Deck Builderin El Segundo, CA
A deck builder in El Segundo works inside a 0.60 floor area ratio that counts decks, with exclusions for low and open ones. The state permit exemption covers only decks of 200 square feet or less, under 30 inches and detached from the house, so an attached or raised deck needs a permit.
Decks in El Segundo are argued in square feet because the lots are small and the land is worth a great deal. Census estimates for 2020 to 2024 put the median owner-occupied home at $1,587,500 (margin of error $68,243), count 3,029 detached houses among 7,889 homes (38.4 percent) and show the 1950s and 1960s building 39.7 percent of all homes, so the typical job is a backyard deck on a tight postwar lot. The town incorporated on January 18, 1917 and grew from 8,011 people in 1950 to 14,219 in 1960 as those lots were laid out.
MDG Builders, CSLB #1040337, is a Tarzana general contractor. We draw the deck, put the zoning and permit questions to the City's Building and Safety Division and hire a licensed carpentry subcontractor to build it. Materials and ranges are on the decks page, and the El Segundo overview lists the other trades we manage here.
What El Segundo's Building and Safety Division and Zoning Code say about decks
Where decks permits come from in El Segundo: City of El Segundo Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division.
- The state list of permit-exempt work (Albany's copy of Residential Code R105.2) exempts decks of 200 square feet or less that are no more than 30 inches above grade at any point, are not attached to a dwelling or townhouse and do not serve the exit door required by R318.4.
- In El Segundo's R-1 floor area calculation, first-floor decks, verandas and porches under 30 inches high do not count, up to 500 square feet cumulative of higher first-floor decks and porches do not count if they are at least 50 percent open on the sides, and uncovered second-floor balconies and decks do not count (15-4B-3(F)).
- A raised deck in an R-1 front yard may encroach up to six feet into the 22-foot setback, over no more than 50 percent of the building width, only if its walking surface is 24 inches or less above grade and it has a lattice cover no higher than 10 feet, and a rooftop deck with railings is allowed on single-story accessory structures and the single-story portions of two-story ones, but not on top of a two-story accessory structure (15-4B-3(D)).
Sources for these rules
Does a deck count toward El Segundo's floor area limit on an R-1 lot?
Yes, unless it falls under one of three exclusions. The R-1 zone caps total building area at a floor area ratio of 0.60, with the second floor of the main building capped at 0.25, and the count includes decks, balconies, verandas, porches, habitable attics and accessory buildings (15-4B-3(F)). On a 5,000 square foot lot, the minimum for lots wider than 25 feet, that is 3,000 square feet in all and 1,250 on the second floor.
The exclusions are specific. First-floor decks, verandas and porches under 30 inches high do not count. Up to 500 square feet cumulative of higher first-floor decks and porches do not count if they are at least 50 percent open on the sides, and uncovered second-floor balconies and decks do not count. A detached accessory structure of 120 square feet or less is also left out. Ask the counter how your deck is measured before the drawings are final.
An ADU counts in the same ratio, so a deck, an ADU and a room addition all draw on one budget. Plan them together.
- Is the deck under 30 inches high everywhere?
- If higher, is it at least 50 percent open on the sides?
- Is it covered, which changes how it is counted?
Can you build a deck without a permit in El Segundo?
Only a small, low, free-standing one, if the local text follows the model. The state permit-exempt list, as the City of Albany reproduces it from the 2025 code, covers a deck of 200 square feet or less that is no more than 30 inches above grade at any point, is not attached to a dwelling or townhouse and does not serve the required exit door. El Segundo's own amendment to the list adds only block wall and concrete fences. The City's website and the usual code hosts refused our automated reading, so the section numbers here come from the GoCodebook mirror and need confirming with the City.
Beyond the exemption, Municipal Code 13-1-2 asks any owner who intends to construct, enlarge, alter or repair a building to apply for a permit first, and work started early pays an extra fee of 100 percent of the normal permit fee, or another amount the building official decides. We found no fee schedule, so no dollar figures appear here. Residential Code R109.1.7 also asks for a licensed surveyor's certificate of setbacks before the first foundation inspection on new construction, and we do not know whether deck footings trigger it, so ask.
A filed permit application is treated as abandoned after 12 months, with written extensions of up to 90 days each available, so do not file it long before you are ready to build.
How far can a deck reach into an El Segundo front or side yard?
The front yard gives a little. A raised deck may encroach up to six feet into the 22-foot front setback, over no more than 50 percent of the building width, only if the walking surface is 24 inches or less above grade and any lattice cover stays at or below 10 feet (15-4B-3(D)). Side yards are 10 percent of the lot width, never under 3 feet and never required to exceed 6 feet, and the rear yard for the main building is 5 feet.
Walls around a deck are checked as fences. A wall or fence may be 42 inches high anywhere on a lot, and on an interior or corner lot up to six feet behind the required front yard (15-2-4(A)), so a privacy screen on the front edge of a deck is a zoning question. Corner lots must also keep a 15-foot triangle clear of anything over 30 inches (15-2-6).
Hillside seismic rules for slopes steeper than 1 vertical to 3 horizontal do not apply to decks that neither support nor are supported by the main building. We did not map slopes by neighborhood, so ask whether your lot is steep enough for those rules to matter.
Can you put a roof deck on a garage or build a covered deck in El Segundo?
A rooftop deck with railings is allowed on single-story accessory structures and on the single-story portions of two-story ones, but not on top of a two-story accessory structure (15-4B-3(D)). Height for the main building is 32 feet and two stories with a pitched roof, or 26 feet and two stories with a flat roof (15-4B-3).
Accessory buildings on an R-1 lot may total no more than 1,200 square feet on a parcel. Without ADU approval they may not have a kitchen, a bathtub or shower, or be used for sleeping or rented, and the City records a covenant to that effect before it issues the building permit (15-4B-3(I)). A roof deck over a garage does not change those limits, and a bedroom or kitchen up there would be a different project.
The 0.60 floor area cap still applies to what is built up there, so ask whether a covered or walled rooftop deck is counted as floor area. Deck and cover plans should carry an engineer's view of the roof framing below.
Do you need a permit for deck repair in El Segundo?
Replacing worn boards in place is the easy case, though no City sentence we found confirms it, so ask. Rebuilding framing, a ledger, stairs or guards looks more like new construction under the Municipal Code 13-1-2 wording. The 2022 California Residential Code that we could read asks for a ledger of at least 2 by 8 pressure-treated lumber with no concentrated loads from beams or girders, never fastened to stone or masonry veneer (R507.9.1.1), and lateral hold-downs of two devices rated 1,500 pounds within 24 inches of each end, or four rated 750 pounds (R507.9.2). The City adopted the 2025 edition, so confirm the current numbers.
Termites matter. UC's pest management guidance says drywood termites are most common in southern California, where they work into decks and fences, and it recommends fixing moisture problems and sealing exposed wood.
Old paint is the other trap. A new ledger on a house built before 1978 may disturb lead paint, and EPA's lead-safe renovation rule exempts minor repair only at 20 square feet or less of paint outside. About 73 percent of El Segundo homes predate 1980, so ask any crew whether it is certified.
How high must a deck railing be in El Segundo, and what about a pool deck?
Plan on 42 inches. In the 2022 California Residential Code, which is the text we could read, a guard is required wherever the walking surface is more than 30 inches above grade within 36 inches of the edge (R312.1.1), the minimum height is 42 inches (R312.1.2) and openings must stop a 4 inch sphere (R312.1.3). The code text is on ICC's site. We did not check whether El Segundo's 2025 amendments touch these sections.
A deck beside a pool follows two codes. El Segundo's Chapter 13-8 adopts the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and states that it does not cancel the California Swimming Pool Safety Act, which the City's Residential Code carries as Appendix CI. Have the barrier, the gate and the railing agree on paper before the deck is drawn.
What does a deck builder charge in El Segundo, wood or composite?
We found no El Segundo price study, so the anchor is Remodeling magazine's 2025 Cost vs. Value report for Los Angeles. Its test deck, 16 by 20 feet with a bench, a planter, three steps and full railing, costs $18,419 in treated wood and returns 99.6 percent at resale, against $26,872 and 73.9 percent for composite. Angi's Los Angeles page, updated in October 2025, shows an average of $13,570 across $6,335 to $20,871. Wood is rated medium in confidence and composite medium to low, because the sources overlap on wood and part ways on composite.
Our planning ranges are $45 to $75 per square foot for treated wood and $65 to $110 for composite, with permits and engineering extra. A 14 by 20 foot deck then runs about $12,600 to $21,000 in wood or $18,200 to $30,800 in composite, and a 20 by 20 about $18,000 to $30,000 or $26,000 to $44,000. CAL FIRE's 2011 and 2007 maps show no hazard zone in El Segundo, though the City adopted the Wildland-Urban Interface Code by reference and we did not check the newer 2025 map.
CSLB's C-5 framing class covers framing and rough carpentry. Federal data for May 2025 show carpenters in the Los Angeles area at a mean of $37.79 an hour, a wage and not a billing rate. Our license check guide shows how to look up a number.
Deck photos from El Segundo and nearby communities
Footings, framing, railings and finished decks from El Segundo and neighboring South Bay towns, shown at the stages that matter. Tap any photo to enlarge it.
What decks costs around El Segundo
These dollar figures are Los Angeles planning ranges, not an El Segundo bid, and permits, engineering and any Planning review belong on their own proposal lines. For the same property, see flooring in El Segundo and concrete in El Segundo. Nearby comparisons: deck building in Manhattan Beach, decks in Redondo Beach, decks in Hawthorne, decks in Inglewood and decks in Los Angeles, plus the Redondo Beach overview. Our subcontractor guide explains who builds what.
| 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 |
Other work we manage in El Segundo
El Segundo deck questions, answered
Can I build a deck without a permit in California?
Only a small free-standing one. Under the state exempt list the deck must be 200 square feet or less, no higher than 30 inches above grade, detached from the house and not the required exit landing. In El Segundo we could not read the City's own text and zoning limits still apply, so call Building and Safety before you build.
What is the largest deck without a permit?
For El Segundo, the state model list sets 200 square feet, as long as the deck stays within 30 inches of grade, stands free of the house and is not the required exit landing. A larger or attached deck needs a permit. The City's amendment we read adds only block and concrete fences, so confirm the numbers with the counter.
How much would a 14x20 deck cost?
Our El Segundo planning ranges, built from Los Angeles sources, put 280 square feet at about $12,600 to $21,000 in treated wood and $18,200 to $30,800 in composite, with permits and engineering extra. Wood is rated medium in confidence and composite medium to low, so a site visit sets the real price.
How much would a 20x20 composite deck cost?
At about $65 to $110 per square foot, 400 square feet of composite comes to roughly $26,000 to $44,000 in El Segundo, with permits and engineering extra. Remodeling magazine's 2025 Los Angeles figure for a 16 by 20 composite deck with bench, planter and steps is $26,872. We rate composite pricing medium to low.
Is it cheaper to build a wood deck or composite deck?
Wood costs less to build in El Segundo, and the Los Angeles data show a wide gap: $18,419 for wood against $26,872 for composite in the 2025 Cost vs. Value report, with 99.6 percent recouped against 73.9 percent. Composite spares you the staining, while wood is exposed to termites and rot, so weigh upkeep alongside the build price.
How high can a deck be without a railing in California?
Up to 30 inches above grade within 36 inches of the edge, under the 2022 California Residential Code we could read. Above that a guard is required, at least 42 inches tall, with openings that stop a 4 inch sphere. A 3 foot high deck therefore needs a railing. We did not check El Segundo's 2025 amendments.
Can I get a permit after work is done?
Ask the City, because we found no El Segundo text that answers it. What the code does say is that anyone who starts before the permit is issued pays an extra fee of 100 percent of the normal permit fee, or another amount the building official decides (Municipal Code 13-1-2).
What happens if a deck is built without a permit?
In El Segundo the extra fee is 100 percent of the permit fee, or another amount the building official sets, under Municipal Code 13-1-2 and 13-2-2. The code text does not print dollar amounts. Ask the counter what a late permit would require for your deck.
Does a deck count toward the floor area limit in El Segundo?
Yes, unless it is excluded. The 0.60 floor area ratio counts decks, but first-floor decks under 30 inches do not count, up to 500 square feet of higher first-floor decks at least 50 percent open do not count, and uncovered second-floor decks do not count. Ask the counter how yours is measured.
What license does a deck builder need in El Segundo?
Framing and rough carpentry fall under CSLB's C-5 class, and a general building contractor can take a carpentry job. A job that needs a permit cannot use the $1,000 unlicensed work exception. Look the number up on the CSLB site and ask for a certificate of insurance before signing.
Tell us the size, the height and whether it touches the house
Share the rough size, how high the deck sits above the ground, whether it joins the house and what else is planned on the lot, such as an ADU or an addition. The floor area, yard and permit questions come with us to the first visit.