Folsom, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Excavation trigger
- >5,000 sq ft or 800 cu yd
- Flood/erosion zone trigger
- >2,500 sq ft or 400 cu yd
- Fill trigger
- >50 cu yd on one lot
- Permit issuer
- Public works director
- Permit term
- 1 year, extendable up to 1 more
- Penalty
- Infraction, $50/$100/$250 escalating
Summary
Folsom requires a grading permit from the public works director before any excavation or fill that crosses specific size limits. Municipal Code Sections 14.29.200 through 14.29.202 set the thresholds, from an excavation over five thousand square feet or 800 cubic yards down to just 2,500 square feet or 400 cubic yards inside a flood or erosion hazard area.
Unless exempted under Section 14.29.170, a grading permit is required from the public works director prior to the initiation of any grading, excavation, fill or dredging activities included under Section 14.29.201 or Section 14.29.202. ... A grading permit is required for any excavations that: 1. Disturbs more than five thousand square feet in surface area or more than eight hundred cubic yards total cut area; or 2. Disturbs more than two thousand five hundred square feet in surface area or more than four hundred cubic yards total cut area in a flood hazard or erosion hazard area; ... A grading permit is required for any fill that: 1. Exceeds fifty cubic yards on any one lot; or 2. Exceeds twenty-five cubic yards on any one lot in a flood hazard or erosion hazard area.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 1369, passed April 28, 2026).
Full Breakdown
170. 201 requires an excavation permit once a project disturbs more than five thousand square feet of surface area or moves more than eight hundred cubic yards of cut, a threshold that drops to twenty-five hundred square feet or four hundred cubic yards inside a flood hazard or erosion hazard area, and it also applies once a cut goes deeper than two feet or creates a slope steeper than two horizontal to one vertical and taller than five feet. 202 sets parallel fill thresholds: more than fifty cubic yards on a lot, twenty-five cubic yards in a flood or erosion hazard area, an unsupported fill higher than five feet, fill deeper than one foot on natural terrain steeper than two-to-one, fill deeper than three feet meant to support a structure, or fill that blocks a drainage course carrying significant storm runoff. 240. 210.
Violations & Fines
Grading without the required permit is an infraction under Section 14.29.430: a fine up to $50 for a first violation, up to $100 for a second within a year, and up to $250 for each additional violation in that same year, and the city attorney can sue to enjoin or undo work performed without or in violation of a permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much dirt can I move in Folsom before needing a grading permit?
Are the thresholds lower near a flood-prone area?
How long does a Folsom grading permit last?
What if my grading permit application is denied?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Folsom
California rules heatmap·Compare Folsom to another location·View the California building safety overview
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Building Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sacramento County handle building permits.