below are from that FY 2026-27 edition. The 10 percent Automation Fee (residential remodels excepted) and the state SMIP surcharge ($13.00 per $100,000 residential, $30.80 commercial, $0.55 minimum) did not change. NOTE: item 19 of the new document still carries boilerplate text quoting a $200.93 hourly rate for plan changes while its own table sets the plan check hourly rate at $207.56; the table figure is used here and the discrepancy is left unresolved.

Irvine does not publish a per-outlet, per-fixture or per-amp electrical fee table the way most Orange County cities do. For new residential and multifamily construction, electrical fees are explicitly bundled into the per-square-foot building rates in Schedule II items 3, 4 and 5, which state that they include plumbing, mechanical and electrical. For a standalone electrical permit not tied to those categories, the governing charges are the miscellaneous work hourly rates in Schedule II item 19, billed at an hourly plan check rate and an hourly inspection rate with a half-hour minimum on preliminary plan check review, plus the residential permit issuance fee and the 10% Automation Fee. Effective August 15, 2026 per CC Resolution No. 24-41. SUPERSESSION 2026-09-10: this row cited Schedule II effective August 15, 2025 (file civica-25632-2025-26-schedule-ii-building-safety.pdf), which still returns HTTP 200 but is no longer the schedule the city links from its Community Development fee schedule page. The FY 2026-27 Schedule II, Building Safety and Grading Fees, took effect on AUGUST 15, 2026 - one day after this row was last verified - still under CC Resolution No. 24-41, and raised nearly every amount by roughly 3 percent. The figures below are from that FY 2026-27 edition. The 10 percent Automation Fee (residential remodels excepted) and the state SMIP surcharge ($13.00 per $100,000 residential, $30.80 commercial, $0.55 minimum) did not change. NOTE: item 19 of the new document still carries boilerplate text quoting a $200.93 hourly rate for plan changes while its own table sets the plan check hourly rate at $207.56; the table figure is used here and the discrepancy is left unresolved.

Fences are a per-linear-foot item in Schedule II item 9, with a plan check rate per linear foot and an inspection rate per linear foot, each subject to a per-job minimum that is high enough that most residential fence permits land on the minimums rather than the linear rate. Commercial and residential inspection rates are identical. Add the residential permit issuance fee and the 10% Automation Fee. Effective August 15, 2026 per CC Resolution No. 24-41. SUPERSESSION 2026-09-10: this row cited Schedule II effective August 15, 2025 (file civica-25632-2025-26-schedule-ii-building-safety.pdf), which still returns HTTP 200 but is no longer the schedule the city links from its Community Development fee schedule page. The FY 2026-27 Schedule II, Building Safety and Grading Fees, took effect on AUGUST 15, 2026 - one day after this row was last verified - still under CC Resolution No. 24-41, and raised nearly every amount by roughly 3 percent. The figures below are from that FY 2026-27 edition. The 10 percent Automation Fee (residential remodels excepted) and the state SMIP surcharge ($13.00 per $100,000 residential, $30.80 commercial, $0.55 minimum) did not change. NOTE: item 19 of the new document still carries boilerplate text quoting a $200.93 hourly rate for plan changes while its own table sets the plan check hourly rate at $207.56; the table figure is used here and the discrepancy is left unresolved.

Reroofing is a flat-fee line item in Schedule II item 15, priced per job rather than off a valuation table, with separate residential and commercial amounts and separate plan check and inspection components. Residential plan check is only charged when the job requires calculations, so a typical residential reroof is inspection plus the $30.87 residential permit issuance fee. The 10% Automation Fee applies to the plan check and inspection amounts. Effective August 15, 2026 per CC Resolution No. 24-41. SUPERSESSION 2026-09-10: this row cited Schedule II effective August 15, 2025 (file civica-25632-2025-26-schedule-ii-building-safety.pdf), which still returns HTTP 200 but is no longer the schedule the city links from its Community Development fee schedule page. The FY 2026-27 Schedule II, Building Safety and Grading Fees, took effect on AUGUST 15, 2026 - one day after this row was last verified - still under CC Resolution No. 24-41, and raised nearly every amount by roughly 3 percent. The figures below are from that FY 2026-27 edition. The 10 percent Automation Fee (residential remodels excepted) and the state SMIP surcharge ($13.00 per $100,000 residential, $30.80 commercial, $0.55 minimum) did not change. NOTE: item 19 of the new document still carries boilerplate text quoting a $200.93 hourly rate for plan changes while its own table sets the plan check hourly rate at $207.56; the table figure is used here and the discrepancy is left unresolved.

Retaining walls are billed per linear foot under Schedule II item 10, with separate plan check and inspection rates per linear foot. Uniquely among Irvine's items, the plan check side has both a minimum and a maximum, so plan check is capped no matter how long the wall is. Inspection has a minimum with no published cap. Add the residential permit issuance fee and the 10% Automation Fee on plan check and inspection. Effective August 15, 2026 per CC Resolution No. 24-41. SUPERSESSION 2026-09-10: this row cited Schedule II effective August 15, 2025 (file civica-25632-2025-26-schedule-ii-building-safety.pdf), which still returns HTTP 200 but is no longer the schedule the city links from its Community Development fee schedule page. The FY 2026-27 Schedule II, Building Safety and Grading Fees, took effect on AUGUST 15, 2026 - one day after this row was last verified - still under CC Resolution No. 24-41, and raised nearly every amount by roughly 3 percent. The figures below are from that FY 2026-27 edition. The 10 percent Automation Fee (residential remodels excepted) and the state SMIP surcharge ($13.00 per $100,000 residential, $30.80 commercial, $0.55 minimum) did not change. NOTE: item 19 of the new document still carries boilerplate text quoting a $200.93 hourly rate for plan changes while its own table sets the plan check hourly rate at $207.56; the table figure is used here and the discrepancy is left unresolved.

There is no dedicated "shed" fee line in Irvine's Schedule II. A shed above the 120 sq ft exemption is permitted as a miscellaneous residential structure under item 6, using the per-square-foot plan check and inspection rates with per-job minimums, plus the residential permit issuance fee and the 10% Automation Fee on plan check and inspection charges. Effective August 15, 2026 per CC Resolution No. 24-41. SUPERSESSION 2026-09-10: this row cited Schedule II effective August 15, 2025 (file civica-25632-2025-26-schedule-ii-building-safety.pdf), which still returns HTTP 200 but is no longer the schedule the city links from its Community Development fee schedule page. The FY 2026-27 Schedule II, Building Safety and Grading Fees, took effect on AUGUST 15, 2026 - one day after this row was last verified - still under CC Resolution No. 24-41, and raised nearly every amount by roughly 3 percent. The figures below are from that FY 2026-27 edition. The 10 percent Automation Fee (residential remodels excepted) and the state SMIP surcharge ($13.00 per $100,000 residential, $30.80 commercial, $0.55 minimum) did not change. NOTE: item 19 of the new document still carries boilerplate text quoting a $200.93 hourly rate for plan changes while its own table sets the plan check hourly rate at $207.56; the table figure is used here and the discrepancy is left unresolved.

Irvine publishes no flat water-heater replacement fee. Schedule II has no per-fixture plumbing table; plumbing fees for new residential and multifamily construction are bundled into the per-square-foot building rates, and a standalone water heater changeout falls under the miscellaneous work hourly rates in item 19 plus the residential permit issuance fee, with the 10% Automation Fee applied to plan check and inspection charges. Treat the residential issuance fee plus one inspection unit as the governing floor. Effective August 15, 2026 per CC Resolution No. 24-41. SUPERSESSION 2026-09-10: this row cited Schedule II effective August 15, 2025 (file civica-25632-2025-26-schedule-ii-building-safety.pdf), which still returns HTTP 200 but is no longer the schedule the city links from its Community Development fee schedule page. The FY 2026-27 Schedule II, Building Safety and Grading Fees, took effect on AUGUST 15, 2026 - one day after this row was last verified - still under CC Resolution No. 24-41, and raised nearly every amount by roughly 3 percent. The figures below are from that FY 2026-27 edition. The 10 percent Automation Fee (residential remodels excepted) and the state SMIP surcharge ($13.00 per $100,000 residential, $30.80 commercial, $0.55 minimum) did not change. NOTE: item 19 of the new document still carries boilerplate text quoting a $200.93 hourly rate for plan changes while its own table sets the plan check hourly rate at $207.56; the table figure is used here and the discrepancy is left unresolved.