Merced County, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

070(A) makes it unlawful for anyone to erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert, or demolish a building or structure in the unincorporated county without first obtaining a separate permit from the building official, the deputy director of buildings within the Community and Economic Development Department. The section requires its own permit for structural, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical work, and generally for each building or structure, though a private attached garage sharing a lot with a residence can ride on the residence's permit; a 'separate structure' is defined as one covered by its own roof.

The application process runs through Chapter 1, Division II, Part 2 of the 2022 California Building Standards Code, which the county incorporates by reference with local amendments. 110 exempts detached, single-story storage sheds up to 120 square feet and 12 feet tall with no electrical or plumbing (one per dwelling), roadside stands for seasonal farm products under 200 square feet, wood or steel fences up to six feet, residential block/stucco/concrete walls up to four feet, and retaining walls up to two feet. 040 also drops any contractor-licensing requirement for work on single-family owner-occupied homes, as long as the finished work still meets the title's technical standards.

070(D), the county will not issue a building permit, certificate of occupancy, or other clearance for a parcel already cited for a Title 16 violation unless the new permit corrects that violation.