City of San Clemente

The city says permits are generally required for all electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and structural work. Its permit guidance specifically lists water heaters, reroofing, remodeling, stair repairs, window replacement, home improvements, retaining walls, masonry fences, patio covers, decks, BBQs, pools/spas, and water fountains as permit-triggering work. The BI-1 handout also says permits are required for most construction and repair work, detached structures, relocating walls or partitions, replacing windows and doors, garage conversions, foundation repairs, and fences over 6 feet in height.

• Exempt One-story detached accessory structures such as tool and storage sheds, playhouses, pagodas, gazebos, and similar uses, if floor area does not exceed 120 square feet
• Exempt Fences not over 42 inches high, or architectural features not exceeding 6 feet in height and not within required zoning setbacks
• Exempt Oil derricks and tanks
• Exempt Retaining walls that do not support over 4 feet of earth measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge or impounding Class I, II, or IIIA liquids
• Exempt Water tanks supported directly on grade if capacity does not exceed 5,000 gallons and height-to-diameter or width ratio does not exceed 2-to-1
• Exempt Sidewalks and driveways not more than 30 inches above adjacent grade and not over any basement or story below, unless required for accessible route
• Exempt Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, counter tops, and similar finish work
• Exempt Prefabricated swimming pools accessory to Group R-3 occupancies that are less than 24 inches deep, do not exceed 5,000 gallons, and are installed entirely above ground
• Exempt Swings and other playground equipment accessory to detached one- and two-family dwellings
• Exempt Window awnings supported by an exterior wall in Group R-3 or U occupancies when projection does not exceed 54 inches and no additional support is required
• Exempt Decks not exceeding 200 square feet, not more than 30 inches above grade at any point, not attached to a dwelling, and not serving the required exit door

Note: San Clemente expressly states permit exemptions do not authorize work in violation of the code or any other city law. Separate planning, HOA, engineering, coastal, OCFA, or utility approvals may still be required even when a building permit is exempt.

Building code

As of March 21, 2026, the city states on its Building Services page that the 2025 California Building Code became effective for new applications on January 1, 2026. The page also states complete online submittals uploaded before 11:59 PM on December 31, 2025 remain under the 2022 CBC. The municipal code search result also shows Ordinance No. 1796 adopted the 2025 California Building Standards Code package into Title 15 and Title 8.

Permit validity

The city's 2022 building code ordinance states an application becomes abandoned if it is not pursued in good faith or a permit is not issued within 180 days after filing, unless extended in writing. The same ordinance amends residential permit expiration so a permit becomes invalid unless work commences within 12 months after issuance, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days after commencement. Written extensions may be granted, but the ordinance says the completion timeframe in Section R105.10 still controls.

Owner-builder

The city states homeowners may obtain an owner-builder permit after completing owner-builder verification. Its owner-builder subcontractor list says owner-builder work is work performed by the owner when the home is the owner's primary residence; construction intended for rent or sale must be performed by state-licensed contractors. If the homeowner selects owner-builder using licensed contractors, the owner must provide the city with a list of the state-licensed contractors.

Contractor requirements

The Building Services page says applicants not doing the work themselves should have their California licensed contractor obtain the permits. City forms also require contractor state license numbers, and the city publishes a business-license verification form stating final approval is not given until all contractors are City licensed. For owner-builder projects, the city requires listing state licensed subcontractors and corresponding city business licenses.

1. 01
   Confirm the permit path and any pre-application constraints. San Clemente's permit page says most building work needs a permit, and applicants should also confirm HOA approval, planning setbacks, easements, and right-of-way issues before submittal.
2. 02
   Prepare the application package. The city's posted forms and checklists call for a building permit application plus project-specific documents such as plans, structural calculations where required, Title 24 documents, OCFA forms, special inspection forms, and other supporting materials.
3. 03
   Submit the application using one of the city's three intake methods: eTRAKiT, in person at City Hall, or by emailing PDFs to the permit intake address. Residential, commercial, retaining wall, and similar permit pages all reference email and in-person submittal options; eTRAKiT is also available for online permit filing and tracking.
4. 04
   Pay plan check fees after intake. The permit page states the city inputs the application, issues an invoice for plan review, and then provides further submittal instructions if paper plan sets are required.
5. 05
   Respond to corrections and resubmit if needed. The fee schedule states additional plan review charges apply for changes, additions, revisions, or when plan check requires more than two rechecks.
6. 06
   Obtain permit issuance, then keep the plans and inspection job card available on site. After approval, request inspections online through eTRAKiT or by phone as construction progresses.

Typical processing time: San Clemente does not publish a single general turnaround for all building permits on the main permit page. A current city ADU program handout states approximate plan review time is about 30 days for the first submittal and about 2 weeks for subsequent submittals, but that estimate is project-specific and should not be assumed for all permit types.

Source: City of San Clemente, Community Development Department, Building Services / Building Division ↗

The permit page says applicants receive an invoice for plan review and a final invoice for remaining fees. It also says fees are paid by check made payable to City of San Clemente. eTRAKiT also provides online fee-payment functionality for registered users.

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

• Online through eTRAKiT at https (online)
• Online through eTRAKiT at https (online)
• (949) 361-3366 (phone)

Inspection hours

The inspections page states AM inspections are scheduled for 8:30 AM to noon and PM inspections are scheduled for 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM.

Typical sequence: The city publishes an inspection code list that includes preconstruction meeting, form/setback, footings, slab, floor and wall framing, roof sheathing, rough mechanical, rough electrical, rough plumbing, insulation, drywall, pool and retaining wall stages, and final inspections including Building Final 999.