Beverly Hills Architectural Commission: Permit and Design Review Process.

Beverly Hills uses two different design review bodies, and which one applies to your project determines the entire approval path. The Architectural Commission (AC) handles non-residential and multi-family projects. The Design Review Board (DRB) handles single-family residential.

For most homeowners, you’ll be working with the DRB. The DRB reviews exterior modifications visible from a public right-of-way: new construction, second-story additions, significant facade changes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and substantial roof/window changes.

Interior renovations, mechanical upgrades, and minor exterior repairs (like-for-like roofing, repainting in approved colors) generally do not require DRB review. They go straight to plan check at the Beverly Hills Building & Safety division.

The DRB submittal includes site plans, floor plans at 1/4-inch scale, exterior elevations of all four facades, a streetscape elevation showing your home in context with two neighbors on each side, color and material samples, photo simulations from the public right-of-way, and a project narrative explaining design intent.

The completeness of your initial submittal directly affects your timeline. Incomplete packages get returned for resubmittal, costing 4–6 weeks per cycle. Most experienced Beverly Hills architects budget two pre-submittal meetings with the Planning Department before formal submittal.

After submittal, your project is scheduled for a DRB public hearing — typically 6–10 weeks out. The hearing is open to the public; neighbors within 500 feet receive notice and may attend to comment.

The DRB then issues one of three outcomes: approval, conditional approval (requiring specific revisions before plan check), or denial with revisions required. Conditional approvals are the most common — the commission almost always requests minor revisions to massing, materials, or landscaping.

After conditional approval, you submit revised drawings to the Planning Department. If the revisions match the conditions, you receive a final letter of approval and proceed to plan check. If the DRB feels revisions don’t fully meet the conditions, your project goes back for a second hearing.

DRB approval is design approval. You still need a building permit, which requires plan check at Beverly Hills Building & Safety. Plan check evaluates structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, energy, and accessibility compliance.

Beverly Hills plan check typically runs 8–14 weeks for a residential project, with two correction cycles being typical. Geotechnical reports, structural calculations stamped by a licensed engineer, Title 24 energy compliance, and fire-zone documentation (for hillside properties in VHFHSZ) are required.

Many Beverly Hills lots are substandard by today’s zoning code — lots smaller than 7,500 SF, irregular shapes, or unusual frontages. Adding a second story or significant addition often requires setback variances.

Variances are heard by the Beverly Hills Planning Commission, separate from the DRB. The variance process adds 60–90 days. Variances require demonstrating "exceptional circumstances" — that strict application of zoning would deprive you of property rights enjoyed by neighbors.

If your project requires both a DRB review and a variance, plan for 9–12 months total before plan check.