Town of Yountville, CA Building Permit Guide

Permit Authority

The Town handles building permits for properties within Town of Yountville limits. Napa County's unincorporated-area permit process does not apply inside town limits. Town submittal materials state applications are routed to Napa County for fire review where applicable.

Department

Town of Yountville Planning and Building Department

Address

6550 Yount Street, Yountville, CA 94599

Phone

(707) 944-8851

Email

planning@yville.com

Website

https://www.townofyountville.com/281/Planning-Building

Online Permit Portal

Application Process

1. Confirm whether your project needs a permit with the Planning and Building Department; permits are required for most construction, alteration, demolition, and repair work.
2. Prepare the permit application, valuation, and project plans. Depending on scope, the Town may require a cover sheet, site plan, structural plans, CALGreen forms, energy documents, soils and geology reports, special inspection forms, and approvals from outside agencies.
3. Submit the application and plans through the Town's online portal and pay the required plan check deposit.
4. Town staff routes the submittal for Town review and, when applicable, Napa County fire review and other departmental or outside-agency review.
5. Respond to plan check comments and resubmit revised plans if required.
6. After approvals, pay remaining permit and related fees, obtain the issued permit, and keep permit documents available at the job site.
7. Schedule inspections through the portal or by phone where directed, complete required inspections, and obtain final inspection approval.

Typical processing time: Applicants should expect first plan check comments in approximately 4 to 6 weeks.

Source: Town of Yountville Planning and Building Department

General Requirements

The Town's handout says permits are required to build, enlarge, alter, remove, demolish, or repair a structure, and lists examples including adding or removing walls, reroofing, replacing windows, electrical work, ADUs, and demolition.

Required Documents

• Building permit application
• Project valuation
• Plans and drawings
• Site plan, grading and stormwater materials, foundation, framing, and MEP plans as applicable
• Structural calculations
• Energy documentation
• CALGreen checklist
• Soils and geology report
• Flood elevation certificate
• Statement of special inspections
• Smoke and carbon monoxide declaration
• Outside-agency approvals as applicable

Permit validity

The Town's permit webpage says permits expire if work does not start within 180 days of issuance or if no inspection occurs for 180 days. Yountville Municipal Code Section 15.02.050 says a plan review application expires if no permit is issued within 180 days, and a permit expires if work is not commenced within one year from issuance or if work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days; the Building Official may grant one written extension of up to 180 days.

Building code

Ordinance No. 25-538, adopted November 4, 2025, repealed and replaced multiple Title 15 chapters to adopt the 2025 California Building Standards Code family, including the 2025 California Administrative, Building, Residential, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy, Historical Building, Fire, Existing Building, Green Building Standards, Referenced Standards, and Housing Codes, with local amendments.

Owner-builder

Town-published materials reviewed for this task do not provide a standalone owner-builder summary, but the Town provides an authorized-agent form and application materials that contemplate owner, contractor, or agent participation. Confirm owner-builder declaration requirements with the Building Official at filing.

Contractor requirements

Town materials do not publish a general contractor-license summary on the main building permit pages reviewed here. For SolarAPP+ submittals, the Town expressly requires contractor license information and a current Town business license. In practice, California state contractor licensing requirements still apply where required by law.

Fees

Minimum permit fee

Over-the-counter permit fee is $148. For valuation-based new construction and addition permits, the schedule shows a $129 minimum base fee for the first $500 of valuation.

Plan check fee

Plan check fee is 65% of the building permit fee. The schedule also lists plan check deposits of $500 to $1,000 for residential jobs under $50,000 valuation and $1,000 to $5,000 for residential jobs above $50,000 and all commercial jobs. Express plan review or initial review is listed at $301.

Permit fee formula

New construction and addition permit fees are valuation-based under the Town's Master Fee Schedule, with tiered brackets. The schedule also adds 15% of the building permit fee for Energy Code items, 20% for Accessibility items, and the state mandated building standards surcharge of $1 per $25,000 of valuation or fraction thereof. Some permit types are flat-fee.

Reinspection fee

Reinspection when the inspector arrives and the contractor is not ready is $301 per inspection. Inspections outside scheduled Town inspection hours are $191.

Payment note

The fee schedule states fees and charges are generally collected before the Town performs services unless deferred by written agreement. Plan review fees are paid at submittal, and remaining permit and related fees are paid before permit issuance.

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

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

• Replacing kitchen cabinets like-for-like
• Fences 6 feet in height or lower
• Interior painting
• Tool sheds under 120 square feet
• New carpets

Important: The Town's handout presents these as examples only, not a complete exemption list. Even work that does not require a building permit must still comply with the Yountville Municipal Code, and trade permits or other approvals may still be required depending on scope.

Inspections

How to Schedule

• Online portal (online)
• (707) 948-2606 (phone)

Scheduling deadline

The Town's inspection handout says inspections may be requested by phone at least 24 hours in advance.

Inspection hours

Inspections are generally available Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Time windows

AM window: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM; PM window: 1:00 PM-4:00 PM

Typical inspection sequence: The Town's inspection handout identifies common stages including foundation, underfloor, slab, shear walls, roof nailing, framing, insulation, sheetrock, and final inspection.

Additional Resources

• Building code: Ordinance No. 25-538, adopted November 4, 2025, repealed and replaced multiple Title 15 chapters to adopt the 2025 California Building Standards Code family, including the 2025 California Administrative, Building, Residential, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy, Historical Building, Fire, Existing Building, Green Building Standards, Referenced Standards, and Housing Codes, with local amendments.
• Verify contractor license: CSLB License Lookup
• Zoning information: View zoning info
• Building Permits & Inspections
• Planning & Building
• Municipal Code
• 2025 Code Adoption Ordinance
• Napa County Town of Yountville Scope Note
• Napa County Building Permit Process
• License lookup guide: California Contractor License Requirements
• Contract template: California Homeowner-Contractor Agreement

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