Why we lead with whole-house remodels in Calabasas
The Planning Division describes preserving the city's remaining open space as the community's highest priority, and it lists the Oak Tree Ordinance and CEQA review among its environmental tools. Combined with the city-wide fire zone and the hillside terrain in many neighborhoods, those priorities mean that building on new ground is the exception. Most of the work homeowners ask us about is the reinvention of an existing house: new layouts, new kitchens and baths, upgraded systems, a refreshed exterior and, where the lot and the code allow it, more square footage.
A whole-house remodel lets us solve those pieces together. We plan the structural changes, the electrical, plumbing and mechanical rerouting and the exterior materials as one scope, so the permits, the inspections and the finished house all line up.
Planning review comes before plan check
In Calabasas, the Planning Division conducts the first stage of review for any development project, and the city asks applicants to call and speak with the planner on duty to learn which planning application a project needs. Planning applications are filed through the City of Calabasas Online Permit Center, together with a General Land Use and Development Application and any supplemental forms that apply.
Building and Safety asks applicants to email before submitting a project that involves exterior work, because exterior changes may require a Zoning Clearance before plan check can begin. Interior-only remodels can often move straight to the building permit application, while a remodel that changes the footprint, the roofline or the facade usually starts with zoning.
When an addition goes to a hearing
Calabasas uses public hearings for more residential work than many homeowners expect. Under the Development Code, the size of an addition decides who hears it, and every legally permitted addition from the previous five years counts toward the total. Smaller additions that reach the code's thresholds go through Administrative Plan Review, which the Community Development Director decides at a public hearing: an addition of up to 400 square feet that equals 20 percent or more of the existing floor area, or one of more than 400 and up to 1,200 square feet that stays under 20 percent.
Larger additions step up to Site Plan Review before the Planning Commission. Under Section 17.62.020, that applies once an addition exceeds 400 square feet and also equals 20 percent or more of the existing floor area, or once it exceeds 1,200 square feet at any percentage; in the Old Topanga and Calabasas Highlands overlay districts, any addition over 250 square feet triggers it. Lots in a scenic corridor follow a separate scenic corridor permit process. The Architectural Review Panel, a volunteer group of design, construction and real estate professionals, makes advisory recommendations to the Planning Commission on architecture and site features. Discretionary decisions can be appealed within 10 business days, so we build that window into the schedule before ordering long-lead materials.
Oak trees and scenic corridors on your lot
The Oak Tree Ordinance protects oak trees and scrub oak habitat, and work that encroaches into an oak's protected zone can require an oak tree permit. The Development Code defines that protected zone as starting five feet outside the tree's drip line, and oak permit conditions can restrict construction activity inside it and require an arborist to monitor the tree during grading and construction.
That matters on a remodel because trenching for new utilities, a foundation for an addition, or even a staging area can reach into the root zone. Some lots also sit within a designated scenic corridor, which carries its own supplemental application. We locate protected trees and corridor boundaries early so the design avoids them where it can and documents them where it cannot.
Remodeling in a city-wide fire zone
The Building and Safety Division's current roofing handout describes Calabasas as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and applies the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, where the state's wildfire construction standards now sit. Roof assemblies must be Class A rated, and the handout states that wood shake and wood shingle roofs are not allowed in the city. The city also adopts the County of Los Angeles Fire Code, and its fire hazard page notes that CAL FIRE published the latest map for Calabasas on March 24, 2025.
On a remodel, these rules usually show up wherever the exterior changes: a new roof, replacement windows, siding, eaves, vents or a deck. We confirm with plan check which parts of the house your scope brings under the current standards, and we specify materials that meet them before pricing is final. Owners in high or very high zones are also responsible for defensible space under state law, which we keep in mind when planning landscaping around an addition. In the areas it serves, Los Angeles County Fire also requires an approved fuel modification plan for remodeling of 50 percent or more in fire hazard severity zones, so a larger remodel may add that review.
Plan check, inspections and how we run the job
Building and Safety is organized into a Permit Center, Plan Check, Inspections and Code Enforcement. The division accepts online permit applications with digital plan submittal, exchanges corrections electronically, and verifies CSLB documentation before it issues a permit. Its inspectors check the work against the building codes and the approved plans, and they also enforce planning and zoning conditions in the field.
Inspections can only be requested through the city's online portal, by 3:00 p.m. on the prior business day, and the daily schedule is finalized by 8:00 a.m. The city expects the general contractor or an authorized representative to walk each inspection and coordinate corrections with the trades. We handle that scheduling and attendance on every visit, keep you informed through each phase, and provide a written scope and price before demolition starts.