Mendocino County, CA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- CA Electrical Code 2025, Part 3 (§18.04.025(D))
- Application abandoned
- After 1 year of inactivity
- Permit expires
- After 1 year without approved inspection
- Extensions
- Up to 180 days each, written request
- Refunds
- Up to 80% of permit/plan-review fee
- Local electrical board
- Abolished under §18.04.045
Summary
Mendocino County adopts the 2025 California Electrical Code at County Code § 18.04.025(D) and rewrites its Annex H permit rules at § 18.04.045: applications lapse after a year of inactivity, permits expire without a yearly inspection, and the Building Official can grant 180-day extensions or an 80% fee refund on withdrawn work.
(4)Time limitation of application. A permit application for any proposed work shall be deemed to have been abandoned one (1) year after the date of filing, unless such application has been pursued in good faith as determined by the Building Official. The applicant must request an extension in writing, and demonstrate justifiable cause. The Building Official may grant one or more extensions in time, for periods of not more than 180 days each. Each extension requires payment of a fee established by the Board of Supervisors.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
045 rewrites several Annex H sections to fit county procedure. 15, which would have created a separate Electrical Board, "is deleted," leaving the Building Official as sole authority. 19(H) adds that "a permit application for any proposed work shall be deemed to have been abandoned one (1) year after the date of filing, unless such application has been pursued in good faith," with the Building Official able to grant extensions "for periods of not more than 180 days each" once the applicant requests one in writing and shows "justifiable cause," paying a fee the Board of Supervisors sets.
and an inspection resulting in an approval of the work has not been obtained," or if a full year passes between approved inspections; permits lapsed under five years can be reinstated for a fee. 19(E) lets the Building Official refund an erroneously collected fee in full, or up to 80 percent of a permit or plan-review fee on written request filed within a year. 23(B)(3)).
Violations & Fines
An electrical permit that lapses under § 80.19(H), or work done without one, falls under the same Title 18 enforcement as other building violations: § 18.08.030 imposes a violation fee equal to the normal permit fee if self-reported, double if the County discovers unpermitted work by complaint, and triple for commercial or industrial work, on top of infraction penalties under § 18.04.075 and Government Code § 25132, assessed as a new offense each week the citation remains uncorrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is an electrical permit good for in unincorporated Mendocino County?
Can I get an extension on an expiring electrical permit?
Is there a separate Electrical Board that reviews permits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mendocino County
California rules heatmap·Compare Mendocino County to another location·View the California building safety overview
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