Unincorporated Santa Clara County

A building permit is required before constructing, enlarging, altering, moving, replacing, repairing, improving, converting, demolishing, or changing the occupancy of a building or structure.

• Exempt One-story detached accessory structures such as sheds or playhouses not exceeding 120 square feet
• Exempt Fences not over 7 feet high
• Exempt Retaining walls not over 4 feet high, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless they support a surcharge

Note: Any retaining wall supporting a surcharge (such as a road, structure, or hillside) requires a permit regardless of height. For the complete exempt-work list, refer to California Residential Code section R105 and California Building Code section 105.

Building code

California Building Code

Source: County of Santa Clara Department of Planning and Development, Permit Center ↗

1. 01
   Confirm the parcel is in unincorporated Santa Clara County using the Property Profile tool.
2. 02
   Check whether a separate planning land-use application is required before the building permit.
3. 03
   Complete the Development Services Intake Form and submit through the Public Permit Portal.
4. 04
   Upload digital plans and required documents through the portal. Plan sets must be to scale (typically 18x24 to 24x36 inches), follow digital submittal and naming rules, and individual files must not exceed 100 MB.
5. 05
   Pay plan check and planning fees at application.
6. 06
   County staff review for code and agency compliance.
7. 07
   Pay remaining permit issuance fees and school fees if applicable before permit issuance.

Typical processing time: Generally four to six weeks, depending on workload and project complexity.

Source: County of Santa Clara Department of Planning and Development, Permit Center ↗

Building permit inspection, SMIP, encroachment, geologic review, and septic system fees are paid when the permit is issued.

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

• Public Permit Portal (online)
• (408) 299-5700 (phone)
• VuSpex GO mobile app (app)

Scheduling deadline

Next-day inspections for requests received before 3:00 PM on regular workdays. Requests can be made up to five days in advance.

Typical sequence: For projects with multiple related permits, each permit and each needed inspection must be requested separately. Work must match approved plans. The responsible contractor or representative must be present with approved plans, permit card, prior correction notices, and any required field reports.

Source: County of Santa Clara Department of Planning and Development, Permit Center ↗