El Cajon, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

030 lists the permits the Building Safety Division issues and for which the finance department collects fees: building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, housing, compliance, demolition, relocation, fire, vapor recovery, mobile home, mobile home park operating, sewer connection, and fire alarm permits, plus the dwelling unit construction license tax and strong motion instrumentation tax. 050, as amended by Ordinance 5158 in October 2025, sets the permit lifecycle: a building permit for new housing construction becomes invalid if work is not commenced within one year of issuance, or if work is suspended or abandoned for one year after starting, and no permit can run longer than two years even with extensions.

The building official may grant one or more written extensions of up to one hundred eighty days each if the code has not materially changed, but must set a shorter expiration if code violations exist on the project. Stand-alone electrical, plumbing, mechanical, or fire permits not tied to a building permit expire after one hundred eighty days without substantial, inspected work. 055 lets the building official refund up to eighty percent of a paid permit fee when no work has been done, or up to eighty percent of a plan review fee when an application is withdrawn before examination begins; refund requests must be filed in writing within one hundred eighty days of payment. 060, appointed by the city council.