Tustin, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Sec. 8101(e) adds three permit provisions to the City's adopted Building Code. Under 105.1.3, the Building Official may issue permits for grading and for construction, demolition, addition, alteration and installation of improvements, and the section lists what counts: streets, parking lots, curbs and gutters, driveways, sidewalks, disabled access ramps and signage, storm drains, junction structures, catch basins, sewer mains and laterals, water mains and services, landscaping irrigation, and other on-site improvements, all of which must also comply with the City's Grading Ordinance and Water Quality Ordinance.

Section 105.1.4 requires a permit before any building or structure is moved or relocated, with the Building Official determining which year's codes apply to the relocated structure. Section 105.1.5 requires a permit before any building or structure, including an in-ground swimming pool, is demolished, and the Building Official can collect a refundable cash deposit or surety bond, set at $5,000 plus $2 per square foot over 1,000 square feet, to cover cleanup or repair if the permittee defaults. Beyond these additions, Sec. 8101(b) broadens the underlying Building Code's scope to reach every property in the City except work primarily in a public right-of-way, public utility towers and poles, unregulated mechanical equipment, hydraulic flood control structures and local-agency water or electrical facilities.

Sec. 8101(g) and (h) cap a permit application at 12 months before it expires unused, and cap an issued permit at 12 months to start work or 180 days of suspension before it lapses, with up to two 180-day extensions available on written request.