Construction Equipment Rental in San Mateo, CA

About Construction Projects in San Mateo, CA

San Mateo is a prime place for construction work because a lot of people want to live there. Before working on any building projects in the city, you should become aware of the relevant laws you need to abide by for your build.

Building Permits

You need a permit before starting many types of building work in San Mateo. The four broad kinds of permit needed for building projects are:

• General building permits for the building, enlargement, alteration, demolition, or repair of a structure.
• Electrical permits for installing new electrical service equipment, relocating existing service, or upgrading service.
• Mechanical permits for the installation and repair of HVAC systems.
• Plumbing permits for installing, removing, altering, or replacing plumbing systems.

You need to submit three to five sets of plans when applying for a general building permit. The cost of a building permit depends on the value of the project. The lowest fee is $77.75 for projects valued up to $500.

Building Inspections

You need to get any completed building work inspected in San Mateo. The inspection checks that the work meets the city’s building codes and that it complies with your approved permit.

To schedule an inspection, call the inspection request line at 650-522-7172. You must book any inspections 24 hours before your desired date. The normal hours for inspections are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Inspections cost $97.80 per hour with a minimum length of 30 minutes.

Contractor Licenses

It’s important to have a contractor license before starting building work anywhere in the state. To become a licensed contractor, you must pass an examination that costs $330 to take. In addition, you need to pay a fee of $200 to get the license. You must also have a bond or cash deposit of $15,000 in place before getting your license. You need to pay a business tax that gives you license to work in San Mateo, too.

You might find that the cost of getting the necessary license is too much for just one project. Hiring a licensed contractor is the best choice in this case.

Contractor Insurance

It’s important to meet the insurance laws for contractors in San Mateo. State law says that you need to have workers’ compensation insurance to work as a contractor in California. In San Mateo, you also need to have general liability coverage to work as a contractor. The minimum required payout on your insurance policy is $1 million per occurrence. Each occurrence must cover:

• Bodily injury.
• Personal injury.
• Property damage.

Construction Equipment Rental in San Mateo

Consider renting the gear you need for building projects in the San Mateo. Renting is a more flexible option because you can get the exact tools you need for each job. For example, on projects with a lot of aerial work, you can rent forklifts, boom lifts, scissor lifts, or manlifts.

Make sure you don’t start any building project in San Mateo without knowing all the laws.