Fairfield, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

3 amends CBC Section 105 to spell out what triggers a permit in Fairfield and what does not. Exempt work includes one-story detached sheds and playhouses up to 120 square feet, prefabricated above-ground pools less than 18 inches deep and under 5,000 gallons, and roof-covering repairs under 100 square feet in any 12-month period. Everything else, including demolition and moving a building into, out of, or within the city, needs a separate permit. Demolition permits require a Bay Area Air Quality Management District Acknowledgment Letter before work starts, utility disconnection supervised by the affected utility, debris removal within 10 days, and liability insurance.

Before any building permit issues, the applicant must pay water meter, sewer, park and recreation, school impact, and construction license tax fees, and any contractor working on the job must hold a current Fairfield business license. Combined electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work on one project is issued as a single permit for residential jobs. A permit expires one year after issuance; the chief building official may grant up to two one-year extensions in writing, plus a one-time 90-day administrative extension if all inspections but the final have been completed. Applications go stale and are deemed abandoned one year after filing unless a written extension request is made before expiration.