Kitchen bump-out and addition in Redwood City, CA

Bump-out or full addition

A bump-out can make room for a longer counter, a banquette or a pantry. A full addition can move the kitchen into new space and free the old kitchen for another use. Both need a foundation and a roof tied into the house.

Zoning and review

New floor area is checked against setbacks, lot coverage, floor area limits and height. In Redwood City, additions over 400 square feet are not eligible for One-Stop plan review, so they go through the standard review track.

Addition terms

Setback: the required distance from a building to the property line. Floor area ratio: a limit on building size relative to lot size. Cantilever: a bump-out carried on extended floor joists instead of a new foundation, where allowed. Tie-in: where the new roof and walls join the existing house. Survey: a measured drawing of the lot and its boundaries.

Permits in Redwood City

Redwood City requires a building permit for any work that section 105.2 of the California Building Code does not exempt; the City's FAQ names painting, flooring and similar finish work as typical exempt residential items.
Applications are filed online through the City's eTRAKiT portal. Residential interior remodels can qualify for One-Stop plan review, in which Building Division staff review the plans with the applicant at City Hall.
The City says plan review takes 6 to 24 weeks depending on scope. A permit is valid for 365 days from issuance, and each passed inspection extends it another 365 days.

City of Redwood City Building Division · (650) 780-7350, [email protected]

Common questions

Is a cantilevered bump-out possible?

Sometimes, for a short projection where the existing floor framing allows it. An engineer makes that call.

Does a kitchen addition need a permit?

Yes. New floor area needs a building permit with plan review, and it may need planning review as well.