Deck Builderin Covina, CA
A deck builder in Covina starts with the permit line: the City's code exempts only a deck of 200 square feet or less, no more than 30 inches above grade, detached from the house and not serving an exit door. About 3.8 percent of the city, in the southeast corner, is in a Very High fire zone.
Covina's backyards were mostly laid out in the postwar tract years. Census Bureau estimates for 2020 to 2024 put about 33.2 percent of the city's homes in the 1950s and 23.9 percent in the 1960s, 52.7 percent of units are single-family detached houses, and roughly 76.2 percent of all units predate 1980. Many of the wood decks and patio covers behind those houses are now old enough to need work, and some were never permitted.
MDG Builders, CSLB #1040337, is a Tarzana general contractor. We draft the deck plan, put the permit questions to the Covina Building and Safety Division and Planning, and run the schedule, while licensed subcontractors frame, surface and rail the structure. Materials and pricing sources are on the decks page, and the Covina overview lists the other trades we manage here.
What Covina's Building and Safety Division, Planning and the residential code say about decks
Where decks permits come from in Covina: City of Covina Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division.
- A deck is exempt from a Covina building permit only if it is 200 square feet or less, not more than 30 inches above grade at any point, not attached to a dwelling and not serving the exit door; the City's handout lists decks and patio covers as needing permits, and patios or porches need Planning Approval Clearance first.
- Covina's patio cover handout gives beam and rafter size tables for open trellis and solid roofs (for example 4 by 6 beams at 8 foot post spacing for a 14 foot rafter span on an open trellis) and 80 inches minimum clearance, and says to engineer other sizes; the Building page asks for 3 plan sets with specifications and calculations for a new patio. The handout is dated 1/1/2023.
- Open-air patios, grills and similar landscape features not more than 3.5 feet high may be located in any front, side or rear yard of the R-1-7500 zone; no more than 35 percent of a required rear yard may be covered by accessory buildings, and a one-story detached storage shed up to 120 square feet and 15 feet tall is exempt from a building permit (but needs Planning's review).
Which decking is allowed in Covina's Very High fire hazard corner?
It depends on the parcel, and only a small part of Covina is affected. Chapter 14.13 of the municipal code designates a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone on a map kept by the City Clerk, and the City's design criteria handout says areas of Covina are in Very High zones. When we overlaid CAL FIRE's Local Responsibility Area layer on the city outline, about 3.8 percent of the city fell inside, all in the southeast corner. That is the state's older layer, not the City's own map, so an address needs a lookup.
Inside a mapped wildland-urban interface area, section R337.9.3 of the California Residential Code allows decking that is tested to ASTM E2632 or E2726, ignition-resistant, fire-retardant-treated or noncombustible. A UC Extension summary said some tested composites missed the ignition-resistant definition, so check a product against the State Fire Marshal's listing, not the brochure. Covina adopted the 2025 Wildland-Urban Interface Code in chapter 14.11.
Sources conflict on whether the proposed Zone 0 rule for the first 5 feet around a house was adopted, so we state nothing about it. If a deck or stair touches the wall in the fire corner, ask the Building Division what applies.
Which decks can skip a building permit in Covina?
Only a small, low, detached one. Covina's amended Residential Code (section R105.2 in chapter 14.05) exempts a deck of 200 square feet or less that is not more than 30 inches above grade at any point, not attached to a dwelling and not serving the exit door. The City's permit handout lists decks and patio covers as needing permits, and patios or porches need Planning Approval Clearance before Building accepts plans. Our reading of the code comes from the gocodebook.com mirror (2026-10 edition), which the City should confirm.
Covina takes paper plan check at the counter, with no electronic submittal and no expedited review. First-submittal plan check typically takes 4 to 6 weeks, and minor projects average about 10 working days on resubmittal. A permit expires if work does not start within 365 days or goes 180 days without substantial progress, though the Building page words those clocks differently, so ask which applies. We opened no fee schedule and print no fees.
Building and Safety, at (626) 384-5460, is open Monday to Thursday and closed Friday through Sunday, and every project needs a site plan.
- Is any point of the walking surface more than 30 inches above grade?
- Is the deck 200 square feet or less and free of the house?
- Has Planning cleared the location?
What do Covina's patio cover rules say about pergolas and roofed decks?
Start with a handout that is old. The City's patio cover handout is dated 1/1/2023, which predates the 2025 codes the City now adopts, so treat it as a guide to ask about, not a current standard. It gives beam and rafter tables for open trellis and solid roofs, for example 4 by 6 beams at 8 foot post spacing for a 14 foot rafter span on an open trellis, asks for 80 inches of clearance and says to engineer sizes outside the tables.
The Building page asks for 3 plan sets with specifications and calculations for a new patio. In the R-1-7500 zone, open-air patios, grills and similar landscape features no more than 3.5 feet high may stand in any yard, accessory buildings may cover no more than 35 percent of a required rear yard, and a one-story shed up to 120 square feet and 15 feet tall needs no building permit but still gets Planning's review.
A pergola over a deck therefore raises more questions than the deck alone: height, setbacks, whether it counts as an accessory building and which year's tables the plan checker uses. Show Planning the roofed layout before structural details are drawn.
Can deck post footings go near a protected oak in Covina?
Only with a tree preservation permit if they fall inside the dripline. Covina protects any oak with a trunk 10 inches or more across at 4.5 feet, or 22 inches combined for several trunks, and its tree chapter defines damage to include excavating, trenching, changing grade or running equipment inside the dripline. A post hole is excavation, and a mini-excavator crossing the root zone is equipment.
The chief planning official can decide a permit for a single heritage tree on a single-family lot, and others go to the Planning Commission. Violations are misdemeanors counted per tree. For a deck, the practical step is to draw the footing layout, the auger and concrete truck access and the debris pile on a plan that shows the dripline. Shifting a deck's footprint costs less than a dispute over a tree.
Deck repair in Covina: what happens if the deck was built without a permit?
Covina's code says no person may own, use, occupy or maintain an unpermitted structure. Legalizing one means pulling all permits, meeting current technical codes, submitting plot plans and elevations to Planning and Building, paying a special investigation fee at the City's hourly code-enforcement rate, and letting inspectors open finishes to see the framing. A permit issued to legalize work expires in 60 days, extendable by up to 180 more, and a structure that cannot meet zoning or code must be removed or restored to its approved condition.
Old wood is the usual reason for repair. UC Statewide IPM says drywood termites are most prevalent in southern California and infest decks and fences, and that fixing moisture and sealing exterior wood are the main defenses. Probe the ledger, post bases and stair stringers before pricing, and have hidden rot priced as its own line.
If a ledger is rebuilt, the 2022 California Residential Code asks for at least a 2x8 pressure-treated ledger (R507.9.1.1), no beam or girder loads concentrated on it and no attachment to stone or masonry veneer. Flashing and corrosion-resistant fasteners follow R507.9.1.3, and lateral hold-downs R507.9.2. Covina reviews to the 2025 code, so figures may differ.
What must a Covina deck guard meet, and how high can a deck be without a railing?
A drop of more than 30 inches, measured within 36 inches of the deck edge, triggers a guard under R312.1.1 of the 2022 California Residential Code, and R312.1.2 sets the minimum guard height at 42 inches. A deck no higher than 30 inches can therefore go without a railing, while R312.1.3 asks that openings in a guard stop a 4 inch sphere. Covina applies the 2025 code, so confirm the figures with the counter before ordering rail.
A pool adds a second layer. Covina's code requires a pool to be fully enclosed by a fence or wall at least 5 feet tall with self-closing gates, and a pool may not sit in a required front yard or within 5 feet of a side or rear line. Draw the deck, the pool and the barrier together on the site plan.
Keep every signed inspection card the permit generates. A small exempt deck will never be seen by an inspector, so ask the builder for dated photos of the footings and ledger before the framing is closed in.
What does a deck builder in Covina charge, wood or composite?
No Covina deck price study turned up, so these are Los Angeles figures. In the 2025 Cost vs. Value report from JLC and Zonda, a Los Angeles deck of 16 by 20 feet with treated framing, a bench, a planter, three steps and full railing costs $18,419 in wood and recovers 99.6 percent at resale, against $26,872 and 73.9 percent for composite. Angi's Los Angeles page from October 2025 lists $45 to $90 per square foot, with a typical project at $13,570.
For a flat lot and a deck attached to the house we plan on $45 to $75 per square foot in pressure-treated wood and $65 to $110 in composite, with permits and engineering extra. A 14 by 20 foot deck is 280 square feet, which multiplies out to $12,600 to $21,000 in wood and $18,200 to $30,800 in composite, and a 20 by 20 foot deck is 400 square feet, or $18,000 to $30,000 and $26,000 to $44,000. Confidence is medium for wood and medium to low for composite, and hillside or second-story decks are priced after a site visit.
C-5 covers framing and rough carpentry, and a general building contractor may take carpentry as a prime contract. We could not verify which class covers composite surfacing, so look the number up on the CSLB site. At permit issuance Covina also asks for its own business license and proof of workers' compensation.
Deck photos from Covina and nearby communities
Decks from Covina and nearby towns, from low rear platforms and framing to boards, posts and rails. Tap any photo to enlarge it.
What decks costs around Covina
These are Los Angeles planning ranges from the decks page, not a Covina bid, and the license check guide shows how to verify a bidder. Put fire-rated boards, engineering and Planning review on their own proposal lines. Comparison pages: decks in Los Angeles, decks in West Covina, decks in Baldwin Park, decks in Pomona, flooring in Covina and concrete in Covina.
| What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Pressure-treated wood deck | $45 to $75 per square foot |
| Composite deck | $65 to $110 per square foot |
| 16 by 20 foot wood deck (320 sq ft) | About $14,500 to $24,000 |
| 16 by 20 foot composite deck | About $21,000 to $35,000 |
| Hillside, second-story, rooftop and ipe decks | Priced by site visit |
| Permits and engineering | Quoted as separate lines |
Covina deck questions, answered
Can I build a deck without a permit in Covina?
Only a small one. Covina's code exempts a deck of 200 square feet or less, no more than 30 inches above grade at any point, not attached to a dwelling and not serving the exit door. Patios and porches still need Planning Approval Clearance first. An attached or taller deck needs a permit.
What is the largest deck without a permit in Covina?
Two hundred square feet, and only if it is not more than 30 inches above grade at any point, is detached from the house and does not serve the exit door. Those conditions come from the amended Residential Code text on the gocodebook.com mirror, so confirm them with Building and Safety before you plan around them.
What happens if a deck is built without a permit in Covina?
The code says no one may own, use, occupy or maintain an unpermitted structure, and violations are misdemeanors counted per day. Legalizing means pulling permits, meeting current codes and paying a special investigation fee, and inspectors may open finishes. If zoning or code cannot be met, the deck must be removed or restored.
Can I get a permit after work is done on a Covina deck?
Yes, through legalization, though it is slower and costlier than permitting first. The owner pulls all permits, meets current technical codes, submits plot plans and elevations and pays a special investigation fee at the City's hourly code-enforcement rate. A legalization permit expires in 60 days, extendable by up to 180 more.
How high can a deck be without a railing in Covina?
Up to 30 inches. The 2022 California Residential Code requires a guard where the drop within 36 inches of the edge is more than 30 inches. Covina reviews plans against the 2025 code, so confirm the number with the Building Division before skipping rail on a deck near that height.
Is railing height 36 or 42 for decks in Covina?
Forty-two inches, per section R312.1.2 of the 2022 California Residential Code, and openings must stop a 4 inch sphere. The guard applies once the drop within 36 inches of the edge exceeds 30 inches. Covina reviews to the 2025 code, so ask the counter before ordering railing, especially for stairs.
How much would a 20x20 deck cost in Covina?
About $18,000 to $30,000 in pressure-treated wood and $26,000 to $44,000 in composite, found by multiplying 400 square feet by our Los Angeles planning rates of $45 to $75 and $65 to $110 per square foot. No Covina study turned up. Permits, engineering and fire-rated boards are extra.
What decking is allowed in a Covina fire hazard zone?
Inside a mapped wildland-urban interface area, acceptable boards are those tested to ASTM E2632 or E2726, ignition-resistant or fire-retardant-treated products and noncombustible materials. About 3.8 percent of Covina, in the southeast corner, overlaps CAL FIRE's Very High layer. Look up your parcel and verify any composite against the State Fire Marshal listing.
Can deck footings go near an oak tree in Covina?
Only with a tree preservation permit if they fall inside the dripline of an oak 10 inches or more across at 4.5 feet. The City's tree chapter counts excavating, trenching and running equipment inside the dripline as damage. Show the oak and its dripline on the plan, and consider shifting the footprint.
Does deck repair in Covina need a permit?
Not for swapping boards, but likely for structural work. The City's handouts do not separate repair from new construction. Replacing a ledger, posts, beams or joists is structural, and an attached deck already needs a permit, so call Building and Safety at (626) 384-5460 before the first board comes off.
Tell us about the deck you have in mind
Give us the size, how high the surface sits, whether it touches the house and whether an oak or a slope is nearby. We check the permit line, tree and fire zone questions before we call back.