Kitchen and bath remodel permits: Concord, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Clayton and Martinez
Five cities in Central Contra Costa County, five sets of rules. Confirm the jurisdiction for your address before you assume a neighboring city’s exemption applies to you.
The comparison
| City or area | Who issues the permit | How to apply | Kitchen and bath rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concord | City of Concord Building Division | Online Virtual Permit Center | A kitchen or bathroom remodel needs a building permit, including a replacement (IB-022) |
| Walnut Creek | City of Walnut Creek | City building permit process | The city's permit FAQ lists kitchen and bathroom remodels as work that needs a permit. The city code exempts finish work alone, such as cabinets and countertops |
| Pleasant Hill | City of Pleasant Hill Building Division | City permit process | Cabinets, countertops, and backsplash alone do not need a permit; remodeling any part of the kitchen still triggers an electrical permit for the required GFCI and high efficiency lighting upgrade |
| Clayton | Contra Costa County Building Division, under contract to the city | County process; the contractor needs a Clayton business license before the county will issue the permit | Kitchen and bath remodels need a permit, issued by the county, not the city |
| Martinez | City of Martinez Building Division | Online portal. Since September 1, 2026, the city requires all building permit applications and documents to be submitted electronically | Contact the Building Division for the permit type that matches your project's scope |
Concord, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, and Clayton publish a specific kitchen or bath rule. Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill also exempt finish work alone, such as new cabinets or countertops, so scope matters. Martinez requires the online portal for new applications but this site did not find a published kitchen or bath specific bulletin, so confirm your scope directly with its Building Division.
Before you assume a rule applies to you
- Confirm which city or county has jurisdiction over your address. Clayton routes through Contra Costa County, not the Clayton city office.
- Ask whether your specific scope, cabinets only versus cabinets plus plumbing or electrical, changes the answer. Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill both draw that line.
- Get the permit requirement from the jurisdiction's own page or office, not from a contractor's marketing page.
- Confirm who pulls the permit, the contractor or you as an owner-builder, and what paperwork that choice needs.
Permits are separate from HOA or association approval
A city or county permit is not the only approval some projects need. If your property has an HOA, confirm its own architectural approval process and timing before work starts; that is separate from anything on this page.
Concord's own permit detail, including fees and plan review turnaround, is on the permit fee guide. The three-city comparison with more permit detail for Concord, Pleasant Hill, and Clayton is on the kitchen and bath permits page. The work itself is covered on kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling.
Jurisdiction questions
If Pleasant Hill exempts cabinets and counters, does Walnut Creek too?
Both exempt finish work such as cabinets and countertops on their own, and Walnut Creek lists kitchen and bathroom remodels as work that needs a permit. They are separate cities with separate rules. Confirm the current wording with the city that covers your address before you treat a project as exempt.
Who do I call for a property in Clayton?
Contra Costa County’s Building Division issues the permit for Clayton addresses, not the city of Clayton directly, and the contractor needs a Clayton business license first.
Sources
- City of Concord Information Bulletin IB-022, Work Requiring a Permit, revised May 18, 2023
- City of Concord, Apply for a Building Permit
- City of Walnut Creek, Building Permit FAQs
- Walnut Creek Municipal Code section 9-0.5.301, permits and exempt work
- City of Pleasant Hill FAQ on kitchen permits
- City of Clayton building services, contracted to Contra Costa County
- City of Martinez online permit portal (Accela Citizen Access)
Ask a licensed general contractor to follow up
Send a request with your address and whether this is a kitchen, a bathroom, or both. We pass your request to one independent licensed general contractor who serves Concord, CA, if one is available. On that call we do not quote a price, agree a scope, or book the job.
Free referral service, not a contractor. Calls to this site are recorded to confirm referrals and for quality. How this works.