Solano County, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- 2025 California Building Standards Code, Title 24
- Ag building exemption size
- Under 500 sq ft, 14-ft max span
- Ag exemption parcel size
- At least 20 acres
- Fence exemption
- 6 ft or less, not solid
- Permit term (most occupancies)
- 24 months from issuance
- Enforcing agency
- Building and Safety Division
Summary
Solano County requires a building permit for nearly all construction under the adopted California Building Code, but Code Sec. 6.3-20 carves out three narrow local exemptions: small satellite dishes, small agricultural outbuildings, and most fencing. Everything else, including additions, new dwellings, and structural work, needs a permit from the Building and Safety Division before work starts.
Section 105.2 of the California Building Code is amended to add the following exemptions from a building permit: (a) Satellite dish antennas, unless attached to a structure or mounted more than 15 feet above the ground (b) Purely agricultural, nonresidential buildings and/or structures not exceeding 500 square feet and with no structural span exceeding 14 feet. The family residing on the premises shall use the buildings and structures exclusively for agricultural operations, such as the housing of livestock and poultry, and for storage on the property. The property must consist of at least 20 acres and the exempted buildings or structures must be at least 60 feet from any property line. This exemption confers no right to an exemption from the requirement to obtain any electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits. (c) All fencing, unless the fencing height exceeds six (6) feet and is solid. A livestock corral or loading shoot is not considered solid fencing.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 1868, passed April 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
3 of the Solano County Code adopts the 2025 California Building Standards Code by reference as the county's building code (Sec. 3-03), and Sec. 2 in Sec. 3-20 to spell out what does NOT need one. The three exemptions are narrow: satellite dishes not attached to a structure or mounted 15 feet or less above ground; purely agricultural, nonresidential buildings under 500 square feet with no structural span over 14 feet, built by a family residing on at least 20 acres, sited at least 60 feet from any property line, and used exclusively for livestock, poultry housing, or storage; and fencing that is not solid and six feet or less in height (a livestock corral or loading chute does not count as solid fencing).
Sec. 3-20(b) specifically warns that the agricultural building exemption does not excuse an owner from separately obtaining electrical, plumbing, or mechanical permits for that structure. Applications for permits that are required must be signed by the property owner or a licensed contractor, engineer, architect, or authorized agent (Sec. 3-12), and structures in Occupancy Groups A, B, E, F, H, I, L, M, R-1, S, and U must be professionally designed under state Building and Professional Codes (Sec. 3-13). Permits for those occupancy groups expire 24 months after issuance, while R-3 and U permits are valid two years from issuance (Sec.
3-14). Fees for building permits, plan review, and inspections follow the Building and Safety Division's fee schedule referenced in Sec. 3-15. No permit may issue where an encroachment or grading permit is also required until that permit's prerequisites are met (Sec. 3-06), or where the Building Official is not satisfied the work will comply with existing law (Sec. 3-07).
Violations & Fines
Working without a required permit is an infraction under Sec. 6.3-09(a) and (e). Each additional one-day period after being cited for failing to obtain the proper permit is treated as a separate, additional violation subject to the same penalty. Beyond the infraction citation, Sec. 6.3-09(f) makes a violator liable for the county's costs, expenses, and disbursements incurred in correcting, abating, and prosecuting the violation, on top of any fine. The building official and designated deputies may issue citations and, under Penal Code Sec. 836.5, arrest violators (Sec. 6.3-09(d), 6.3-10(a)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build a fence in unincorporated Solano County?
Can I put up an agricultural shed without a permit?
How long is a Solano County building permit valid?
What happens if I build without a required permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Solano County
California rules heatmap·Compare Solano County to another location·View the California building safety overview
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