When do you actually need an architect for a remodel or addition in California?

Last checked Nov 6, 2026

The short answer

California doesn’t require a licensed architect for every project. Anyone may draw plans for small wood-frame homes of up to two stories plus a basement.
Any part that isn’t conventional wood framing needs drawings stamped by a licensed architect or engineer.
In San Francisco, projects that can cross that line include a steel frame at a widened garage opening, a hillside foundation, or a third story.
A licensed architect also gives you a public license record, board oversight and a required written contract.

Hiring someone for this? Check their license and San Francisco permits

In California, you don’t legally need a licensed architect for every home remodel or addition: B&P Code §5537 and B&P Code §6737.1 allow any person, including an unlicensed building designer or homeowner, to prepare plans for single-family wood-frame homes and wood-frame buildings of up to four units that are no more than two stories plus a basement. However, the moment any part of your project departs from conventional wood-frame construction, or your building exceeds two stories plus a basement, the local building department must require plans or calculations signed and stamped by a California-licensed architect or registered engineer (B&P Code §5537(b), §6737.1(b)).

In San Francisco, a common example is widening a garage opening on a narrow lot. The new opening may need a steel frame, and that portion is not conventional wood framing. A foundation on a steep hillside lot can raise the same question. Here is how to tell whether your project needs a licensed architect, an exempt building designer, a structural engineer, or a combination of them.

Who may draw and stamp plans by project type in San Francisco

Two separate questions govern every San Francisco project: first, whether the Department of Building Inspection (DBI) requires plans at all, and second, whether state law or the San Francisco Building Code (SFBC) Section 106A.3.2 requires a licensed architect or engineer to stamp those plans.

San Francisco residential project types, whether plans are required, and who may prepare or stamp them
Project type	Plans required by SF DBI?	Who may prepare the architectural drawings	When a licensed architect or engineer stamp is required
In-kind, non-structural kitchen or bathroom work in an R-3 residential building (such as most single-family homes) or in an R-2 apartment building built before 1991	No plans. You apply through the PermitSF portal.	No drawings needed for the no-plans application.	Not required while the work stays in kind and non-structural.
Any other kitchen or bathroom remodel, such as one that moves walls or changes the layout	Yes	Anyone, if the building is within the B&P §5537(a) limits. In a larger building, anyone may still draw non-structural, non-seismic interior alterations. Structural work there needs a licensed architect or engineer.	Required for any portion that departs from conventional wood framing, such as an engineered beam.
Removing a load-bearing wall	Yes	Architect, engineer, or exempt building designer for the floor plan.	Required if the new beam, posts, or footings depart from conventional wood framing: a licensed engineer or architect must prepare and stamp that portion.
New single-family house	Yes	Anyone, if the house is wood frame and no more than two stories plus a basement. Otherwise, a licensed architect or engineer.	Required for any portion that departs from conventional wood framing.
Rear (horizontal) addition	Yes	Anyone, if the finished building stays wood frame and within two stories plus a basement. Otherwise, a licensed architect or engineer.	Required for any portion that departs from conventional wood framing, such as an engineered foundation or steel frame.
Adding a second story	Yes	Anyone, if the finished building is wood frame and no more than two stories plus a basement. If the addition makes it taller than that, a licensed architect or engineer.	Required for any portion that departs from conventional wood framing.
Building with five or more units	Yes, except in-kind, non-structural kitchen or bathroom work in an R-2 building built before 1991.	A licensed architect or engineer. The exemption for multiple dwellings stops at four units. Non-structural, non-seismic interior alterations are the exception.	Required on all plans except non-structural, non-seismic interior work.
Steel, concrete, or masonry structural work (for example, a steel frame at a garage opening)	Yes	Anyone may draw the rest of an exempt building. The steel, concrete, or masonry portion goes to a licensed architect or engineer.	Usually required for that portion, because it is not conventional wood framing.
Garage conversion ADU or ground-floor unit legalization	Yes	Licensed architect, engineer, or exempt designer (if the building is within B&P §5537 limits).	Required for any seismic lateral frame, foundation work, or multi-story structural modification: a licensed engineer or architect must stamp it. Unit legalization screening also requires a licensed assessment.
Soft-story seismic retrofit or foundation replacement	Yes	Civil or structural engineer (or architect with engineer).	Required: the plans must be prepared, signed, and stamped by a California-licensed civil or structural engineer or architect.
New construction or major envelope expansion in SF Slope Protection Areas	Yes	A state-licensed architect, land surveyor or engineer.	Required: a licensed stamp is mandatory in the Edgehill Mountain and Northwest Mt. Sutro Slope Protection Areas.

Sources: SF.gov · SF.gov kitchen and bath permit · B&P §5537(a) · §5538 · B&P §6737.1(b) · B&P §5536.1 · SFBC §106A.3.1.3 · SF.gov · B&P §6735

For a full breakdown of what an unlicensed building designer may and may not do under state law, see architect vs. building designer in California.

What hiring a licensed architect gives you even when the law doesn’t require one

Even when your house qualifies for the wood-frame exemption in B&P Code §5537, there are concrete legal and practical differences between hiring a California-licensed architect and hiring an unlicensed building designer or drafter:

A verifiable public license record: Every California architect has a license record with the California Architects Board (CAB), and every civil or structural engineer has a record with BPELSG. You can confirm whether their license is current, expired, or delinquent before paying a deposit. Use our architect license lookup or engineer license lookup to check a name or license number.
Public disciplinary history and board oversight: Both CAB and BPELSG investigate consumer complaints and publish citations, license suspensions, and revocations (CAB Enforcement Actions, DCA License Search). Unlicensed building designers have no state licensing board.
A mandatory written contract: Under B&P Code §5536.22, a licensed architect must provide a signed written contract before starting work, spelling out the project scope, compensation method, license number, how additional services and plan-check changes are billed, termination rights, and drawing ownership. Licensed engineers have a parallel written-contract requirement under B&P Code §6749, which also requires disclosing whether they carry professional liability insurance.
Authority to stamp non-exempt drawings: A licensed architect or registered engineer can sign and stamp plans that go beyond the B&P Code §5537 wood-frame exemption (B&P Code §5536.1).

Before you interview candidates, review our checklist of questions to ask an architect before you sign.

How to choose who to hire first for your project

Homeowners often waste money hiring the wrong lead professional first. Match your first hire to the primary driver of the project:

Purely structural work (removing one load-bearing wall, seismic bolting, soft-story retrofit, or foundation repair): Start with a California-licensed civil or structural engineer (B&P Code §6735, B&P Code §6736). You don’t need an architect when the floor plan, windows, and room uses aren’t changing. See what a structural engineer does on a home remodel and how much a structural engineer costs.
Small interior layout change in a 1-to-2 story wood-frame house (moving a bathroom partition or reconfiguring a kitchen): You can hire either a licensed architect or an experienced building designer working within B&P Code §5537. If the new layout removes a bearing wall and the new beam goes beyond conventional wood framing, a licensed engineer or architect must prepare and stamp that portion (B&P Code §5537(b)).
Additions, ADUs, façade changes, or three-story San Francisco homes: Start with a licensed architect, then have the architect coordinate with a structural engineer for the foundation and lateral framing. See our comparison of architect vs. structural engineer for how the two work together.

San Francisco quirks that change the answer

Three local factors in San Francisco can push a project outside the unlicensed exemption or add review steps:

Planning Code neighborhood notification and historic review: Expanding a building envelope, adding a top-floor pop-out, or altering the street façade of a pre-1973 Victorian or Edwardian goes through San Francisco Planning Department design review (SF.gov building permit review processes). You want someone who has taken similar expansions through Planning and DBI.
Steep hillside lots: In the Edgehill Mountain and Northwest Mt. Sutro Slope Protection Areas, SFBC Section 106A.3.2 Exception 2 requires plans from a state-licensed architect, land surveyor or engineer, for new buildings or substantial envelope increases.
Three-story Victorians over a basement or garage: Many classic San Francisco homes look like two stories from the back but count as three stories over a basement under the building code. Once a wood-frame building exceeds two stories plus a basement, it falls outside B&P Code §5537(a) and requires a licensed architect or engineer.

Common questions

Do I need an architect to remodel my house in California?: Not if your house is a wood-frame single-family home or a wood-frame building of up to four units that is no more than two stories plus a basement, and your remodel uses only conventional wood framing (B&P Code §5537, B&P Code §6737.1). If any portion goes beyond conventional wood framing, such as a steel moment frame or an engineered beam, a licensed architect or registered engineer must prepare and stamp that portion (B&P Code §5537(b)). If the building is over two stories plus a basement, the exemption doesn’t apply.
Do I need an architect for an addition in San Francisco?: An addition in San Francisco requires permit drawings (SF.gov check if your permit needs plans). Anyone may draw them if the finished building is wood frame and no more than two stories plus a basement (B&P Code §5537(a)). Any portion that goes beyond conventional wood framing, such as an engineered foundation or a steel frame, needs a licensed engineer’s or architect’s stamp (§5537(b)). If the addition makes the building taller than two stories plus a basement, hire a licensed architect or engineer for the design.
Can a contractor draw plans for a permit in California?: Under B&P Code §5537 and B&P Code §6737.1, anyone, including a licensed contractor, may draw plans for an exempt wood-frame residential structure up to two stories plus a basement, and a specialty contractor may prepare shop drawings for work they are licensed to install (B&P Code §5537.2). A contractor who is not also a licensed architect or registered engineer cannot stamp non-conventional structural framing or call themselves an architect (B&P Code §5536).
Do I need an architect or a structural engineer to remove a load-bearing wall?: If you are only removing a load-bearing wall without redesigning the rest of the house, start with a California-licensed civil or structural engineer (B&P Code §6735). If the replacement beam, posts, or footings go beyond conventional wood framing, a licensed engineer or architect must prepare and stamp them (§6737.1(b)). You only need an architect as well if you want help redesigning the surrounding kitchen, living spaces, or exterior openings.

Comparing architects or engineers for your remodel?

Look up any California-licensed architect or engineer by name or license number to verify their license status, check for disciplinary actions, and review the San Francisco building permits they’ve actually pulled.

Sources

California Business and Professions Code §5536, §5536.1, §5536.22, §5537, §5537.2 & §5538 (Architects Practice Act), California Legislative Information. Read Nov 5, 2026.
California Business and Professions Code §6735, §6736, §6737.1 & §6749 (Professional Engineers Act), California Legislative Information. Read Nov 6, 2026.
San Francisco Building Code Section 106A.3.1.3 & Section 106A.3.2 (Submittal Documents & Slope Protection Exceptions), American Legal Publishing / City and County of San Francisco. Read Nov 6, 2026.
Check if your building permit needs plans, City and County of San Francisco (SF.gov). Read Nov 6, 2026.
Apply for a kitchen or bath remodel permit, City and County of San Francisco (SF.gov). Read Nov 6, 2026.
Get a building permit to do a soft story retrofit, City and County of San Francisco (SF.gov). Read Nov 6, 2026.

This is general information, not legal advice.

More guides

All guides