New Construction · Orange County
New home construction in Orange 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
Most new homes in Orange County go up where an older one came down. North county cities such as Anaheim, Fullerton, Garden Grove and Orange were built out with postwar tracts in the 1950s and 1960s, and many of those single-story houses sit on lots zoning now allows to hold far more. Along the coast, from Seal Beach to San Clemente, rebuilds are common on narrow lots, and properties inside the coastal zone may need a coastal development permit from the city or the California Coastal Commission on top of the building permit.
Inland, hillside and canyon neighborhoods in places like Laguna Beach, Anaheim Hills and Yorba Linda fall in mapped fire hazard severity zones, which brings wildland-urban interface construction rules. South county master-planned communities in Irvine and Mission Viejo usually add an HOA architectural review before the city will see plans. Lots near the coast and old riverbeds can carry liquefaction mapping, so the soils report matters. Unincorporated areas go through OC Public Works rather than a city.
We’ve built and remodeled in Orange County for more than 18 years, out of our Laguna Hills office and the Horizon Design Center in Fullerton. That means years of plan check with city building departments from Brea to San Clemente and with OC Public Works for unincorporated lots. On a new home, design, engineering coordination, permits and construction sit under one contract with one project manager, so coastal, HOA and fire-zone requirements get worked into the design before plans are submitted, not after the first round of comments. Horizon is a licensed Class B general building contractor, bonded and insured.
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 Orange County? Schedule a consultation or call (714) 449-9035.
Horizon Construction & Remodeling, Class B General Building Contractor.
