Permits decide when a Marin remodel can start, and the rules change at every city limit. This guide covers who issues your permit, how the process runs, and what the departments themselves publish about timing. Every fact here comes from the County and city building pages, accessed October 2026.
Who issues the permit for your remodel?
It depends on where the house sits. Homes inside Mill Valley, Tiburon, Sausalito or San Rafael go through that city or town’s building department. Homes outside city limits go through Marin County’s Building and Safety division.
Confirming the jurisdiction is the first step on any project. It decides the application route, the forms and the realistic timeline.
Does your remodel need a permit?
For most remodel work, yes. Tiburon lists kitchen and bath remodels, along with electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, among projects that generally require permits. Cosmetic work has exceptions, and each jurisdiction draws that line itself.
Unincorporated Marin offers a lighter route for small jobs. Non-structural kitchen and bath remodels up to 400 square feet count as minor improvements. The permit is issued online up front and plans are reviewed at the job site.
New buildings, additions and larger remodels need plans before a permit is issued.
What does the permit process look like?
The sequence is similar across Marin:
- Confirm the jurisdiction and the scope of work.
- Prepare drawings. Larger remodels need plans before a permit can be issued.
- Submit through the department’s current route. San Rafael takes all new applications through its OpenGov portal as of February 23, 2026.
- Respond to plan-check comments until the review is complete.
- Build with inspections through final. Tiburon requires inspections to be requested and passed before any work is covered, and Sausalito states every permit requires a building inspection.
How long does permit review take in Marin?
Two jurisdictions publish figures, and both qualify them.
Unincorporated Marin County. The County’s application guide puts its plans-first route for larger projects at six to eight weeks, because it involves more collaboration. Minor-improvement permits for qualifying small remodels are issued up front online.
Mill Valley. The city’s FAQ states that “the standard processing time is four to six weeks” for medium to large projects. It adds that scope, structural complexity, completeness and approvals from other agencies can extend that.
Tiburon, Sausalito and San Rafael. The building pages we reviewed in October 2026 publish no general review time. Contact the department with your scope and ask for a current estimate.
Treat all of these as published processing statements, not commitments. Your project’s timeline depends on its scope and on how complete the submittal is.
What slows a permit down?
Incomplete submittals and slow responses to plan-check comments are the usual causes. Mill Valley’s FAQ also flags structural complexity and approvals from other agencies, which can take longer than the building review itself.
Three habits keep a file moving. Talk to the department before you submit. Send a complete package, then answer every comment fully the first time.
Who manages permits on a Blanco project?
We coordinate the permit drawings and the permit process with your architect and the local building department, and we schedule the inspections. The review window is built into your written schedule before demolition starts, so the wait is planned rather than discovered.
We remodel high-end homes across Marin as one accountable builder. See how we work locally on our Marin County page and in our FAQ.
Start your project
Planning a remodel in Mill Valley, Tiburon, Sausalito, San Rafael or unincorporated Marin? Tell us about the home, the rooms and your timing at hello@blancofinehomes.com. We will walk the site with you and send a written scope, budget and schedule.
