City of Union City

Union City states permits must be obtained before the start of any construction or demolition, and that building, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical permits are needed for most construction unless specifically exempt. Its residential interior remodel handout says a permit is required whenever the owner or authorized agent intends to remove, add, alter, repair, or change walls, or convert, replace, or add electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing systems within a residence.

• Exempt One-story detached accessory structures, other than storm shelters, up to 120 square feet, with no mechanical, electrical, or plumbing work
• Exempt Fences not over 7 feet high
• Exempt Retaining walls not over 4 feet high as measured from bottom of footing to top of wall, supporting a surcharge of 3 feet of soil or less
• Exempt Water tanks supported directly on grade up to 5,000 gallons with qualifying height-to-width ratio
• Exempt Sidewalks and driveways
• Exempt Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work
• Exempt Prefabricated swimming pools less than 24 inches deep
• Exempt Swings and other playground equipment
• Exempt Window awnings supported by an exterior wall that project no more than 54 inches and need no additional support
• Exempt Detached decks not exceeding 200 square feet, not more than 30 inches above grade, not attached to the dwelling, and not serving the required exit door
• Exempt Listed cord-and-plug temporary decorative lighting
• Exempt Reinstallation of attachment plug receptacles, but not the outlets
• Exempt Same-capacity replacement of branch circuit overcurrent devices in the same location
• Exempt Electrical equipment operating at less than 25 volts and not more than 50 watts
• Exempt Minor electrical repair work, including lamp replacement or connection of approved portable electrical equipment to approved receptacles
• Exempt Portable heating, cooking, or clothes-drying appliances
• Exempt Minor gas-equipment part replacement that does not alter approval or create an unsafe condition
• Exempt Portable heating appliances, portable ventilation appliances, portable cooling units, portable evaporative coolers, and qualifying small refrigeration systems
• Exempt Minor plumbing leak stopping, stoppage clearing, and like-kind repair or reinstallation of water closets when no replacement or rearrangement of valves, pipes, or fixtures is involved

Note: Union City's exemption handout says permits are still required for most construction unless specifically exempt. The same handout notes that Planning approval may still be required for accessory structures and fences, and Public Works approval may still be required for sidewalks and driveways. Separate MEP permits may still be required where the exemption does not apply.

Building code

The Building Division states it adheres to Volumes 1 and 2 of the 2025 California Building, Residential, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy, Fire, and Green Building Standards Codes. City Ordinance No. 2025-006 was adopted on November 25, 2025 and took effect January 1, 2026.

Permit validity

Union City's currently posted contractor and owner/agent permit applications state the permit expires if work is not commenced within 180 days from approval, or if work is suspended for 180 days, and must be renewed before work resumes. Because the City adopted the 2025 California Building Standards effective January 1, 2026, confirm with the Building Division whether any newer local form or code interpretation now controls before relying on the posted 180-day form language.

Owner-builder

The property owner may pull the permit as owner-builder, but the City will not issue an owner-builder permit until the owner reads, initials, signs, and returns the Owner-Builder Authorization form. The form states an agent cannot execute the notice without prior approval of the permitting authority, and the owner-builder becomes the legally and financially responsible party of record.

Contractor requirements

Union City states permits may be issued to a State of California licensed contractor, the property owner of record, or an authorized agent for the owner. The contractor application requires the contractor to certify that the CSLB license is current and in full force and effect, list license number, class, and expiration date, and provide workers' compensation information.

Source: City of Union City Economic and Community Development Department, Building Division ↗

1. 01
   Confirm whether the project needs a permit and whether Planning, Fire, Public Works, Union Sanitary District, school-fee clearance, HOA approval, or other outside approvals are required.
2. 02
   Decide the submittal path. Over-the-counter permit types can be handled at the Building Division counter, and certain minor permit types can also be submitted by email or mail. Eligible rooftop solar installers can use SolarAPP+ for an instant solar permit workflow.
3. 03
   Prepare the application package. Union City requires a completed construction permit application and, for plan-check projects, the required plan sets and supporting documents for the project type.
4. 04
   Submit the package to the Building Division. OTC applications may be submitted at the counter, by email, or by mail; plan-check submittals and resubmittals are accepted at the Building Division counter during posted business hours.
5. 05
   Pay the required fees. For email or mail OTC permits, the City emails an invoice with payment instructions through the Finance Department. For plan-check projects, the City collects plan-check and related fees based on the adopted fee schedule.
6. 06
   Respond to plan-check comments and resubmit if corrections are required. The Building Division routes plans to other City departments and may require outside-agency signoff depending on scope.
7. 07
   After approval, pay any remaining balance and obtain the issued permit and approved job copy.
8. 08
   Schedule inspections by phone and proceed through the permit-specific inspection sequence until final approval.

Typical processing time: Union City does not publish one citywide building-permit turnaround on its main Building page. An older City commercial submittal handout says initial plan review may take 3 to 4 weeks and resubmittals 2 to 3 weeks. The inspection handout says inspections are next-business-day only if requested before 3:00 p.m. the prior business day.

Source: City of Union City Economic and Community Development Department, Building Division ↗

For email or mail OTC permits, the City emails an invoice with payment instructions through the Finance Department at (510) 675-5312. The posted fee schedule also lists a 2.25% credit-card convenience fee for transactions over $2,500.

Fees change periodically. Confirm at the official fee schedule ↗ before budgeting.

• (510) 487-0711 (phone)
• (510) 675-5470 (phone)

Scheduling deadline

Requests must be made before 3:00 p.m. for next-business-day inspection service, subject to schedule capacity.

Inspection hours

Requests must be made before 3:00 p.m. for next-business-day inspection service, subject to schedule capacity. AM inspections are 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. PM inspections are 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. The City does not perform inspections on alternating Fridays, and the Building Division tells applicants to check the operating calendar.

Time windows

AM inspections are 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. PM inspections are 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. The City does not perform inspections on alternating Fridays, and the Building Division tells applicants to check the operating calendar.

Typical sequence: Union City does not publish one universal citywide inspection sequence in the cited handouts. In practice, the sequence is permit-specific and typically follows the approved plans through applicable foundation or under-floor stages, rough framing and rough trade inspections, insulation or other concealment-stage inspections when required, and final inspection.

Source: City of Union City Economic and Community Development Department, Building Division ↗