Sonoma County, CA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Section 7-13(A) adopts twelve parts of California Code of Regulations Title 24 by reference, and item (6) is the 2025 California Plumbing Code (CPC). The adoption covers every code section and appendix marked as adopted in the matrix adoption tables, plus three extra appendixes, except where later subsections of § 7-13 add, amend, delete or revise text. Section 7-18 records that these local changes rest on Health and Safety Code §§ 17958.7 and 18941.5 and local climatic, geographical or topographical conditions, with the findings on file with the clerk of the board of supervisors.

Permit life is shortened by local amendment. Under § 7-13(B)(2), CPC Chapter 1, Division II, Section 104.4.3 reads that a permit becomes invalid unless work starts within 12 months of issuance, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 12 months. The permittee requests an extension in writing and must show justifiable cause; the chief building official grants extensions of not more than 180 days each. Once a permit has expired, a new or renewed permit must cover all work needed to finish the project, including completed work the department has not yet inspected and approved. The state expiration text in CPC Section 104.4.3.1 is deleted.

Fees follow § 7-13(B)(4), which replaces CPC Section 104.5. Each permit fee comes from the schedule set by the Board of Supervisors. Incomplete or changed plans trigger an additional plan review fee. The chief building official can cut plan review fees by 25 percent for approved peer or third party review, and can waive the plan check fee on the second and later identical buildings for one year after the original payment. Reinspection fees apply when work is not ready or corrections are not made, and no further inspection happens until they are paid. Under § 7-9, 90 percent of a plumbing permit fee is refundable if the permit is withdrawn, cancelled or expires before any work or inspection, and a refund request must come within one year of payment.

Some work needs no plumbing permit under § 7-13(C)(2): stopping leaks in drain, water, soil, waste or vent pipe, clearing stoppages, repairing leaks in pipes, valves or fixtures, removing and reinstalling water closets without rearranging valves, pipes or fixtures, and swapping existing fixtures for low flow fixtures under Civil Code § 1101.1. Replacing a concealed defective drain or vent pipe with new material counts as new work and needs a permit and inspection. Agricultural exemption permits under § 7-7 never cover a building with waste plumbing, and plumbing in exempt farm buildings still needs its own permit and inspections.

Section 7-13(E)(2) rewrites CPC Section 713.8 so every dwelling or gathering place has adequate toilets connected to a public sewer, a septic tank with underground drains, or another system the chief building official approves. The code notes that more than 85 percent of developed parcels in the county rely on septic systems.

Appeals of a chief building official decision must be filed within 30 days under § 7-13(B)(1), and the local appeals board's decision is final.