Oxnard, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Sec. 14-2, Sec. 14-3(B) through (F)
- Exempt fences
- 6 feet or under, no permit needed
- Exempt garden walls
- 3 feet 6 inches or under
- Exempt retaining walls
- 3 feet or under, no surcharge or liquids
- Application lapses
- 180 days if not pursued in good faith
- Enforcing agency
- Building and Engineering Division
Summary
Oxnard adopts the California Building Code by reference and narrows its permit-exemption list in Sec. 14-3(C): only fences 6 feet or shorter, garden walls 3 feet 6 inches or shorter, and retaining walls 3 feet or shorter that hold back no surcharge or hazardous liquid can go up without a building permit. Anything larger needs Building and Engineering Division sign-off first.
(C) Chapter 1 Division II, Section [A]105.2: Amend Section [A]105.2, items 2 and 4, to read as follows: Building: 2. Fences not over 6 feet high and concrete or masonry walls not over 3'-6" high as measured from the lowest finished grade to the top of the wall. 4. Retaining walls that are not over 3 feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge or impounding Class I, II, or II-A liquids.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Contains Supplement current through 1-26-2026).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 14-2 of the Oxnard Code of Ordinances adopts the 2025 California Building Code (CBC) by reference for all construction citywide, and Sec. 14-3(B) creates the Building and Engineering Division of the Community Development Department, headed by the building official, as the local enforcement agency. Sec. 2, to two narrower categories: fences that do not exceed 6 feet in height and concrete or masonry walls not over 3 feet 6 inches, measured from the lowest finished grade to the top of the wall, and retaining walls not over 3 feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless the wall supports a surcharge or impounds Class I, II or II-A liquids, in which case a permit is required no matter the height.
Everything above those thresholds, and every other category of building, structural, electrical, mechanical or plumbing work, needs a permit before work starts. Once filed, an application is deemed abandoned 180 days after filing unless it has been pursued in good faith or a permit issued, though the building official can grant one or more 180-day extensions on a written, justified request under Sec. 14-3(D). Plans, specifications, engineering calculations, soils reports and structural observation programs must accompany the application under Sec. 14-3(E); the building official can require a licensed architect or engineer to prepare them even where state law would not otherwise demand it.
Permit fees for building, electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work are set in the fee schedule the City Council adopts by resolution or ordinance under Sec. 14-3(F).
Violations & Fines
Building, altering or enlarging a structure without the required permit is a code violation under Sec. 1-10: prosecutable as a general misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, or as an infraction starting at $100 for a first offense and increasing to $500 for a third violation of the same section within a year, with each day of unpermitted work a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oxnard
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