Sacramento County, CA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- Building Permits and Inspection Division
- Full plan review
- Not required for reroofs
- Base fee
- 1.5 hourly units (1-10 squares)
- No permit before starting
- Violation fee equals permit fee
- Coverage
- Unincorporated area only
Summary
Reroofing a house or building in unincorporated Sacramento County requires a building permit from the Building Permits and Inspection Division. The county's construction permit fee schedule lists reroofs among the work billed as a building permit, separate from projects needing full plan review.
Other Building Permit Fees ... Carports, decks, patio covers, fences, reroof, demolitions, fire repairs, and other structures not requiring a plan review.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4941150; v18 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
Under the adopted California Building and Residential Codes (Sacramento County Code §§ 16.04.030, 16.10.030), all repair of a building or structure in the unincorporated area must conform to the Building Code, and the county's fee schedule confirms reroofing is charged as a building permit item. Section 16.90.030(C)(1) groups "reroof" with carports, decks, patio covers, fences, demolitions and fire repairs as work that needs a building permit but not a full plan review. Fees run on a sliding hourly-unit scale by roof "squares," starting at a 1.5 hourly-unit base fee for 1 to 10 squares.
Violations & Fines
Starting reroofing work before the permit issues triggers a violation fee equal to the full building permit fee, per Building Code Section 109.4 as amended by Sacramento County Code § 16.02.080, in addition to the permit fee itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to reroof my house in unincorporated Sacramento County?
What happens if I reroof without a permit first?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento County
California rules heatmap·Compare Sacramento County to another location·View the California building safety overview
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