Kitchen and bathroom remodeling in San Ramon, near Concord, CA

San Ramon issues its own building permits through its Building and Safety Services division, and applications go through the city's own CSS Permitting System rather than a Contra Costa County office. The city publishes a separate guide for a kitchen alteration and a bathroom remodel, both updated for the 2025 California Code Cycle.

The kitchen guide covers plan submittal and a long list of building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing requirements. Two are worth knowing before you budget: the 2025 Energy Code requires a dedicated 240 volt, 50 amp circuit ready for a future electric cooktop whenever a gas or propane cooktop is installed or replaced, and state law requires every non-compliant plumbing fixture in the whole house, not just the kitchen, to be swapped for a water-conserving one once an alteration starts. If your home was built before 1978, the same guide flags potential lead paint and asbestos and calls for safe work practices during demolition.

The bathroom guide draws a specific line: replacing countertops and cabinets, or re-facing cabinets, does not need a building permit, but a permit is required once more than 2 feet by 2 feet of wall or ceiling finish is removed and replaced. A plumbing permit is not required to swap a toilet in the same spot with no plumbing changes, but any added or new electrical, plumbing or mechanical work needs one, and a new or replacement exhaust fan must be on a humidistat.

Concord, CA issues its own requirement in IB-022: a building permit for a kitchen remodel and a bathroom remodel, including a replacement, plus GFCI protection on a kitchen remodel. Permit rules vary by city. Compare San Ramon with the other cities and towns this site tracks in the permit guide. The work itself is covered on kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling, and published cost ranges are in the bathroom cost guide and the kitchen cost guide.