Permits · Zoning · ADUs
Want to Change Your Zoning,
Add a Unit, or Split a Lot?
Every California city has a municipal code that already defines what your property can become. We work as your authorized agent — reading the zoning that applies to your parcel, telling you plainly what the code allows, and preparing and filing applications with the city on your behalf. The code decides the outcome. Our job is to move your project through it correctly.
What we handle
Permits, Zoning, and ADUs
From a first zoning check to a complex application, we work as your authorized agent: we read the code that applies to your parcel, prepare and file with the city, and coordinate the licensed professionals your project requires. You stay informed at every step.
What Your Zoning Allows
Before you spend money on plans, we pull the zoning that applies to your parcel — what you can build, how tall, how close to the property line, how much parking, and any special district rules — and put it in writing so you know what the code allows.
Use Permits and Variances
Some uses are allowed only with a permit — a home business, a second unit, a short-term rental — and some projects need an exception to a rule, like how close to the property line you can build. We prepare and file the application and track it through the city's review.
ADU and Junior ADU Permits
California law has expanded what is allowed. We confirm whether your lot qualifies, walk through the options — detached, attached, garage conversion, or a junior ADU inside the house — and file the permit as your authorized agent.
Building Permits
Additions, remodels, new construction. We coordinate the licensed architect and engineer, submit the plan set, and respond to the city's corrections as your authorized agent. We do not draw plans ourselves.
Lot Splits and Subdivisions
Lot splits under state law (SB 9) and larger subdivisions. We confirm whether your lot meets the code's criteria and coordinate the surveyor and civil engineer the city will require.
Unpermitted Work
Unpermitted addition or unit on title? We identify what the code allows to be legalized, what it does not, and what each path requires — so you know where you stand before you list.
Hearings and Neighbor Outreach
Some approvals require a public hearing. We prepare the filings, handle required notices and neighbor outreach, and present the project on your behalf as authorized agent. Some jurisdictions ask the owner to attend — we will tell you in advance if yours does.
How it works
A Clear Path Through the City
Permitting is a sequence defined by your city's municipal code. We follow it in order, as your authorized agent, and keep you informed at each step. What the city approves is the city's decision.
- 1
Step 1
You tell us the address and what you want to do. We pull the zoning, parcel data, and any prior permits on file.
- 2
Step 2
We give you a written summary of what the municipal code permits on your parcel, what the process requires, and the city's published fees and timelines.
- 3
Step 3
If you move forward, we bring in only the licensed professionals your project needs — planner, architect, civil engineer, surveyor.
- 4
Step 4
We file the application as your authorized agent, respond to the city's corrections, and coordinate any hearings.
- 5
Step 5
If the city approves, you build. If you decide to sell afterward, that is the broker side of our business.
Request a feasibility review
Tell us what you want to build.
The more specific you are, the more useful our first call will be. The conversation is free and you are not committing to anything by filling this out.
A note on what we do and do not do
Henry David Catalan, Real Estate Broker and Associates is a licensed brokerage. We coordinate permitting projects — we do not draw plans or sign as a licensed architect or engineer ourselves. For projects that need stamped drawings, structural design, or civil work, we bring in the right licensed professional and manage them so you do not have to. We will tell you up front who is doing what and what each step costs.