Pleasant Hill, CA Building Permit Guide

Permit Authority

The Building Division handles building permits within the City of Pleasant Hill city limits. Depending on scope, outside approvals may also be required from agencies such as Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, Central Sanitary District, Engineering, Flood Control, school district, and other utilities/agencies before permit issuance.

Department

City of Pleasant Hill Building Division

Address

100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

Phone

(925) 671-5200

Email

building@pleasanthillca.org

Website

https://www.phillca.gov/243/Building-Division

Online Permit Portal

Application Process

1. Create a PHill Online Service Center account and log in.
2. Start a permit application, choose the correct permit type, and enter the project address, work description, valuation, and applicant/owner information.
3. Upload the application, plans, and supporting documents. Pleasant Hill's EPC guide says online electronic plan-check submittals should be organized into three bookmarked PDF files: `APP`, `PLANS`, and `SUPP`.
4. If the project requires plan review, the city invoices 50% of the permit fee up front; after payment verification, the permit moves into plan review.
5. If corrections are issued, revise and re-upload through the portal. Notifications are sent to the email on file.
6. When review is complete, the city sends an invoice for remaining fees. The permit is not issued until fees are paid.
7. After permit issuance, schedule inspections through the portal. Inspection requests in the PHill portal must be submitted by 12:00 a.m. the day before the requested inspection date.
8. Processing time estimate: Pleasant Hill does not publish a general turnaround for ordinary building permits on the main building-permit pages. For streamlined EV charger permits only, the city publishes a 1 to 5 business day turnaround.

Source: City of Pleasant Hill Building Division

General Requirements

Pleasant Hill uses building permits for construction, alteration, demolition, and related work, with separate building/trade permit applications and valuation reporting. Trade permits and zoning review are built into the application process, and zoning permit review may also be required before issuance depending on the project.

Required Documents

• Permit application; site/plot plan with setbacks, roof plan, and drainage arrows; floor plan; exterior elevations; foundation and framing plans; Title 24 energy documents; structural calculations where required; soils/geotechnical reports where required; electrical or grading/drainage plans where required; contractor business license/workers' compensation/subcontractor information where applicable; and outside-agency approvals where applicable.

Permit validity

Pleasant Hill's fee schedule includes a reinstatement fee for expired permits equal to 50% of the original permit fee. The city codifies Title 24 by reference; under the adopted California Building Code/Residential Code, permit expiration is generally tied to failure to start work or prolonged suspension/abandonment. As of March 21, 2026, the city website states Pleasant Hill is transitioning from the 2022 code set to the 2025 California Building Standards Code effective January 1, 2026, while the codified municipal code page still reflects the 2022 edition. Applicants should confirm the active code set for current submittals.

Building code

Codified PHMC Chapter 14.05 adopts the 2022 California Building Standards Code by reference. Separately, the city's Building Division page states the 2025 California Building Standards Code took effect January 1, 2026 and the city is transitioning to that edition. Confirm current enforcement with the Building Division.

Owner-builder

The residential application includes an Owner-Builder Declaration. Owners may either perform work themselves or through their own employees if the improvement is not intended or offered for sale; if sold within one year of completion, the owner-builder bears the burden of proving the work was not built for sale. Owners may also qualify by contracting exclusively with licensed contractors.

Contractor requirements

The application requires the contractor's California license number, class, expiration, signature, and a Pleasant Hill business license number. The form states the permit will not be issued without contractor signature and property-owner signature.

Fees

Minimum permit fee

Building permit fee starts at about $57 for the first $500 of project valuation; minimum electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits are also about $57 each per the posted fee schedule PDF.

Plan check fee

Building plan-check fee is 80% of the building permit fee. Pre-plan review for projects valued over $1,000,000 is billed hourly.

Permit fee formula

Main building permit fees are valuation-based. Electrical permits are 16% of the building permit fee, plumbing permits are 14%, and mechanical permits are 12%. Some items are flat fees or hourly.

Reinspection fee

Building reinspections are billed at about $92 per hour.

Payment note

Pleasant Hill invoices permit fees through the portal after submittal/review milestones. For standard online permits, fees are paid through the PHill portal; for certain streamlined permit types such as EV charger permits, the city may email a payment link when the permit is ready to issue.

Fees change. Verify current amounts at the official fee schedule.

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

• Pleasant Hill does not appear to publish a local exempt-work handout on its permit pages. Because the city adopts the California Building Standards Code and California Residential Code by reference, permit exemptions generally follow the state code unless a local amendment applies.
• Common state-code exemptions under adopted CBC/CRC authority typically include small detached accessory structures not exceeding 120 square feet, some fences below the code threshold, certain retaining walls below the code threshold, finish work such as painting/papering/cabinets/flooring/countertops, and limited low-height prefabricated pools and playground equipment.

Important: Even if work is exempt from a building permit, zoning, floodplain, fire-safety, drainage, HOA, utility, demolition/asbestos, or wildfire requirements may still apply. Pleasant Hill specifically flags possible outside approvals and zoning review on its permit materials. Applicants should verify any claimed exemption with the Building Division before starting work.

Inspections

How to Schedule

• (925) 671-5200 (phone)
• https://selfservice.pleasanthillca.org/energov_prod/selfservice#/home (online)

Scheduling deadline

by appointment only; Friday 9:30 a.m.

Inspection hours

Building Division inspection hours are Monday through Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., plus 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. by appointment only; Friday 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Portal users can request AM or PM inspection windows, and requests must be submitted by 12:00 a.m. the day before.

Time windows

Building Division inspection hours are Monday through Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., plus 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. by appointment only; Friday 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Portal users can request AM or PM inspection windows, and requests must be submitted by 12:00 a.m. the day before.

Typical inspection sequence: The city does not publish one universal sequence on its main permit pages, but projects generally proceed from foundation/slab or underfloor/underground inspections to rough framing/trade inspections, then insulation or other intermediate inspections, and finally final inspection, depending on scope. Reinspection note: Reinspections are charged hourly under the master fee schedule.

Additional Resources

• Building code: Codified PHMC Chapter 14.05 adopts the 2022 California Building Standards Code by reference. Separately, the city's Building Division page states the 2025 California Building Standards Code took effect January 1, 2026 and the city is transitioning to that edition. Confirm current enforcement with the Building Division.
• Zoning information: View zoning info
• https://www.phillca.gov/247/Permits-and-Handouts
• https://www.phillca.gov/1439/Interactive-Permit-Guide
• https://www.phillca.gov/1251/Construction-Demolition-Recycling
• https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/PleasantHill/html/PleasantHill14/PleasantHill1405.html
• https://www.phillca.gov/368/Encroachment-Permits
• License lookup guide: California Contractor License Requirements
• Contract template: California Homeowner-Contractor Agreement

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