What changes a remodel in Santa Monica.
One Santa Monica home in five was built in the 1970s
Santa Monica had 53,274 housing units in Census Bureau figures for 2020 to 2024. The 1970s alone produced 10,196 of them, or 19.1 percent, and 7,190 date from 1939 or earlier. The median year built is 1968. A unit from that decade was wired and insulated to rules half a century old, so plan for a small electrical service and older windows when you price a remodel. Only 27.9 percent of occupied units here are owner occupied, so many remodels here happen inside a condo or a multifamily building rather than a detached house.
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024, Year Structure Built, Santa Monica
In the coastal zone, the Coastal Commission still reviews development permits
Santa Monica's City Council approved an updated Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan in October 2018, the first update since 1992, with policies on beach access and sea level rise. Until the Coastal Commission certifies the full program, the Commission itself reviews Santa Monica's coastal development permits. The city's November 2025 ADU guide still tells owners that a parcel in the Coastal Zone may need a Coastal Development Permit or waiver from the Commission. Check your parcel before you set a start date.
Source: City of Santa Monica, Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan approval
Tearing down a building over 40 years old starts a 75-day landmark window
When a demolition application is filed for a Santa Monica property more than 40 years old, nothing can happen for 75 days. During that window anyone may file to designate the property a Landmark, a Structure of Merit or part of a Historic District, and the Landmarks Commission then weighs a historical assessment. Buildings listed on the city's Historic Resources Inventory get extra review too: multifamily buildings with exterior changes go to the Architectural Review Board, and front facade demolition is capped at 25 percent.
What a remodel costs in Santa Monica in 2026.
$31,500
Santa Monica publishes every building permit that is still open, and the ones issued between January and late September 2026 give a clear picture of declared values. Among 1,021 residential permits with a value, the median was $18,000. Permits that mention a kitchen came to a median of $31,500 across 136, bathroom permits $25,000 across 157, and roofing permits $17,900 across 78. Those figures are what applicants wrote down, not final invoices, and they come from a city where the median owner-occupied home is worth $1,755,500.
Regional survey data looks smaller because it counts minor repairs. Window and door jobs, for example, had a $5,000 median in the 2023 American Housing Survey's Los Angeles area data. Carpentry shows the labor premium well: a metro carpenter's median pay in May 2025 was $36.41 an hour, where the national figure was $29.12.
| Figure | Value | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Median value declared on a kitchen permit | $31,500 | Open Santa Monica residential permits issued January 2 to September 24, 2026 whose description mentions a kitchen, n=136; what applicants declared, not what they paid (Santa Monica Open Data, Active Building and Safety Permits) |
| Median value declared on a bathroom permit | $25,000 | Open residential permits issued in 2026 mentioning a bathroom, n=157; all 1,021 residential permits with a value had a median of $18,000 (Santa Monica Open Data, Active Building and Safety Permits) |
| Median value declared on a roofing permit | $17,900 | Open residential roofing permits issued in Santa Monica in 2026, n=78 (Santa Monica Open Data, Active Building and Safety Permits) |
| Median home value | $1,755,500 | Owner-occupied homes in Santa Monica, Census ACS 2020-2024 (Census ACS 2020-2024, Median Value, Santa Monica) |
| Median window and door project | $5,000 | Median of owner window and door jobs in Los Angeles and Orange counties, per the 2023 survey's two-year lookback (Census American Housing Survey 2023, Table 16) |
| Median carpenter wage | $36.41 an hour | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro carpenters, May 2025; $29.12 nationally (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025) |
Who issues permits in Santa Monica.
Building permits in Santa Monica come from the city's Building and Safety Division, part of Community Development, and the public counter is at City Hall, 1685 Main Street. Simple single-trade and combination jobs can be reviewed the same day, and larger projects go through electronic plan review. Coastal development permits are a separate step handled by the California Coastal Commission.
- City of Santa Monica Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division
Building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing, solar, seismic retrofit, demolition and ADU permits inside Santa Monica city limits
- California Coastal Commission
Coastal Development Permits and waivers for development on Santa Monica parcels inside the Coastal Zone
- A Single-Trade permit covers one type of work, such as a door or window replacement, a fence or wall, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, stucco or roofing, and it qualifies for same-day review at the counter.
- Kitchen and bath remodels that involve more than one trade use a Combination permit, which can also get over-the-counter review when the scope is small. Bigger projects go through Electronic Plan Review.
- Rooftop solar up to 15 kilowatts on a one or two family home has its own over-the-counter application, and so do EV chargers.
- Soft-story retrofits have a supplemental application with a simplified plan review. The city adopted its Seismic Retrofit Ordinance in March 2017 after flagging more than 2,000 commercial and multifamily buildings as potentially vulnerable.
- ADUs and junior ADUs need only a building permit here, with no design review or public hearing. Detached ADUs can reach 2 stories or 24 feet, must stay 4 feet from side and rear lot lines, and can be 850 square feet for a studio or one bedroom or 1,200 for two or more bedrooms.
- Demolition of a property over 40 years old triggers a 75-day waiting period for possible landmark designation before any action on the permit.
What Santa Monica homeowners plan most.
Roofing
A reroof with no structural change is a Single-Trade permit with same-day review, and 2026 roofing permits here had a median declared value of $17,900.
Kitchen remodel
Open 2026 permits mentioning a kitchen had a median declared value of $31,500 across 136. In 79 of those 136 the description names an apartment or unit number, so many were condos or rentals.
Bathroom remodel
Bathroom permits issued in 2026 had a median declared value of $25,000 across 157. The bathroom guide we link was written for Los Angeles; here the permit comes from Santa Monica Building and Safety.
ADU or garage conversion
ADUs need only a building permit in Santa Monica, but a parcel in the Coastal Zone may also need a Coastal Commission permit or waiver.
Seismic retrofit
The 2017 retrofit ordinance put more than 2,000 buildings on the city's list, and soft-story work has its own simplified permit application.
Before you start.
How much is a kitchen remodel in Santa Monica?
Santa Monica's open residential permits from January through September 2026 include 136 that mention a kitchen, and their median declared value is $31,500. Applicants declare that number up front; it is not a final bill. Bathroom permits had a median of $25,000. Metro carpenters earned a median of $36.41 an hour in May 2025, well above the national $29.12.
Do I need a Coastal Commission permit in Santa Monica?
If your parcel is in the Coastal Zone, you may. Santa Monica adopted a new coastal Land Use Plan in 2018, but until the full Local Coastal Program is certified, the California Coastal Commission reviews coastal development permits itself. The city's 2025 ADU guide says coastal parcels may need a Coastal Development Permit or waiver from the Commission.
Can I get a same-day permit in Santa Monica?
Often, for simple work. Single-Trade permits for a window or door replacement, a fence, stucco, roofing, electrical, plumbing or mechanical work qualify for same-day review at the counter at City Hall. Small combination projects can too. Solar systems up to 15 kilowatts on one or two family homes and EV chargers have their own over-the-counter applications.
What are the ADU rules in Santa Monica?
An ADU on a single-unit lot needs only a building permit, with no design review or hearing. A detached unit can be 2 stories or 24 feet tall with 4 foot side and rear setbacks. It can have 850 square feet as a studio or one bedroom, or 1,200 with two or more bedrooms. Coastal parcels may also need a Commission permit.
Can I demolish an old house in Santa Monica?
You can apply, but a property more than 40 years old faces a 75-day waiting period. During that time anyone may file to designate it a Landmark, Structure of Merit or Historic District, and the Landmarks Commission reviews a historical assessment. Buildings on the Historic Resources Inventory face extra limits, such as a 25 percent cap on front facade demolition.
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Sources
- Census ACS 2020-2024, Year Structure Built, Santa Monica
- City of Santa Monica, Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan approval
- City of Santa Monica, Historic Resources Inventory
- Santa Monica Open Data, Active Building and Safety Permits
- Census ACS 2020-2024, Median Value, Santa Monica
- Census American Housing Survey 2023, Table 16
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Census ACS 2020-2024, Tenure, Santa Monica
- City of Santa Monica, ADU and JADU Guide for Parcels with a Single-Unit Dwelling
- City of Santa Monica, Building Permit Application Types
- City of Santa Monica, Seismic Retrofit Program
- BLS OEWS May 2025, national carpenters