How to Get a Building Permit in Sacramento County

Which Projects Need a Permit

This is the question we get most. Here’s the breakdown for home safety modifications in Sacramento County.

Based on Sacramento County Building Division requirements. For a full breakdown of ramp pricing, see our wheelchair ramp cost guide for Sacramento. City of Sacramento has the same standards but a different permit office (300 Richards Blvd). If your home is within city limits, check with the City’s Community Development Department.

The general rule: if the project changes plumbing, electrical, or the structure of the house, it needs a permit. If you’re attaching something to an existing surface without altering what’s behind it, it probably doesn’t.

Where to Apply for a Building Permit in Sacramento County

Unincorporated Sacramento County

Sacramento County Permit Center, 827 7th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Open Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm. You can walk in — no appointment needed for residential permits. There’s also an online portal at the Sacramento County website where you can submit applications and check status for most residential projects.

City of Sacramento

If your property is within city limits (not unincorporated county), you go through the City’s Community Development Department at 300 Richards Blvd, 3rd Floor. Same general process, different office. The City also has an online portal.

Other cities in Sacramento County

Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, Folsom, and Galt each have their own building departments. If you’re in one of those cities, that’s where you apply. Your contractor will know which jurisdiction you’re in.

Fees

Sacramento County uses a fee schedule based on the estimated construction value. For most home safety projects, here’s what to expect:

Wheelchair ramp: $150-$300
Bathroom remodel: $200-$400
Walk-in tub: $200-$350
Doorway widening: $150-$250
Roll-in shower: $200-$400

These fees cover plan review, the permit itself, and one inspection. Additional inspections (if you fail the first one) may have a re-inspection fee of $75-$150. Use our Cost Calculator to estimate total project costs including permit fees.

Timeline

For a simple residential project like a wheelchair ramp or walk-in tub, plan on 2-4 weeks from application to permit in hand. That breaks down roughly like this:

Week 1: Submit your application with plans.
Weeks 2-3: Plan review. The county checks your plans against California Building Code.
Week 3-4: Corrections (if any), approval, fee payment, permit issued.

Bigger projects — a full bathroom gut or major structural work — can take 4-8 weeks for plan review. But for the kinds of home safety modifications most people need, 2-4 weeks is typical.

What You Need to Apply

For a simple residential project, the application is pretty light:

1. Completed application form. Available at the Permit Center or downloadable from the county website.
2. Site plan. A drawing of your property showing where the work will be. Doesn’t have to be professional — a clear sketch with measurements works for simple projects.
3. Construction drawings. For a ramp: show the slope ratio, width, length, handrail height, and landing dimensions. For a bathroom remodel: show the plumbing layout and fixture locations.
4. Contractor information. Your contractor’s CSLB license number, workers’ comp policy number, and business license.

Your contractor should prepare all of this. If they say “you don’t need a permit for this” on a project that clearly needs one, that’s a red flag. Walk away.

The Inspection

After the work is done, you (or your contractor) schedule a final inspection. A county building inspector comes out and checks the work against the approved plans and California Building Code.

For a ramp, they’ll check: slope ratio (max 1:12 per CBC Section 1133A.4), width (min 36 inches), handrails (34-38 inches high, on both sides), landings (60×60 inches minimum at top and bottom), and surface material (non-slip).

For a bathroom remodel, they’ll check plumbing connections, electrical (GFCI outlets within 6 feet of water), waterproofing behind tile, and fixture clearances.

If it passes, you get a signed-off permit card. Keep it. You’ll want it when you sell the house.

If it fails, the inspector writes up the corrections needed. Your contractor fixes them and you schedule a re-inspection. Most failures on home safety projects are minor — a handrail that’s half an inch too low, a missing outlet cover. Not the end of the world.

What Happens If You Skip the Permit?

Nothing. For a while.

The county isn’t driving around looking for unpermitted ramps. You could skip the permit and live with the modification for years without anyone saying a word.

Then you sell the house.

The buyer’s home inspector flags the unpermitted work. The title company flags it. The buyer’s lender flags it. Now you’ve got three problems at once, right when you’re trying to close a sale.

The county can require you to retroactively permit the work. That means paying the original permit fee plus a penalty — Sacramento County typically charges double the permit fee for after-the-fact permits. And the work has to pass inspection as-is. If it doesn’t meet code, you tear it out and redo it. On your dime. During escrow.

We’ve seen a $250 ramp permit turn into a $3,000 problem at closing. The math doesn’t work. Just get the permit.

Your Contractor Should Handle This

A licensed contractor who does this kind of work in Sacramento County already knows the permit process. They should:

1. Tell you upfront whether your project needs a permit
2. Prepare the application and drawings
3. Submit the application (or go with you to submit it)
4. Include the permit fee in their bid
5. Schedule the inspection when the work is done
6. Fix any corrections the inspector flags

If your contractor says “let’s just skip the permit, it’ll save you a few hundred bucks” — stop. That’s a contractor who’s cutting corners on the paperwork, and they might be cutting corners on the work too. Under California Business & Professions Code Section 7090, a contractor can lose their license for performing work without required permits. You can check any contractor's CSLB license in about 60 seconds. And before you hand over any money, make sure you understand California's 10% deposit rule.