# Remodeling and repairs in Bermuda Dunes

> **Quick answer:** Permits: Riverside County TLMA Building & Safety (unincorporated area). HOAs in Bermuda Dunes: moderate (high inside the country club, lower outside).

Source: https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/
Updated: 2026-11-06
Published by: Coachella Valley Remodeling, a free referral service for homeowners; not a contractor.

Bermuda Dunes used to be called Myoma. It became a place people moved to when Ernie Dunlevie and Ray Ryan started developing Bermuda Dunes Country Club in 1958. The course opened in 1962 and spent decades as a host of the Bob Hope Classic ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Dunes,_California)). The community is still unincorporated. It's about three square miles between Palm Desert, La Quinta and Indio, with 8,244 residents at the 2020 Census and a small general-aviation airport.

It doesn't fit the valley's usual stereotypes. The median resident is about 41, much younger than in Palm Desert or Indian Wells. Only about 8% of homes are held for seasonal use, and close to half of households rent ([Census ACS 2020–2024](https://censusreporter.org/)). A remodel here is as likely to be for a landlord between tenants as for a retiree. The rest of this page covers what that means in practice.

## What Bermuda Dunes homes look like

| Area | What you'll typically find |
|---|---|
| Bermuda Dunes Country Club | 1960s–70s club homes around a private golf course, many with original or once-updated kitchens and baths |
| Streets outside the club gates | 1980s–2000s tract homes, many of them rentals, with builder-grade cabinets and counters |
| Larger lots on the edges | A scattering of estate and acreage lots with custom homes |

By the numbers: the median owner-occupied home is valued at about $596,300, the median household income is about $90,800, and 64% of homes were built before 1990, with about 21% built in 2000 or later (ACS 2020–2024). Zillow doesn't publish a home-value series for Bermuda Dunes, so ask a local agent for recent sales if resale value is part of your decision.

## Permits: Riverside County, not a city

Because Bermuda Dunes isn't a city, there's no Bermuda Dunes building department. Riverside County's Transportation and Land Management Agency (TLMA) Building & Safety issues permits here.

- **The local office.** The county runs a [Desert Permit Assistance Center](https://rctlma.org/node/636) at 77588 El Duna Court in Palm Desert, so you don't have to drive to Riverside. The county has also offered over-the-counter plan check from that office by video session.
- **Online.** County applications and inspections run through its online permit system, [Riverside County PLUS](https://rivcoplus.org).
- **What's exempt.** The county's handout *Work Exempt From Permits* (284-094) lists painting, tiling, flooring, cabinets and countertops as exempt when they don't change walls, plumbing, mechanical or electrical. It also exempts faucet replacement and swapping outlets and switches in existing boxes ([county handout](https://building.rctlma.org/sites/g/files/aldnop406/files/migrated/Portals-5-Handouts-General-284-094---Exempt-work-12-22-1.pdf)).
- **What isn't.** Replacing drain or water pipe, moving a sink, range or gas line, adding circuits and opening walls all need a permit.
- **Check the parcel.** ZIP 92203 covers both Bermuda Dunes and part of Indio. If your home is inside Indio city limits, the City of Indio handles permits instead.

Whoever does the work needs an active California contractor license for any job of $1,000 or more in labor and materials. Verify it at [cslb.ca.gov](https://www.cslb.ca.gov/).

## The country club and the HOA picture

Inside Bermuda Dunes Country Club, assume there's an association with rules. Expect a gate list for contractors and deliveries, insurance certificates on file, set work hours and limits on dumpsters and parking on club streets. Exterior changes such as windows, doors, patio covers and paint colors usually need architectural review. Interior work needs approval only if your CC&Rs say so, so read them or ask. Under California Civil Code section 4765, an association that requires approval has to decide in writing and explain any denial.

Outside the club, many streets have no association at all. That makes scheduling simpler, but nobody is checking the contractor at the gate either. Doing that check yourself, or having someone do it for you, matters more there.

## Water, power and heat

- **Water.** Most of Bermuda Dunes is served by Myoma Dunes Mutual Water Company, which has supplied the area since 1953 from its own wells in the Coachella Valley aquifer. Its [2025 water quality report](https://www.myomawater.com/water-quality.html) shows average hardness of 113 mg/L (range 96–130), about 6.6 grains per gallon. Some portions are on CVWD's Cove Communities system, which averages 120 mg/L ([CVWD 2026 report](https://cvwd.org/CCR/2026)). Either way, expect gradual scale on faucet cartridges, shower glass, dishwashers and ice-maker valves.
- **Power.** Imperial Irrigation District serves most of the community, though Southern California Edison is listed for homes across Washington Street. Check your bill before you count on any utility rebate for an induction range or a panel upgrade.
- **Heat.** The area averages about 3.4 inches of rain a year and has recorded 125°F ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Dunes,_California)). Summer work needs early starts, and materials like adhesives, paint and cabinet finishes need to tolerate a hot house.

## What people here usually need

The housing mix points to three kinds of project:

1. **Refreshing a club home.** Kitchens and baths from the 1960s and 1970s with workable layouts. Refacing or new cabinets, new counters and an updated bath go a long way.
2. **Turning over a rental.** Paint, patching, fixtures, cabinet touch-ups and durable counters, done in days so the home isn't sitting empty.
3. **Updating a 1990s–2000s tract home.** Builder-grade oak cabinets and tile or laminate counters. Painting or refacing plus quartz is the common move.

Pick the service you need:

- [Kitchen remodeling in Bermuda Dunes](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/kitchen-remodel/)
- [Kitchen cabinets](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/kitchen-cabinets/)
- [Cabinet refacing](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/cabinet-refacing/)
- [Cabinet painting](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/cabinet-painting/)
- [Countertops](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/countertops/)
- [Bathroom remodeling](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/bathroom-remodel/)
- [Handyman services](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/handyman/)
- [Rental and second-home services](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/second-home-services/)

## What our partner contractor commits to in Bermuda Dunes

We introduce you, free, to our licensed, insured partner contractor, and you sign with and pay the contractor directly. Our partner agreement requires these:

1. **Licensed, bonded and insured, checked by us**: Before any introduction we look up our partner contractor's license at cslb.ca.gov: active, the right classification for your job, bond current, workers' comp on file or a valid exemption, plus a certificate of liability insurance. We check again before every new introduction.
2. **Your information goes only to our partner contractor, with your OK**: One licensed local partner contractor, named before it contacts you, and only if you approve. Never a call center or a list, and "stop" means stop.
3. **A small deposit, then pay as work gets done**: California caps the down payment at 10% of the price or $1,000, whichever is less, and payments can't run ahead of the work. Our partner agreement requires it too: no pay-in-full, no cash-only.
4. **A written, itemized scope**: Our partner agreement requires every task, the materials by name, what's excluded, who pulls permits, allowances for anything not chosen yet, and start and finish dates, before money changes hands.
5. **No surprise charges**: Every change is written, priced and signed by you before the work happens. Our partner agreement says the contractor won't charge for a change you didn't sign.
6. **Measure, draw, approve, then cut**: Cabinet layouts and countertop templates, seams and cutouts approved by you before anything is ordered or cut.
7. **Show up, or call ahead**: Our partner agreement requires appointments confirmed the day before, 24 hours' notice of changes and calls returned within one business day. We track no-shows.
8. **One local person who answers, plus photo updates**: A named contact at the contractor and one at our office. Owners who are away get photos at the end of every work day.
9. **Your home protected and left clean**: Our partner agreement requires floor and counter protection, dust control, stone cut outside or with dust extraction, debris hauled away, broom-clean every day.
10. **Walkthrough first, written warranty after**: Final payment only after a walkthrough and a finished punch list, and our partner agreement requires at least a one-year written workmanship warranty. If there's a dispute, we step in to mediate.

Two rules apply to every contract you sign. California law limits the deposit on a home improvement contract to the smaller of $1,000 or 10% of the price. After that, payments can't get ahead of the work done and materials delivered. The scope, materials, start date and who pulls any permit should all be written into the contract before anyone starts demolition.

**Free referral:** [Get a handyman](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/get-a-quote/handyman/)

## Neighboring communities

Indio, Palm Desert, Indian Wells and La Quinta are all within a few minutes, and each one is an incorporated city with its own building department:

- [Indio](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/indio/)
- [Palm Desert](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/palm-desert/)
- [Indian Wells](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/indian-wells/)
- [La Quinta](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/la-quinta/)

**Free referral:** [Get a free quote](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/get-a-quote/project/)

## Common questions

### Who issues building permits in Bermuda Dunes?

Riverside County, not a city. Bermuda Dunes is an unincorporated community, so permits go through the county's Building & Safety department. The county's desert-area office, the Desert Permit Assistance Center, is on El Duna Court in Palm Desert. Most homeowners let their licensed contractor pull the permit; the written contract should say who does.

### My mailing address says Indio. Am I in Bermuda Dunes?

Possibly. ZIP code 92203 is shared by Bermuda Dunes and part of Indio, so the mailing name doesn't settle it. Check your parcel on the county's map or your property tax bill. If you're inside Indio city limits, the City of Indio issues your permits instead of the county.

### Do I need a permit to replace my kitchen cabinets or countertops?

Usually not in Bermuda Dunes. Riverside County's Work Exempt From Permits handout lists cabinets, countertops and similar finish work as exempt when they don't change walls, plumbing, mechanical or electrical. Moving a sink, adding a circuit or opening a wall needs a permit.

### Who supplies water in Bermuda Dunes, and is it hard?

Most of Bermuda Dunes gets its water from Myoma Dunes Mutual Water Company, which pumps from its own wells; CVWD serves some portions. Myoma's 2025 report shows average hardness of 113 mg/L, about 6.6 grains per gallon. That's moderately hard: enough to scale faucets, shower glass and ice-maker valves over time.

### Can a contractor work inside Bermuda Dunes Country Club?

Yes, but expect the club and its association to control gate access, work hours, parking and sometimes exterior changes. Ask your association for its contractor rules and any approval form before you set a start date, and make sure your contractor's insurance certificate is on file at the gate.

## Related pages

- [Kitchen remodeling in Bermuda Dunes](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/kitchen-remodel/)
- [New kitchen cabinets in Bermuda Dunes](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/kitchen-cabinets/)
- [Cabinet refacing in Bermuda Dunes](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/cabinet-refacing/)
- [Kitchen cabinet painting in Bermuda Dunes](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/cabinet-painting/)
- [Kitchen countertops in Bermuda Dunes](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/countertops/)
- [Bathroom remodeling in Bermuda Dunes](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/bathroom-remodel/)
- [Handyman services in Bermuda Dunes](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/handyman/)
- [Rental and second-home services in Bermuda Dunes](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/bermuda-dunes/second-home-services/)
- [Kitchen remodel permits in the Coachella Valley, city by city](https://coachellavalleyremodeling.com/guides/remodel-permits-coachella-valley/)