Updated October 2026. This Burbank page is about the paper trail behind your house: permits, finaled inspections, garage conversions and ADUs, and what to do when a past project never got signed off. Burbank Building & Safety and Los Angeles County pages were read on October 30, 2026.
Yes, you can sell a Burbank home by owner, and the permit file is where many sales stall. As of October 2026, the typical Burbank home was worth $1,167,100 (Zillow, September 2026). At that price, buyers and their lenders check whether the bedrooms, the back unit and the converted garage were built with permits. Burbank’s Public Records Portal lets you see the same file they will.
Jump to: 📂 Permit records · 🔨 Unpermitted work · 🏡 ADUs · 💲 Costs · 🤝 Beycome · ❓ FAQ
Key takeaways
- Burbank’s Public Records Portal shows building records online: permits, inspection records and certificates of occupancy.
- Building & Safety sits at 150 N. Third Street; public counter hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and to 3:00 p.m. Friday.
- New permit applications since January 1, 2026 fall under the 2025 California Building Code with Burbank’s local amendments.
- Burbank’s preapproved ADU program, set up under AB 1332, aims to cut permit issuance to 30 days with preapproved plans.
- Los Angeles County’s transfer tax is 55 cents per $500. Burbank isn’t one of the five cities that add their own, so it’s $1,284.25 on $1,167,100.
For the cost side and fire-zone rules, read our guide to selling a Burbank home without a realtor. Local listings and search tools are on our Selling a house by owner in Burbank, California page. Here we stay on one question buyers ask more than you’d think: was this all permitted?
How do you pull your Burbank permit history?
Go to the city before the buyer does. Burbank’s Building & Safety page links to a Public Records Portal for building records. Search your address and save what you find: every permit, the date it was issued, and whether it was finaled. A permit that was issued but never finaled is an open permit. To a buyer, that looks the same as no permit at all.
Make a short list as you go. Kitchen remodel, 2011, finaled. Re-roof, 2018, finaled. Garage conversion, 2021, issued, no final. That third line is the one to fix before you list. If the portal is missing something, the counter at the Community Services Building can help. The city asks residents to use its online services when they can.
Compare the file with the house. Count bedrooms and baths on the county record and in the permits, then count them in real life. A three-bed on paper that shows as four in your photos will raise questions in escrow. Our list of documents you need to sell your home shows what else to gather in the same pass.
What if some work was never permitted?
You have three choices, and each one is fair. You can get a permit now and have the work inspected. You can disclose it and price the home with that in mind. Or you can undo the work. What you can’t do is stay quiet. California’s disclosure law, Civil Code 1102 and the sections after it, requires you to tell buyers what you know about the property.
- Permit it now: slower and sometimes costly, because an inspector may ask to open walls. It gives the buyer the cleanest file.
- Disclose and price it: faster. Expect buyers to discount the unpermitted space, and some lenders won’t count it.
- Remove it: rare, but sometimes the least costly path for a small, rough addition.
Lenders matter here. An appraiser may not give full value to rooms without permits, and a gap between price and appraisal lands on you or the buyer. Before you sign, it helps to read up on federal consumer protections in residential real estate transactions, so you know what the buyer’s lender has to show them. Then put every known permit issue in writing, in the disclosures.
Does an ADU help or hurt a Burbank sale?
A permitted ADU usually helps. It’s rent, room for family or a home office, and Burbank buyers know it. The city even runs a preapproved ADU program. Under AB 1332, Burbank created it to cut planning and permit costs and to bring permit issuance down to 30 days when someone builds from a preapproved plan.
An unpermitted back unit is a different story. Buyers may still want it, but they’ll ask who can legally live there and whether a lender will count the rent. If you have a tenant in it, give the buyer the lease and the deposit record. Our guide to renting out your first home covers the landlord side if you’re keeping a rental elsewhere.
One more Burbank tip. The city’s building page links to Earthquake Brace + Bolt, a retrofit program. If you did a seismic retrofit, find the paperwork. Buyers of older Burbank houses ask about it, and a signed-off retrofit is easy to show.
What does selling by owner cost in Burbank?
Here’s the picture on the typical $1,167,100 home. Escrow and title fees vary, so get quotes.
| Cost | On $1,167,100 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County transfer tax | $1,284.25 | 55 cents per $500; no Burbank city tax |
| Beycome Basic MLS listing | $129 | $0 to Beycome at closing |
| Permit fees to close an old permit | Varies | Set by the city for the work involved |
| Escrow and title | Quoted by your escrow company | Split is negotiable |
| Buyer-agent pay | Your choice | Negotiable, never required |
Los Angeles County’s recorder lists only five cities with a special city rate: Culver City, Los Angeles, Pomona, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica. Burbank isn’t one of them. Values here moved just 0.2% in a year, per Zillow, so price from recent sales on your street, not from last spring’s headlines.
Do you need a realtor to sell in Burbank?
No, it’s not required; it’s your choice. An agent can chase down permits, price the unpermitted space and talk to the buyer’s lender for you. Plenty of sellers want that. Others are happy to do the city legwork themselves and pay a flat fee for the listing.
Sell smarter
List your home on the MLS from $99
A flat fee instead of a percentage, and $0 to Beycome at closing. You stay in control of your sale.
Sell your home →Buy smarter
Get up to 2% back at closing
On homes listed by other agents, Beycome credits you up to 2% of the price at closing (1% kept, $1,499 minimum; not on FSBO homes or homes listed by Beycome sellers).
Buy a home →Beycome lists Burbank homes on TheMLS, which Beycome’s page shows covering Los Angeles County, and Beycome’s CRMLS page lists the Burbank Association of Realtors in its data share. Your home goes on the major home search sites and the MLS. On the MLS through Beycome, it isn’t a FSBO listing: a licensed Beycome affiliate is the listing broker, while you keep control of the sale. Basic is $129, and Enhanced is $399, with $0 at closing. Every plan includes the maximum photos the MLS allows, e-signature and unlimited listing updates in your flat fee MLS listing for California FSBO sellers.
Want an expert on your side when the buyer’s inspector finds that old garage permit? Beycome Concierge gives you full support, and your expert negotiates with you, always on your side, while you make every call. It’s $1,399; Basic is $129 in California and Illinois. Beycome counts 22,000+ homeowners, over $225 million saved and a home sold every 30 minutes (Beycome internal data, October 2026).
Moving within the area? The Beycome buyer program is open to every buyer on homes listed by other agents (the commission credit can’t apply where no buyer-agent commission is offered, like most FSBO homes, or on homes listed by Beycome sellers). No upfront fee; Beycome keeps 1% of the price, minimum $1,499, and credits the rest of the buyer-agent commission at closing, with lender approval. The statewide rules are in our California by-owner selling guide, and the California FSBO contract guide covers the paperwork.
Frequently asked questions about selling a house by owner in Burbank
Is it legal to sell a house without a real estate agent in Burbank, CA?
Yes. No agent is required in California. You still give the state disclosures, and escrow records the deed with Los Angeles County.
Do I still need to pay a buyer’s agent commission if I sell by owner?
No, it’s up to you and fully negotiable. Since August 17, 2024, any offer of buyer-agent pay stays off the MLS, per NAR’s settlement FAQs. If you agree to pay, write it down.
How do I get my FSBO listing on Zillow and Realtor.com in Burbank?
List on the MLS through a flat fee broker. The MLS feeds the major home search sites, so your home shows next to agent listings once it goes live.
What disclosures are required when selling a home by owner in California?
The Transfer Disclosure Statement, a Natural Hazard Disclosure, the federal lead form for pre-1978 homes and HOA papers for condos. Known unpermitted work belongs in your disclosures too.
How long does it typically take to sell a house by owner in Burbank?
A few weeks on the market plus a 30 to 45 day escrow is common. An open permit can add weeks, so check the city’s records before you list.
Can I use a real estate attorney instead of an agent to handle the paperwork?
Yes. An attorney can draft the contract and the wording of a permit disclosure. Escrow still holds funds and records the deed.
What happens during escrow when I sell by owner in California?
The buyer deposits funds, inspects, gets the loan and appraisal, and removes contingencies. Escrow pays off your loan and the $1,284.25 county tax on a typical home, records the deed and sends you the balance.
How do I handle a low appraisal when selling by owner in Burbank?
Ask for the report and look at how the appraiser treated any unpermitted space. Then choose: lower the price, split the gap, or let the buyer bring more cash. A permitted file avoids many of these fights.
Is Burbank a good market for FSBO sales?
Values were flat, up 0.2% in a year to September 2026, per Zillow. Buyers have time to compare, so a clean permit file and a fair price stand out.
Permit records, office hours, building code dates and the preapproved ADU program per City of Burbank Building & Safety pages. Transfer tax and the five special-rate cities per the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Disclosure duties per Civil Code 1102 and 1102.3. Home values per Zillow Home Value Index, September 2026 (Burbank, CA). All read October 30, 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Beycome prices as of October 2026. “$0 at closing” means no Beycome fee at closing; transfer tax, escrow and title fees and any buyer-agent pay you agree to still apply. Listing term: the maximum the state and MLS allow. Buyer credit: minimum $1,499, lender approval, not on FSBO homes or homes listed by Beycome sellers.
Beycome Title: Florida, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. California sales close through an escrow company and a local title company.
Sources
- City of Burbank, Building & Safety, read in browser October 30, 2026.
- City of Burbank, Preapproved ADU Program (BPAP), read in browser October 30, 2026.
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, documentary transfer tax, read October 30, 2026.
- Civil Code 1102.3, read October 30, 2026.
- NAR, settlement FAQs, read October 30, 2026.
- Zillow Research, ZHVI, September 2026 snapshot.
- Beycome, TheMLS page and CRMLS page, read October 30, 2026.
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