Sacramento County Building Permits
Sacramento County building permits cover projects ranging from water heater replacements and kitchen remodels to new homes and commercial construction. This article explains which projects require permits, how to prepare an electronic application, where to submit plans and pay fees, and how to arrange inspections and complete your permit record.
The County Building Permit Office
The Sacramento County Building Permits & Inspection Division, part of Community Development, handles building permit applications, plan review, and construction inspections. Its online services support the permit process from application through issuance, revisions, and inspection scheduling.
The division accepts electronic plan submissions and electronic review for building projects of all sizes. Applicants should prepare digital files rather than plan on submitting paper construction drawings. The Building Assistance Center has moved to Goethe Road; the county also lists a downtown office. Both offices have published business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Addresses and the public phone number appear at the end of this article.
Questions should go to the staff responsible for the work involved. The division has separate residential and commercial plan review teams, field inspectors, and permit counter staff. The division contact directory identifies those groups. For an application question, contact permit staff; for the sequence of inspections on an active project, communicate with the field inspector.
Which Projects Require a Permit?
A permit is generally required before constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving, demolishing, or changing the occupancy of a building or structure. Requirements also apply to regulated electrical, gas, mechanical, and plumbing work, including installation, alteration, removal, conversion, and replacement.
The county identifies the following as common examples of work requiring permits:
New homes, buildings, accessory dwelling units, additions, and garage conversions.
Kitchen and bathroom remodels, tenant improvements, and changes of use or occupancy.
Electrical panels, circuits, ceiling fans, lights, and electric vehicle charging stations.
Heating and cooling systems, whole-house fans, water heaters, and gas lines.
New or replacement sewer lines and water service.
Reroofing, skylights, siding, stucco, and window replacements.
Patio covers, porches, enclosures, outdoor kitchens, swimming pools, and spas.
Solar photovoltaic systems and swimming pool solar systems.
Fences over seven feet tall, signs, and certain storage rack installations.
Decks, sheds, retaining walls, and termite or dry rot repairs require closer attention to the permit exemptions in Section 105.2 of the California Building Code or California Residential Code. The county’s list flags these categories because the details of the work affect the requirement. Do not assume that every project in one of these categories is exempt.
Replacement work can also require a permit. The county specifically states that window and door replacement requirements include retrofit and cut-in installations. Replacing an existing component does not, by itself, establish that the work can proceed without approval.
For a project-specific determination, consult the division and describe the actual work. The county’s building permit procedures and project requirements provide further explanations of permit requirements, residential applications, and field inspections.
Plans, Forms, and Application Documents
Applications must include the appropriate application form and, when required, plans drawn to a measurable scale and supplemental documents. Submit these materials electronically in PDF format. The documents needed depend on the project, so select the submittal list that matches the work rather than using an unrelated residential checklist.
The Building Forms & Documents page organizes the county’s application forms, project checklists, policies, and supporting documents. Several entries are particularly useful when assembling a residential application:
CO-06: Residential New Buildings and Additions Submittal List.
CO-36: Garage Conversion Submittal List.
CO-42: Residential Alteration Submittal List.
CO-43: Manufactured Home Submittal List.
CO-44: Patio Cover Submittal List.
CO-47: ADU Submittal Requirements.
CO-49: Residential Kitchen and Bath Checklist.
The same page includes documents for residential accessory structures, block walls, residential pools, roof-mounted photovoltaic systems, and electric vehicle charging stations. GI-21 addresses work exempt from a permit, while GI-29 provides a plot plan example. These documents serve different purposes: a project checklist identifies submission requirements, while an exemption document helps determine whether a permit is required.
Owner, Agent, and Contractor Forms
The county provides AP-16, Notice to Property Owner as Owner Builder; AP-17, Authorization of Agent to Act on Property Owner’s Behalf; and AP-36, Contractor Declaration. Review the forms relevant to the person submitting or taking responsibility for the application. An agent authorization and an owner-builder notice are separate documents addressing different roles.
Residential applicants can also access the county’s Residential Development Navigation Assistant through the building division website. After answering questions about the project, users receive a customized, printable guide identifying appropriate plans, supporting documents, and forms for the permit process.
Building Standards for New Submissions
The 2025 California Building Standards Code became effective January 1, 2026. The county states that construction projects submitted for permits on or after that date must comply with the updated provisions. Keep that submission date in mind when preparing plans or reviewing documents originally developed under an earlier code edition.
Electronic Applications Through Accela
The county uses Accela Citizen Access for online building permit services. Register for an account or sign in to an existing account to submit an application. The portal also contains other county services, including business and rental housing functions, so choose the building permit service for construction applications.
The county’s permit tutorial explains account creation, application and plan submission, permit status checks, fee payment, permit conditions, revised plan submissions, and access to approved documents after issuance. It is available through the division’s main page and can help applicants recognize the screens and actions involved before submitting their files.
Prepare the applicable PDFs before beginning the application. Use the project’s submittal checklist to organize the required plans and supplemental materials. Once an application is in the system, retain the record number so you can locate the same project when checking its status, paying fees, or arranging inspections.
Review the application’s status and any permit conditions in the portal as the project moves through review. Access to approved documents comes after issuance. For commercial work, the county expressly states that construction cannot begin until a valid building permit and approved, stamped plans and documents have been issued.
Residential Permits With Automatic Issuance
Certain residential applications can be submitted electronically and issued automatically after permit payment. The county identifies these categories:
New or replacement residential heating and cooling systems.
Residential electrical panel repair or replacement.
Residential reroofing without structural changes.
Residential sewer line repair or replacement.
Residential water heaters.
Residential solar permits, including solar with an energy storage system, through SolarAPP+ for contractor use only.
These categories have specific limits. For example, the automatically issued reroof category excludes structural changes, and the SolarAPP+ route is restricted to contractors. A project that includes other work should be evaluated against the appropriate application requirements rather than assumed to qualify for automatic issuance.
Plan Review and Permit Payments
The county directs applicants to pay plan review and permit fees through Citizen Access. After signing in, select “Search for a Building Permit,” locate the correct “Record Number,” and choose “Pay Fees Due” under “Actions.” Confirm that the record belongs to the intended project before proceeding with payment.
The county also lists full cashier services at both its downtown and Goethe locations until 4 p.m. daily. The online payment instructions are specific to plan review and building permit fees; use the action attached to the appropriate building record when making those payments.
For the residential categories eligible for automatic issuance, payment is part of the issuance process. For applications undergoing review, continue checking the record for its status, conditions, and approved documents rather than treating a fee payment alone as permission to begin construction.
New Homes and Detached ADUs
New home applications involve reviews beyond building plan review. The county identifies Technical Resources, LDSIR, the Planning Department, and the Sacramento Sewer District as required reviewers for new homes. Water Resources or other departments and agencies may also need to be involved depending on parcel conditions. The CO-06 submittal list is the county’s document for residential new buildings and additions.
All new one- and two-family dwellings require fire sprinklers under the county’s published requirements. Include that requirement in planning for a new dwelling rather than treating it as a later construction choice.
For detached accessory dwelling units, Sacramento County offers a selection of shelf-ready plans intended to support quicker, lower-cost construction. These plans are available to county residents in unincorporated areas only. The building division’s main page provides access to the plan selection, while CO-47 addresses ADU submittal requirements.
Revisions After Permit Issuance
A revision to an issued permit has a specific portal procedure. Sign in to Citizen Access, open “My Records,” and locate the original permit number. On that record’s line, select the green “Revision/Deferral Submittal” hyperlink to begin the revision application.
Have the revised plan sheets and supplemental documents ready to upload. The county requires clouding around revised information and a revision checklist identifying changes by sheet number. Revised sheets or documents must be free of previous approval stamps and notations. Enter a detailed description of the revision when prompted.
When the process is complete, the system generates a revision permit number using the original permit number followed by a suffix such as REV01 or REV02. Preserve that distinction when locating records: the original permit and its revision have related but different identifiers.
This revision procedure is not for SolarAPP+ applications. Do not submit a SolarAPP+ change through the standard “Revision/Deferral Submittal” workflow.
Inspection Scheduling and Deadlines
Sacramento County offers online, telephone, and text scheduling. The inspection scheduling instructions and inspection code list explain each method. Have the permit number and the appropriate inspection code ready before making a request.
Next-day inspections, when available, must be requested by 5 p.m. the previous day. The county also describes the telephone deadline as before 5 p.m. for the next workday. Availability controls the appointment date; submitting a request before the cutoff does not guarantee a next-day opening.
Online and Telephone Requests
Online scheduling requires a registered account and login. Search for the permit case, open the underlined permit number, and select “Schedule” in the inspections section. Choose the correct inspection code, select AM or PM, enter any special notes and a contact number, and submit the request using “Schedule Inspection.”
The automated telephone system uses the division’s public number provided in the office list below and is available seven days a week. Press 1 to schedule, 2 to cancel or reschedule, 3 for results, or 0 to speak with department staff. Follow the prompts for the permit number, inspection code, and other requested details.
Text Requests and Inspection Codes
For text scheduling, send a message to 855-280-5383 using “SCHEDULE,” “CANCEL,” “RESCHEDULE,” or “RESULTS.” Follow the interactive prompts. This is the inspection text service, separate from the division’s public telephone line.
The text system also accepts express commands. A scheduling request uses “S [permit number] [inspection code] [date] [AM/PM].” Cancellation uses “C [permit number] [inspection code],” while a results request uses “R [permit number].” Rescheduling uses “RESCH” followed by the permit number, inspection code, date, and AM/PM selection.
Inspection codes identify the work being inspected. Examples include 101 for footings, 104 for framing, 223 for rough electrical, 344 for top-out plumbing, and 460 for HVAC ducts. Final inspections also have separate codes, including 199 for structural final, 299 for final electrical, 399 for final plumbing, and 499 for final mechanical. Combination codes group specified inspections; choose the code appropriate to the project’s current stage.
Preparation for the Inspection Visit
Construct the project according to the approved, stamped plans. Request inspections before placing concrete or covering construction that needs to be examined. The inspection sequence varies with the construction type and scope, so discuss the required stages with the field inspector.
The work phase should be complete and ready before the appointment. At the site, provide:
Access to the work area, with animals secured.
The approved, stamped construction plans and supplemental documents, when applicable.
The permit, inspection card, and supporting documents included in the permit package.
An OSHA-approved ladder for roof or attic access, when applicable.
An AM or PM selection does not guarantee a particular arrival time. The county cannot schedule inspections for a specific time, though the assigned inspector may be able to provide an estimated window on the morning of the visit.
The daily inspection list and inspector contacts help identify the assigned inspector. The exported list is sorted by permit number and includes the inspection type, property address, inspection date, and inspector. Use the permit number to locate the appointment, then contact the assigned inspector that morning for an estimated time frame.
Final Approval and Permit Records
For a residential project, the permit and project are complete once the inspector signs off on the completed work. The signed final job card serves as the Certificate of Occupancy for residential projects only. Keep the permit, signed job card, approved plans, and supplemental documents together for future sale or refinancing needs.
Commercial projects may receive a signed Certificate of Occupancy. The residential job card rule should not be used as the completion-document rule for a commercial project.
For county records, the Sacramento County public records portal allows users to search previous requests and responsive documents or submit a new request. Search existing material first, since a prior response may already contain the records you need. This records request service is separate from Citizen Access, where applicants manage building applications, fees, revisions, and inspections.
Building Permit Office Locations
Sacramento County Building Permits & Inspection Division Downtown Office: 827 7th Street, Room 102, Sacramento, CA 95814
Goethe Office: 9800 Goethe Road, Sacramento, CA 95827
Phone: 916-875-5296