Additions to Single-Family Home Building Permit Submittal Requirements

This section describes the minimum submittal requirements for additions to single-family homes including attached ADU's. In certain situations, additional materials may be required during plan review or prior to the issuance of the permit. All work must be designed to meet the minimum requirements of the California Building Standards Code and local amendments adopted by the City in effect at the time of permit application and the City of Menlo Park’s Municipal Code.

The City of Menlo Park only accepts on-line digital Building permit applications with digital plans and supporting documents. All applications, plans and supporting documents are to be submitted digitally through the City’s Accela permit management system using  the Accela Citizen Access Portal (ACA). Please visit the Building Division’s Online service web page for information associated with how to register for an ACA account. The digital file specifications for all plans can be found on the Online services page under File specifications.

Applicants are encouraged to have plans drawn by a professional architect or designer familiar with Menlo Park’s building permit process. This will facilitate a timely review of the project plans.  If the owner wishes to complete the plans on his/her own, please contact City staff to ensure that all information is prepared properly. It is to the applicant’s advantage to submit legible and clear plans. Plans that cannot be read or understood will not be accepted. This may result in a delay of the plan review process and may cause additional costs to the applicant.

If a project has received a discretionary approval or variance, the applicant is strongly encouraged to also submit a copy of written documentation demonstrating compliance with all of the conditions associated with the project.

The plans are to show compliance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements and Chapter 12.42 Flood Damage Prevention of the City's Municipal Code if the project is located in Flood Zones A, AE, AH or AO. Please see Floodplain construction for detailed requirements.

Pre-Wiring for Future Electrification Requirements

The City of Menlo Park has adopted a local amendment that adds §4.106.5 to the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) (Muni Code §12.18.070). The added section establishes two separate requirements for pre-wiring and reservation of breaker space for future electrification of existing single-family homes. Specifically: 

• §4.106.5.1 (Muni Code §12.18.080) applies to proposed project scope that includes the addition or alteration to a space that contains a gas fired appliance; and 
• §4.106.5.2 (Muni Code §12.18.090) applies to proposed project scope that includes the replacement/upgrade to the main electric panel.

Please refer to CALGreen: Pre-Wiring for Future Electrification Requirements for more detailed information.

Menlo Park Fire Protection and West Bay Sanitary Districts

The Menlo Park Fire Protection District (MPFPD) and West Bay sanitary District (WBSD) are separate and independent agencies from the City of Menlo Park. Depending on the scope of work for proposed projects, both MPFPD and WBSD may require a permit, plan review and inspection. Please note that:

• It is the responsibility of the applicant or applicant’s representative to coordinate the permit submittal, plan review, approval and inspection for Fire Code and sanitary sewer related work with the MPFPD and WBSD.
• It is the responsibility of the applicant or applicant’s representative to upload approval documents into the Accela Citizen Access Portal (ACA).
• A Building permit from the City of Menlo Park will not be issued until both the MPFPD and WBSD have approved the project if a permit is required.

Contact the MPFPD directly at www.menlofire.org or 650-688-8400 regarding any permitting questions or requirements.

Contact the WBSD directly at info@westbaysanitary.org or 650-321-0384 regarding any permitting questions or requirements.

Permit Application Submittal Requirements

Please refer to: Documents associated with a complete plan submittal for a complete description of the required submittal documents listed below