Downey, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

28(a) requires any owner or agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building, or to install, alter or replace an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, to first apply to the Building Official and obtain a permit before starting work. 28(b) exempts specific minor work: one-story detached accessory sheds and playhouses up to 120 square feet, walls and fences no taller than 42 inches, retaining walls under 4 feet, water tanks on grade under 5,000 gallons, new sidewalks and driveways under 800 square feet, above-ground prefabricated pools under 24 inches deep and under 5,000 gallons, and reroofing of 100 square feet or less within any 12-month period.

32, and state the estimated valuation. 28(c)(ii), an application is deemed abandoned 180 days after filing unless pursued in good faith or a permit issued, though the Building Official may grant one 180-day extension for justifiable cause. 28(f) becomes invalid if work is not commenced within 12 months, or if work is abandoned for 180 days after it starts; a permit issued as the result of a code enforcement action instead expires in 60 days. 36(d) imposes a separate investigation fee, equal to the permit fee, on anyone who starts work before obtaining the required permit, whether or not a permit is later issued. 40 requires a certificate of occupancy before a building may be used.