Building permits in Sacramento, CA
Sacramento (Sacramento County) follows California's statewide codes, but runs its own permit intake, forms, fees, and review timelines through its building department. Here's the general picture for the trades — and where to confirm the specifics.
Sacramento issues building permits through the Community Development Department, which runs an Accela-based Citizen Portal for online submittal, inspection scheduling, and fee payment. The city adopted the 2025 California Building Standards Code via Ordinance 2025-0031 (Dec 2, 2025), with local amendments addressing seismic, climate, and topographical conditions. The Permit Center is at 300 Richards Blvd., 3rd Floor.
Verified local data — Sacramento
Every fact below is sourced from a public City of Sacramento document or portal page. Each carries the source URL and the date we last verified it.
- Permit portal
- Sacramento Citizen Portal (Accela ACA)
verified May 22, 2026 · source · Online permit submittal, inspection scheduling, and fee payment via Accela Citizen Access
- Submission methods
Online · In-person
verified May 22, 2026 · source · Online via the Citizen Portal; in-person at the Permit Center, 300 Richards Blvd., 3rd Floor
- Adopted code edition
2025 California Building Standards Code
verified May 22, 2026 · source · Ordinance 2025-0031 (adopted Dec 2, 2025) — adopts 2025 California Building, Plumbing, Residential, Existing Building, and Green Building Standards Codes with local amendments
- Fee schedule
- City of Sacramento Building Fees — current fee tables, fee estimator, and forms
verified May 22, 2026 · source
Other local notes
Permit Center: 300 Richards Blvd., 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95811. Help line (916) 264-5011.
verified May 22, 2026 · source
Commercial-permit base fee: $866 for project valuations $0–$99,999; an additional $0.005553 per dollar over $100,000 (graduated rates apply at higher valuations).
verified May 22, 2026 · source · Source: City of Sacramento Commercial Building Permit Fees and Charges handout (CDD-0216)
Statewide & city add-ons applied to most permits: Strong Motion Fee (valuation × 0.00028, $0.50 minimum); Green Building Fee ($1 per $25,000 of valuation); General Plan Fee ($2.60 per $1,000 of valuation, capped at $38,200); City Business Operations Tax (valuation × 0.0004, capped at $5,000/year).
verified May 22, 2026 · source
Online plan submittal, inspection scheduling, and fee payment go through the Accela Citizen Portal — registration required for first-time applicants.
verified May 22, 2026 · source · Source: City of Sacramento Online Permitting Registration Guide (Version 5)
Official building department
City of Sacramento Community Development DepartmentVerified Sacramento specifics are shown above. For project-specific fees, timelines, and counter staff, this department is the authority.
Permits by trade in Sacramento
Electrical permits
Service panel upgrades · Rewires and circuit additions · EV charger installs →
Plumbing permits
Water heater replacement · Repipes · Sewer line repair →
HVAC permits
AC / furnace changeouts · Heat pump installs · Mini-split systems →
ADU permits
New detached ADU · Garage or accessory-structure conversion · Junior ADU (JADU) within the existing home →
Solar permits
Rooftop solar PV systems · Battery energy storage (ESS) · Solar + storage retrofits →
Roofing permits
Full roof replacement (tear-off) · Re-roof / overlay where allowed · Structural sheathing or deck repair →
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