San Leandro, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Building Code § 105.1 (Ch. 7-5, Art. 1)
- Permit required for
- Construction, alteration, repair, demolition, occupancy change
- Application abandoned after
- 180 days without pursuit
- Permit expires
- 180 days without work start or after stoppage
- Unpermitted-work penalty
- Investigation fee plus 3x permit fee (§109.2(5))
- General Code penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail (§1-12-200)
Summary
San Leandro requires a permit before construction, alteration, repair, demolition, or an occupancy change, and before any regulated electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing work, under Building Code Section 105.1 (Chapter 7-5, Article 1). Work done without one is illegal on its own, permits lapse after 180 idle days, and the City charges a triple-fee penalty for unpermitted work.
Any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by this Code, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the Building Official and obtain the required permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4967405; v8 updated 2026-07-06).
Full Breakdown
1 of the City Building Code (Chapter 7-5, Article 1) requires any owner or authorized agent to make application to the Building Official and obtain a permit before construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, demolition, or an occupancy change, or before installing, altering, or replacing an electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system regulated by the Code. 3. The Building Official must act within a reasonable time and reject an incomplete application in writing, stating the reasons. An application is deemed abandoned 180 days after filing unless it is being pursued in good faith or a permit has already issued; the Building Official can grant written extensions of up to 180 more days for justifiable cause.
5. 1 separately bars anyone from owning, using, occupying, or maintaining an "Unpermitted Structure," defined as anything built, altered, or converted at any point without the required permits and approvals. 2, including detached tool and storage sheds under 120 square feet, fences under 7 feet in the rear setback, and retaining walls under 4 feet.
Violations & Fines
Building without a permit is not just unpaid paperwork: Section 105.1.1 bars anyone from owning, using, occupying, or maintaining an "Unpermitted Structure," and Section 109.2(5) lets the Building Official investigate before any late permit issues and charge an investigation fee equal to the permit fee, plus a penalty of three times the permit fee before the permit is released. Municipal Code Section 1-12-200 also makes any Code violation a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, or a lesser infraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Leandro
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