San Jose / Kitchen remodeling
Kitchen Remodeling in San Jose
Moving the sink or the range changes everything about a San Jose kitchen permit.
San Jose sorts kitchen work into three tiers: cosmetic work with no permit, a minor remodel permit downloaded online, and a major remodel with plan review. We plan San Jose kitchens around that line first, then the range hood, the panel and the switch to induction.
BULLETIN 274
Which San Jose permit your kitchen needs.
San Jose's Bulletin 274 splits kitchen work into three paths. Where the line falls depends on whether fixtures and walls stay put, not on the size of the budget.
No permit needed
- Painting and non-rated drywall
- Cabinet refacing or replacement without structural, electrical or plumbing changes
- Countertop and tile installation
- New flooring of any size
- Replacing faucets, outlets and switches in existing boxes
Minor remodel, online permit
- Several fixture and appliance replacements with new wiring, plumbing or venting
- Same number and location of fixtures and appliances
- No changes to walls, windows or framing
- Work limited to the kitchen; no plans needed
Major remodel, plans required
- Relocating the sink, range or dishwasher
- Adding a fixture or appliance, such as an island sink
- Changing the configuration of walls or windows
- Modifying ceiling, wall or floor framing
WHAT WE PLAN IN A SAN JOSE KITCHEN
Same layout, or a new one?
If the sink, range, dishwasher and outlets stay where they are, San Jose treats new wiring and plumbing as a minor remodel, permitted online at SJPermits.org with no plans. Moving a fixture or appliance, adding one, or opening a wall makes it a major remodel that needs drawings and plan review. We scope both versions at the site visit so the layout decision is made knowingly.
Layout and permit tier
Bulletin 274 decides the path. Same locations and count means a minor permit; relocating the range or sink, or adding an island sink, means plans and plan review.
Range hood
San Jose requires kitchen exhaust ducted to the outside. A replacement hood needs a third-party HERS report, at least 100 CFM and Energy Star equipment.
Gas to induction
A 240-volt range circuit replaces the gas supply, which is capped. SJCE adds $500 for cooking circuit prewiring when it is paired with a heat pump rebate.
Panel capacity
A load calculation comes before any upgrade. Circuit pausers and splitters, an SJCE add-on rebate of $250, often let induction share capacity with a dryer or EV charger.
Walls and openings
Removing or reframing a wall between kitchen and living room is a major remodel. The over-the-counter service covers remodels up to 750 square feet on one-story homes with conventional framing.
Older homes
About six in ten San Jose homes predate 1980. Paint in homes built before 1978 is handled under the EPA lead-safe renovation rule, and suspect materials are tested before demolition.
SAN JOSE AT A GLANCE
Who handles what in a San Jose kitchen.
Permits come from the Development Services Permit Center, gas and wires from PG&E, and electricity from San Jose Clean Energy. A kitchen that switches to induction touches all three.
- 997,368
- residents, 2024 Census estimate
- 59%
- of San Jose homes built before 1980
- ~16,000
- online permits issued in 2025, including minor kitchen remodels
Permits
Development Services Permit Center
Minor kitchen permits are paid for and downloaded at SJPermits.org, where inspections are also scheduled. The Permit Card must stay on site for the inspector. Phone hours are Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm.
(408) 535-3555Minor remodel permits ↗Plan review
Over-the-counter or Residential Express
Major remodels on one-story single-family homes, up to 750 square feet with conventional framing, can be permitted at the counter the same day. Lots in flood zones A, AE, AH or AO, geohazard zones or the wildland-urban interface do not qualify.
Building permit services ↗Over-the-counter criteria ↗Energy
PG&E plus San Jose Clean Energy
SJCE's EcoHome Rebate pays add-ons for cooking circuit prewiring, circuit pausers and panel upgrades when a gas water heater or furnace is replaced with a heat pump. The city's own induction cooktop checkout program is on hold; PG&E customers can borrow a portable induction kit for two weeks.
SJCE EcoHome rebates ↗Induction cooking ↗Gas rules
No ban on gas in existing kitchens
San Jose has a moratorium on enforcing its gas prohibition for new buildings. Separately, its electrification FAQ notes Bay Area Air District rules ending sales of new gas water heaters in 2027 and gas furnaces in 2029; existing appliances can stay.
Building electrification FAQ ↗
SAN JOSE CLEAN ENERGY
SJCE rebates a kitchen remodel can stack.
SJCE's add-on rebates only apply alongside a heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC rebate that replaces gas equipment. Approval is needed before installation, so the application goes in during design.
SJCE
Cooking circuit prewiring
$500, or $750 in EJ Communities
Add-on for a new 240-volt circuit for an induction range.
SJCE
Circuit pauser or splitter
$250
Add-on that lets induction share a circuit or capacity instead of upgrading the panel.
SJCE
Panel upgrade
$1,000, or $2,000 in EJ Communities
Add-on when the load calculation shows the panel cannot carry the new loads.
SJCE
Heat pump water heater
$2,500, or $3,500 in EJ Communities
Core rebate for replacing a gas water heater.
Amounts from sanjosecleanenergy.org/ecohome-rebate, October 2026. EJ means Environmental Justice Communities. Proof of final permit is required with every claim.
Planning the work
How a San Jose kitchen project runs.
Site visit
Free visit. Layout, panel, gas line, hood route and whether the lot sits in a flood or hazard zone.
Permit path
Minor kitchen permit downloaded at SJPermits.org, or plans for over-the-counter, Residential Express or standard review.
Rough-in
Demolition, then electrical, plumbing and duct rough inspections before walls are closed.
Finishes and final
Cabinets, counters and appliances, the HERS hood report, the smoke and CO alarm affidavit, then the final inspection.
WHAT SLOWS SAN JOSE KITCHENS
Problems San Jose remodelers run into, and how we plan around them.
From the San José City Auditor's 2023 review of residential permits and the city's own remodel bulletin.
Waiting weeks just to get an intake appointment for plan review.
When the layout allows, the kitchen is scoped to fit the online minor permit or the walk-in over-the-counter service. The audit found intake appointments took up to 47 days in September 2023.
A minor permit gets bumped to a major remodel at inspection.
Wall, header and fixture changes are identified before applying, since the city sends projects with structural work back to plan review.
Plan review drags through several rounds of comments.
Drawings, load calculations and energy forms are complete at submittal; the audit named multiple resubmittals as a main source of delay.
Calls to the permit phone tree end in voicemail with no callback time.
Status is tracked on SJPermits.org, and questions go through the city's online help ticket, which routes to Building, Planning or Fire.
The city website makes it hard to find the right permit.
The permit type is chosen with the SJPermits Application Wizard, and we handle the submittal and inspection scheduling.
Sources: San José City Auditor Report 23-07, Residential Building Permits, November 2023; sanjoseca.gov Bulletin 274 and minor remodel pages.
Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen in San Jose?
Yes, once the work includes new electrical, plumbing or mechanical work. Painting, cabinet resurfacing, new flooring and new countertops need no permit in San Jose. Replacing several fixtures and appliances in the same locations is a minor remodel with an online permit; moving or adding fixtures, or changing walls, windows or framing, is a major remodel that needs plans and plan review.
Can I get a kitchen remodel permit online in San Jose?
Yes, for a minor remodel. The Minor Kitchen/Bath permit is paid for and downloaded at SJPermits.org with no plans, as long as fixtures and appliances keep their number and location and no walls, windows or framing change. The Building Division says online permit fees are 50 percent of the normal processing fee. If an inspector finds structural work, the project moves to plan review as a major remodel.
Is a gas stove still allowed in San Jose?
Yes. Existing homes can keep or replace a gas range, and San Jose has a moratorium on enforcing its ban on natural gas infrastructure in newly constructed buildings (Municipal Code Chapter 17.845) following the 2023 Ninth Circuit ruling against Berkeley's similar ban. That ban applied to new buildings, not to remodels of existing kitchens.
What does San Jose require for a kitchen range hood?
A ducted exhaust to the outside, backed by a HERS report. San Jose's kitchen requirements say exhaust fans must vent outdoors, and a replacement hood needs a third-party Home Energy Rating System report, at least 100 CFM and Energy Star compliant equipment. The HERS rater visit is scheduled before the final inspection is booked.
Does San Jose Clean Energy give a rebate for induction cooking?
Yes, as an add-on. SJCE's EcoHome Rebate pays $500 for cooking circuit prewiring, or $750 in Environmental Justice Communities, but only alongside a heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC rebate that replaces gas equipment. The rebate must be approved before installation starts and is then reserved for 120 days.
Do I need a panel upgrade to switch to an induction range?
Often not. Most induction ranges need one dedicated 240-volt circuit, commonly 40 or 50 amps per the manufacturer's instructions, and San Jose's building electrification FAQ cites a Peninsula Clean Energy finding that 100 amps was enough for 99 percent of homes analyzed. A load calculation decides; a circuit pauser or splitter can share capacity with a dryer or EV charger.
