Aliso Viejo, CA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

The City of Aliso Viejo adopts its electrical standard in section 13.02.010(C) of the Aliso Viejo Municipal Code: the California Electrical Code, 2025 Edition, as published by the National Fire Protection Association. The City Council adopted it by Ordinance 2025-246 together with the Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Green Building, Energy, Fire and other 2025 codes, and the section declares that these codes, as amended by Chapters 13.02 and 13.04, constitute the building regulations of the city. The adopted codes are on file for public examination in the office of the building official. The amendment sections in Chapter 13.02 are titled for the Building Code, the Residential Code and the Wildland-Urban Interface Code, not the Electrical Code, so the permit and administrative rules come from Chapter 1 of the California Building Code as amended in section 13.02.060.

The permit rule is in section 109.4. Failure to pay fees and obtain a permit before commencing work is a violation, and the assessment includes double the required permit fees for work on a building, structure, mechanical, gas, electrical or plumbing system before obtaining the necessary permits. Paying the assessment does not excuse compliance or other penalties. Permit fees are set by resolution of the City Council under section 13.02.040.

Under section 105.5, every permit issued becomes invalid unless the authorized work commences 12 months after issuance, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days after it starts. The Building Official can grant, in writing, one or more extensions of not more than 180 days each, on a written request that shows justifiable cause. Disputes over alternate materials and methods go to the board of appeals under section 13.02.030, made up of the mayor and the other four council members, with the building official as secretary.