You are viewing the permanent link for the record currently in effect, published 2026-09-20.
Newport Beach building permits
VerifiedNewport Beach, California — as published 2026-09-20.
Verified 2026-09-21 · Source
Codes adopted
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
VerifiedNewport Beach publishes review targets measured in hours for work done at the Permit Center, publishes nothing at all for a plan that gets submitted, and closes permit intake an hour before it closes the counter. Forty-seven percent of the city is in the coastal zone, which adds a separate permit on top.
Verified 2026-09-21 · Source
Requirements
- THE PERMIT CENTER IS A JOINT COUNTER, NOT A BUILDING COUNTER. The team there "includes all Departments and Divisions from: Building, Fire, Planning, Public Works and Health." That is the point of the place - the clearances that other cities make you collect yourself are meant to be obtainable in one visit.
- THE PUBLISHED REVIEW TARGETS ARE ABOUT COUNTER WORK AND ARE STATED AS A GOAL, NOT A COMMITMENT: "Our goal is for our team members to address quick permits at the counter, one hour reviews at workstation, or a 2 hour review by appointment." Three tiers, all measured in hours, all describing work done while you are in the building. None of them is a plan check turnaround.
- COME BEFORE 4:30, NOT BEFORE 5:30. The counter is open 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM Monday through Thursday, but Permit Issuance and Plan Check Submittal run only 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM. On Friday the counter closes at 4:30 and intake closes at 3:30. Arriving inside counter hours is not the same as arriving in time to submit or to be issued.
- FORTY-SEVEN PERCENT OF THE CITY NEEDS A SECOND PERMIT. "About forty-seven percent (47%) of the City's land area is in the coastal zone." A coastal development permit is a separate approval from the building permit, and the share of the city affected is close to half.
- THE CITY, NOT THE COASTAL COMMISSION, ISSUES MOST COASTAL PERMITS NOW: "Certification of the City's LCP allows the City to issue these permits, in most instances." That is a material improvement over routing through the Commission's South Coast District office, but it is qualified - "in most instances" is the city's own wording, not a guarantee for your parcel.
- A CITY-ISSUED COASTAL PERMIT CAN STILL BE APPEALED TO THE STATE. "So, a CDP approved by the City in an appeal area can be appealed to the Coastal Commission." The appeal areas are drawn geographically and the FAQ lists them verbatim as properties "Between the sea and the first public road paralleling the sea", "300 feet from a beach or of the mean high tide line, whichever is greater distance", "100 feet of streams and wetlands", and "300 feet of top of seaward face of coastal bluff". Note that the beach band is measured from whichever line is FARTHER, so it can extend past 300 feet from the sand. Holding a city approval does not by itself end the matter if your lot is in one of those bands.
Required documents
- Optional
- Optional
- Optional
Fee schedule
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Permit fees | NOT READ for this record. A Fee Schedule and a Building Valuation Table are published, but neither document was opened and no amount is reproduced here. | WHICH SCHEDULE IS IN FORCE IS NOT OBVIOUS FROM THE PAGE. Show full citationHideWHICH SCHEDULE IS IN FORCE IS NOT OBVIOUS FROM THE PAGE. Ten effective dates are listed. A schedule marked (Effective July 25, 2026) appears first in the list, while the CURRENT marker sits on the one marked (Effective July 1, 2025) - and July 25, 2026 had already passed by the date this record was verified. Two reads of the page, framed differently, returned the same ordering and the same placement of the marker. Confirm at the counter which schedule applies before relying on a figure from either. |
Sources & verification
Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-21.
Fee schedules
Codes & ordinances
Department & other records
Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Newport Beach building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.