Davis, CA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)
Key Facts
- Application deadline
- 15 working days before close of escrow
- Report issued
- Within 5 working days of inspection
- Buyer correction window
- 90 days after sale
- Certificate validity
- 18 months
- Administrator
- Chief Building Official or designee
Summary
Before selling certain residential units in Davis, owners must apply for a resale inspection under Municipal Code Article 8.10. The city inspects for health and safety code compliance, issues a report of any violations, and the buyer gets ninety days to fix what wasn't corrected before closing.
Not later than fifteen working days prior to close of escrow transfer of title or change in ownership or end of any inspection period stipulated by the agreement of sale of any unit, the owner, or authorized representative, shall file with the administrator a written application for a report on a form to be prescribed by the administrator and accompanied by the current application fee. ... After the application required by Section 8.10.020 is received, the administrator shall schedule for the next available inspection date an inspection of the unit to be made for compliance with the requirements of this article relating to health and safety standards for units. ... When an inspection has been completed, the administrator shall issue a report. ... You, as Buyer, will be required to correct within 90 days of the sale or exchange the listed violations which are not corrected and reinspected or self-certified prior to sale of property, or in such time as determined by the Administrator.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4915048; v22 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
10 of the Davis Municipal Code requires a city inspection before certain residential property changes hands. 020. 050. The report lists the building's address, inspection dates, and an itemized list of violations that must be corrected, plus a required notice telling the buyer they must correct any uncorrected, itemized violations within ninety days of the sale, or in whatever time the administrator sets. 070. 060. Multifamily buildings and other occupancies of four or more units instead file a self-certification form with the required fee before close of escrow rather than undergoing this inspection.
Violations & Fines
It is a violation of Article 8.10 to complete a sale or exchange before the administrator and buyer have executed the report, and separately a violation for a signed copy of the report not to reach the administrator within five working days of the sale. A buyer or later owner who doesn't correct itemized violations within ninety days, or the administrator's extended deadline, remains in violation of the article until the work is done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a city inspection before selling my Davis house?
How long does a buyer have to fix violations found in the report?
How long is a resale certificate good for?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Davis
California rules heatmap·Compare Davis to another location·View the California building safety overview
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