Building Permit in Burbank, California

Burbank requires a building permit for: PLANNING SCREENS THE PROJECT BEFORE BUILDING REVIEW BEGINS, AND IT IS FAST BUT IT IS NOT PLAN CHECK: "In the first 48 hours of the review process, plans will be screened by the Planning Division for project viability in relation to Burbank's municipal code per zoning standards (Zoning Pre-clearance)." Forty-eight hours is the only interval Burbank publishes anywhere in the permit process.; PROJECTDOX HAS A GATE BEFORE THE GATE. You cannot simply create an account: "an electronic invitation, which you get after submitting a complete application to eplancheck@burbankca.gov, is needed prior to setting-up an account for a new project." So the sequence is complete application by email first, invitation second, account third, upload fourth.; SOME COUNTER BUSINESS IS EXPLICITLY EXEMPT FROM ZONING REVIEW and the page marks which: applying for "a repair and maintenance permit (no Zoning review required)" and "Meet with Plan Check staff for plans (no Zoning review required)". The parenthetical is the useful part - it tells you which errands will not be held up by Planning.; SIMPLE PERMITS GO ONLINE WITHOUT PLAN CHECK: "Residents and contractors can get Simple Permits for residential projects online if they don't require plan check." The qualifier does the work - if your project requires plan check, the online route is not available to you.; YOU CAN JOIN THE COUNTER QUEUE BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME: "Save time by virtually joining the queue from your home or office. Just check in at the Information Desk when you arrive to the Community Services Building." Note the second half - joining virtually does not complete check-in, you still present at the Information Desk.; IF THE PROPERTY IS A 5 TO 10 UNIT APARTMENT BUILDING, CHECK THE SOFT-STORY ORDINANCE BEFORE PLANNING ANY OTHER WORK. A retrofit obligation with recorded consequences reshapes the scope and the economics of anything else you were going to file.. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Burbank Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division at (818) 238-5220, published as the number for "Building Permit/Plan check". before starting work.

It depends heavily on when you act, because Burbank attached money to the dates. The published milestones are: submit the Screening Form and post the Notice of Order sign by 12 January 2026; a 100 per cent building permit-fee refund for full compliance by 10 July 2026; a 50 per cent refund for full compliance by 10 January 2028; obtain a permit and begin construction by 10 January 2029; complete construction and finalise the permit by 10 January 2030. As at 21 September 2026 the first two have passed and the 50 per cent tier is the live one. There is also a grant - see the next question.

Burbank does not publish a figure. Three of its Building & Safety pages were searched across their full page text - not just the visible portion - and no day or week figure appears anywhere. The only interval the city publishes is forty-eight hours, and it is a different thing: "In the first 48 hours of the review process, plans will be screened by the Planning Division for project viability in relation to Burbank's municipal code per zoning standards (Zoning Pre-clearance)." That is a zoning viability screen at the front of the queue, not building plan review.

Depending on your project, Burbank may also ask for: ; ; . See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through City of Burbank Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division at Community Services Building, First Floor, 150 N. Third Street, Burbank, CA 91502. Phone: (818) 238-5220, published as the number for "Building Permit/Plan check"., email: building@burbankca.gov for the Building & Safety counter. SEPARATELY, eplancheck@burbankca.gov is where a complete application goes to obtain the electronic invitation that ProjectDox requires before an account can be created for a new project - the two addresses are not interchangeable.. Office hours: COUNTER HOURS ARE PUBLISHED WITH A LUNCH CLOSURE AND A FOOTNOTE THAT MOVES EVERY DEADLINE EARLIER. Verbatim: "Public Counter Hours* Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Friday 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Closed for Lunch 12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m." and the asterisk reads "*The queue to join the line closes 15 minutes before lunch and closing times." So the last moment you can actually JOIN the line is 11:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 11:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. on Friday - not the times printed in bold above them.. Official information: https://www.burbankca.gov/web/community-development/building-safety.

No. The hours carry a footnote that moves the real deadline earlier: "*The queue to join the line closes 15 minutes before lunch and closing times." With counter hours of 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Friday, and a lunch closure from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., the last moment to JOIN the line is 11:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. on Monday to Thursday, and 11:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. on Friday. You can join the queue virtually from home first, but you still have to check in at the Information Desk when you arrive.

Not by signing up. "An electronic invitation, which you get after submitting a complete application to eplancheck@burbankca.gov, is needed prior to setting-up an account for a new project." So the order is: send a complete application to eplancheck@burbankca.gov, receive the invitation, then create the account, then upload. Note that eplancheck@burbankca.gov is a different address from the general counter inbox building@burbankca.gov.

Yes, and as at 21 September 2026 the registration window is open but closing shortly. The Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit Grant Program offers "UP TO $49,600 PER BUILDING" covering "Up to 70% of eligible retrofit costs", for "5-10 unit apartment buildings" that are "Subject to Burbank's Soft-Story Retrofit Ordinance". The published registration window is "AUGUST 19 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2026" and the city notes "Funding is limited." Applications go through CRMP.ORG/EMR. Check the window is still current before relying on this - it was nine days from closing when this record was verified.