Planning and Estimating: the office side of building
15% of the B exam. It asks what a general contractor does before and around the work: reading the documents, catching errors, getting inspections in order and pricing the job.
What CSLB says it covers
- Scope of work and code compliance — what the contract and the code require, which edition applies, what needs a permit.
- Design and construction error identification — spotting a conflict between drawings, or work that will not pass.
- Shop drawings, plans and specifications — what each document is and which one governs what.
- Field inspection performance — the inspection sequence and what must be done before each.
- Coordination of project — sequencing trades so nothing gets covered before it is inspected.
- Cost estimation for materials, equipment and labor — quantities, waste, productivity, markup.
Facts worth having ready
| Rule | Number |
|---|---|
| New edition of Title 24, California's building code CA Building Standards Commission, Guide to Title 24 | every 3 years |
| Detached one-story tool or storage shed without a building permit, max floor area LA County list of work exempt from permits | 120 sq ft |
| Retaining wall without a permit, measured from bottom of footing (no surcharge) LA County list of work exempt from permits | 4 ft or less |
| Concrete in footings may be poured Permit Sonoma inspection sequence | after the foundation inspection |
| Grade falling away from the foundation City of Burbank 2025 plan check list | 6 in in the first 10 ft |
| Nominal 2×4 actual dry size American Wood Council span tables, 2024 | 1½ × 3½ in |
Permit exemptions are set by each city or county when it adopts the code, and many are stricter than these; the LA County list is an example, not a statewide rule. Checked 29 September 2026.
Where people lose points
- “Exempt from a permit” is not “exempt from the code.” Work that needs no permit still has to meet code, and the local list decides what is exempt.
- Inspection before cover. Almost every sequencing question comes down to this. Footings are inspected before concrete; rough plumbing, electrical and mechanical pass the close-in inspection before insulation goes in; lath is inspected before stucco (Permit Sonoma inspection sequence). If an answer covers work before its inspection, it is wrong.
- Markup versus margin. Profit as a share of the selling price is margin. Adding the percentage to cost gives a lower margin than the question asked for. Worked through in estimating math.
- Nominal versus actual. A 2×4 is 1½ × 3½. Use actual sizes for fit and clearances, nominal sizes for board feet.
- Units. Thickness in inches in a volume in feet; square feet where the price is per square yard (divide by 9, not 3).
How the questions tend to read
Short job scenarios: a set of dimensions to turn into a quantity, a document conflict to resolve, a step that has to happen before the next one. Two examples of our own, written the same way (not actual exam questions):
Your cost on a job is $46,000. You want a profit of 8% of the selling price. What do you bid?
$50,000. Price = cost ÷ (1 − 0.08) = 46,000 ÷ 0.92. Adding 8% to cost gives $49,680, and $3,680 is only 7.4% of that price.
Footing trenches are dug, forms are set and the steel is tied. The concrete truck is booked for tomorrow morning. What has to happen before the pour?
The foundation inspection has to be made and approved. The foundation inspection is made after excavation, forms and reinforcing steel are in place, and concrete is not poured until after it (Permit Sonoma inspection sequence).
How to study it
- Walk a job in your head, in order. Permit, layout, excavation, foundation inspection, pour, framing, sheathing and nailing inspection, rough-ins, close-in inspection, insulation, drywall or lath inspection, finishes, final. Most sequencing questions are a step out of that order.
- Do the math daily for a week. Fifteen minutes of quantities is worth more than an hour of reading. Start with our four worked examples.
- Read one local permit-exemption list and one inspection-sequence handout. Your city or county publishes both; they are short, and they are how the code looks on a real job.
- Budget. In our B study plan this section gets about 2½ hours over two weeks and 4 over four, plus the separate math drills.
Common questions
What is on the Planning and Estimating section of the B exam?
Scope and code compliance, catching design and construction errors, plans, specifications and shop drawings, field inspections, coordination and cost estimating. About 15% of the exam.
Do I need to know local permit rules?
Expect the principle rather than one city's list: some minor work is exempt, the local jurisdiction decides what, and exempt work still has to meet code.
Last reviewed 29 September 2026 against the CSLB General Building (B) study guide 13E-B (03-2026), the California Building Standards Commission Guide to Title 24 (2025), Los Angeles County's list of work exempt from permits, Permit Sonoma's inspection sequence handout, City of Burbank's 2025 residential plan check list and the American Wood Council span tables (2024). Local rules vary; confirm with your building department. Study guidance, not legal advice. We are not affiliated with CSLB or PSI.