Home Renovation Designers for Salinas

The first question in Salinas is whether the property is inside city limits. Inside the city, the City of Salinas Community Development Department reviews building permits, and planning review applies when a project needs it under the City’s zoning code. Outside city limits, the County of Monterey’s Housing and Community Development department reviews the work, at its permit center at 1441 Schilling Place in Salinas.

That distinction catches people out because many homes with a Salinas mailing address, including those in Boronda, Bolsa Knolls and Prunedale, are in unincorporated Monterey County. The address on the envelope doesn’t tell you which rules apply; the parcel does.

For ADUs, both the City and the County offer pre-approved plan programs, and state law requires either agency to act on a complete ADU application within 60 days. See how to build an ADU in Monterey County for the full sequence.

These notes reflect City of Salinas and County of Monterey guidance as of October 2026, not a determination about your property. Confirm current requirements with the reviewing agency before committing money or a schedule.

We work throughout Salinas and in the unincorporated communities around it, including Boronda, Bolsa Knolls, Prunedale and Spreckels, and the pockets just outside city limits such as Confederate Corners. In these areas the County, not the City, reviews the permit.

Salinas-area houses run from early twentieth-century homes near downtown to postwar ranch and tract houses, many on flat valley-floor lots where an addition or ADU is a matter of setbacks rather than slope. Parts of the unincorporated area, particularly in the Prunedale hills, are on septic or small water systems, which can shape where an ADU or addition can go.

Most of these homes have no usable original drawings. We measure the house and produce an as-built set first, and you own it afterwards. Looking for ideas? See room addition ideas for small homes.

We offer a variety of services to ensure that every piece of your design and drafting process is handled in a professional and timely manner. Whether you’re designing a new house, remodeling your kitchen or bathroom, or finishing your basement, we will produce detailed, precise plans that cater to every one of your needs. 

Our residential drafting services in Carmel Valley include:

Site visit and as-built measure. We come to the house, measure it, and record what matters later: framing, grade, utilities, the electrical panel and the property lines.

Jurisdiction and constraints check. Before any design, we confirm whether the City or the County reviews the project and what the zoning, setbacks, lot coverage and utilities allow.

Schematic design, then design development. Two or three options against your budget and the limits of the site, then the chosen one becomes the permit package.

Construction documents, submittal and response. The full permit set, coordinated with your structural engineer, and we answer the plan-check corrections, not you.

Do I need a City or County permit for a remodel in Salinas?

It depends on whether the parcel is inside Salinas city limits. Inside the city, the City of Salinas reviews the permit. Outside, including Boronda, Bolsa Knolls, Prunedale and Spreckels, Monterey County does, even when the mailing address says Salinas.

Can I build an ADU in Salinas?

On most residential lots, yes. Both the City of Salinas and Monterey County offer pre-approved ADU plans, and state law requires either agency to act on a complete ADU application within 60 days.

Do I need an architect for a home addition in Salinas?

For most single-family additions, no. A building designer or drafting firm can prepare the plans, with a licensed engineer providing structural calculations where needed. We are a design and drafting firm, not an architecture firm, and we don’t build.

Do you work outside Salinas?

Yes. We work across Monterey County, including Monterey, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, and in Santa Cruz County.

More on our other service areas: Monterey, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach.