Servant King Demolition
Walls down, permit pulled, inspection passed — without you learning your city's building code.
What Bay Area cities require before a wall or a structure comes down, and what it costs when the work gets done without that paperwork.
Whichever you prefer — call and talk it through, or text a photo and get a real price back. No forms either way.
The question this page answers
“Can I demolish a load-bearing wall myself, or do I need a licensed contractor and city permits? And what happens if you demolish without a permit?”
Legally, a homeowner can pull a permit on their own residence in California. Practically, removing a bearing wall requires an engineered beam sized for the load, temporary shoring while the beam goes in, and an inspection — and the failure mode is the ceiling.
If you are not sure whether a wall is bearing, assume it is until someone checks. Walls running perpendicular to the ceiling joists usually are.
A detached garage almost always requires a demolition permit. Sheds usually depend on square footage — many cities exempt structures under 120 square feet, but the threshold and the process vary city to city across the Bay Area.
Utility disconnects have to be signed off before demolition, and that lead time is what surprises people — not the permit itself. We pull the permit for you and schedule the inspections, so this is not a stack of paperwork you work out city by city on your own.
Tell us the city and what is coming out. We will tell you what it needs before anything starts.
Text a photo · (650) 414-3366A stop-work order, a penalty that is commonly several times the original permit fee, and a requirement to open the finished work back up for inspection. The one that costs real money comes later: unpermitted work surfaces during resale and can either kill the sale or come straight off the price.
It is worth doing once, correctly, with the paperwork.
“Showed up the same day, on time, worked fast, and extremely courteous.”
Chris M. · Livermore
“Super professional, handled with care, got the job done quick, fair quote.”
Nathan T.
“Fantastic service — on time and very reasonable price.”
Jim L. · San Francisco
Check what your city requires. Send photos and we come back with a real number, not a range.
We run four jobs a day, six days a week — Mondays and Saturdays fill first.
