Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

Monterey County

County of Monterey Housing and Community Development (Building Services and Planning)

In short

County of Monterey Housing and Community Development (Building Services and Planning) issues 2 permits we publish for Monterey County, last verified 2026-10-13. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Land-Use Permits (use permit, administrative permit, design approval, variance, zoning verification)only if it applies to youCounty of Monterey Housing and Community Development (Building Services and Planning)Use Permit - General $12,460; Administrative Permit or Coastal Administrative Permit (General) $6,860; Design Approval - Over the Counter $640, Administrative $1,210, Public hearing required $3,750; Variance $5,870; Zoning Verification Letter - Base $940. Work done without a permit where a permit would have been required is 'charged double the permit fee'.per application (one-time)2026-10-13
Building Permit (commercial new construction or tenant improvement)only if it applies to youCounty of Monterey Housing and Community Development (Building Services and Planning)Commercial / Multi-Family / Industrial - New Construction / TI, building inspection fee by valuation: $1-$2,000 base $882.02; $2,001-$25,000 base $882.02 plus $37.86 for each additional $1,000 or fraction; $25,001-$50,000 base $1,752.86 plus $43.77 per additional $1,000; $50,001-$100,000 base $2,847.00 plus $30.59 per additional $1,000; $100,001-$500,000 base $4,376.56 plus $6.42 per additional $1,000; $500,001-$1,000,000 base $6,944.38 plus $2.61 per additional $1,000. Commercial plan check: 80% of the building inspection fee. Commercial kitchen hood / ventilation system: $1,466 each. Construction valuation is determined from the current International Code Council Building Valuation Data.per project (one-time)2026-10-13

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Land-Use Permits (use permit, administrative permit, design approval, variance, zoning verification)

The Building & Planning Services FAQ states: 'The use of land in unincorporated Monterey County is primarily determined by the regulations contained in the Monterey County Zoning ordinances and the policies in the General Plan.' A business opening in the unincorporated area may need a use permit, an administrative or coastal administrative permit, or a design approval, depending on the zoning district and the work; the HCD page says 'To determine if your specific project will require a Use Permit please call (831) 755-5025.' Fees are from the '2026 Adopted Land Use Fee Article IX (Planning)' linked on the HCD Permits, Fees & Types page; Legistar RES 26-017, adopted February 3, 2026, amends Article IX together with Article XIX. Article IX states that work done without a required permit 'is subject to code enforcement and subsequently charged double the permit fee'. Inside an incorporated city, the city's own zoning applies.

Building Permit (commercial new construction or tenant improvement)

Construction, a tenant improvement or a commercial kitchen hood on a project permitted by Monterey County Housing and Community Development's Building Services needs a county building permit. Article XIX is headed 'Per Resolution No. 26-017, adopted February 3, 2026, by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors' and 'Permit Fees - MCC 18.01.070', and the HCD Permits, Fees & Types page links it as the '2026 Adopted Building Fee Article XIX (Building)' under the notice 'New Fees In Effect April 4th, 2026!'. The inspection fee is calculated from the project's construction valuation (ICC Building Valuation Data), and commercial plan check is 80% of that inspection fee. A restaurant installing a commercial kitchen hood pays the $1,466 hood line. The HCD Permit Center is at 1441 Schilling Place, 2nd Floor - South, Salinas, (831) 755-5025.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Monterey County
Phone
(831) 755-5025

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. 2026 Adopted Building Fee Article XIX (Building Services), per Resolution No. 26-017County of Monterey Housing and Community Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  2. 2026 Adopted Land Use Fee Article IX (Planning)County of Monterey Housing and Community Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  3. Building & Planning Services FAQsCounty of Monterey Housing and Community Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  4. Permits, Fees & TypesCounty of Monterey Housing and Community Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
  5. RES 26-017 — amending Article IX (Land Use), Article XVII and Article XIX (Building Services) of the Master Fee Resolution, adopted 3 February 2026County of Monterey Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13

Other offices serving Monterey County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

California jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.