New Construction · San Bernardino County
New home construction in San Bernardino County: tear-down rebuilds and custom homes by a licensed design-build team. Feasibility, permits, build, one contract.
Tell us about the house. A project manager will call to set up a walk-through.
Prefer to talk? Call (714) 449-9035
San Bernardino County runs from valley cities to high desert to mountain communities, and the building rules shift with the terrain. In the valley, Ontario, Upland, Redlands and Rancho Cucamonga have older neighborhoods with homes from the early and mid-20th century, alongside newer tracts in Chino Hills and Fontana. Foothill lots along the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains commonly sit in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, and seasonal wind there is part of the structural design conversation.
Up the Cajon Pass, Victorville, Hesperia and Apple Valley have larger lots and hot, dry summers that put them in a different Title 24 climate zone than the valley. Many high desert and rural parcels rely on septic, and the area falls under the Mojave Desert air district rather than South Coast AQMD for demolition notifications. Mountain communities such as Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear add snow load design. Unincorporated areas are permitted through San Bernardino County Land Use Services.
San Bernardino County is part of our service area, and its mix of valley, foothill, desert and mountain lots is exactly where early feasibility work pays off. We check fire zone mapping, wind and snow design needs, climate zone, utilities and septic before design starts, so the plans reflect the lot and not a generic floor plan. Design, engineering coordination, permits and construction run under one contract with one project manager. Horizon is a licensed Class B general building contractor, active since 2009, and selections happen at our Horizon Design Center in Fullerton.
Each city page covers who issues the permit there, what the local housing stock looks like and what that means for your project.
It varies by city and by lot. A straightforward rebuild on a flat lot may clear plan check in a few months, while hillside, coastal or fire-zone properties and projects needing planning or design review can take considerably longer. Each round of plan check comments adds time, which is why we finish feasibility and engineering before submitting. We give you a permitting estimate for your specific lot after the feasibility review.
In most cases, yes. Building departments generally want a geotechnical report for a new house, and it’s required for lots in state-mapped liquefaction or landslide zones. The report covers soil type, expansive clay, fill, groundwater and slope stability, and the structural engineer designs the foundation from it. On sloped lots it also informs grading and retaining wall design.
New homes in CAL FIRE mapped Fire Hazard Severity Zones are built to wildland-urban interface standards. That means a Class A roof, ember-resistant vents, ignition-resistant exterior walls, eaves and decking, and multipane windows with tempered glass. The fire department may also review access and water supply. We check the fire zone map during feasibility so these details are in the design from the start.
Inside a city, permits come from that city’s building department. In unincorporated areas, the county’s own building and land use agency handles plan check, permits and inspections, and its zoning rules apply instead of a city’s. Requirements and review times differ between agencies, so we confirm which one has jurisdiction over your lot before design begins.
Planning new construction in San Bernardino County? Schedule a consultation or call (714) 449-9035.
Horizon Construction & Remodeling, Class B General Building Contractor.
