Fresno County, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

080 amends Section 105 of the 2022 California Building Code and Section R105 of the 2022 California Residential Code to set the county's own permit procedures for building, mechanical, electrical or plumbing work in the unincorporated area. Builders may file one consolidated application covering any combination of the four permit types instead of separate applications, and combining them on a single form earns a five percent reduction in the permit fee. " The Building Official can extend that deadline up to two years from original issuance on written request, with further extensions possible at the official's discretion.

Anyone caught working after a permit lapses is issued a violation and must stop until a new permit issues; re-issuance costs half the original fee if requested within six months of expiration and no substantial plan changes were made, but past six months a brand-new permit is required at current fee-schedule rates. Plan reviews carry their own twelve-month shelf life under the same section: if no building permit is pulled within a year of the plan review's completion, the review itself expires, though the Building Official may grant a one-year extension.

Anyone who starts construction before securing the required permit faces a separate Work-Without-Permit violation fee, twice the normal permit cost for the unpermitted portion of work, on top of the standard permit fees. Applicants must submit two complete, to-scale sets of plans, including a site plan, for review, all reviewed together except as allowed for larger commercial and industrial projects.