Stanton, CA Building Permit Guide

Permit Authority

Applies within the incorporated City of Stanton. The city accepts Building and Planning electronic submittals through its Permit Center; if a project requires Public Works or Fire Department review, Stanton directs applicants to submit those paper plans separately unless the item is one of the Public Works types expressly accepted through the Permit Center.

Department

City of Stanton Building Division

Address

7800 Katella Avenue, Stanton, CA 90680

Phone

(714) 890-4286

Email

AMcQuade@StantonCA.gov , PermitTech@StantonCA.gov

Website

https://www.stantonca.gov/departments/community_development/building_regulations/index.php

Online Permit Portal

Application Process

1. Create an account at https://stanton.cts.city/.
2. Verify your email address and log back into the Permit Center.
3. Complete the online permit application and upload PDF plans and supporting documents.
4. Pay fees when instructed. Stanton's Building Division page says online payments are temporarily unavailable, so applicants should contact the division for current payment handling.
5. Plan review starts after payment is received. If the project needs Public Works or Fire review, submit those paper plans separately unless the city has told you the project type can go through the Permit Center.
6. After approval, coordinate permit issuance with the Building Division. The public counter requires appointments when requesting issuance of three or more permits.

Typical processing time: FAQ says most first reviews are 10 business days and second reviews are 5 business days; solar plan checks are also listed at 10 business days. Business days are Monday through Thursday.

Source: City of Stanton Building Division

General Requirements

Stanton requires building permits for construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, improvement, removal, conversion, demolition, and similar work under the codes it adopts in Title 16 of the Stanton Municipal Code. Building permit applications requiring plan check must be submitted through the Permit Center; in-person submittals may be allowed depending on scope. Grading permits are required for projects involving curb, gutter, sidewalk, paving, alteration of finished grades, drainage, and similar on-site improvements unless waived by the City Engineer or otherwise covered under a building permit.

Required Documents

• The Permit Center page says uploaded PDF plan sets should include mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structural sheets, structural calculations, Title 24 documents, geotechnical report, soils report, and HOA approval documents when applicable. The FAQ also says paper review submittals generally use 3 plan sets, 2 structural-calculation sets, and 2 Title 24 sets.

Permit validity

Under Stanton Ordinance No. 1164, permits expire unless work starts within 12 months, or if work is suspended, abandoned, or left incomplete for 180 days after commencement or 180 days after the last required inspection. The Building Official may grant one written extension of up to 180 days for justifiable cause. If work has been suspended or abandoned past 12 months, new permits are required.

Building code

There is a public-source mismatch. Stanton's FAQ page still lists the 2022 California code set, but Ordinance No. 1164 published in late 2025 adopts the 2025 California Building, Residential, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy, Fire, Green Building, Existing Building, Historical Building, Referenced Standards, Wildland-Urban Interface, and Administrative codes, plus the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and International Property Maintenance Code. Applicants should confirm with the Building Division which code cycle the city is actively reviewing against for the specific submittal date.

Owner-builder

Stanton requires an Owner-Builder Verification before issuing an owner-builder permit. The form states no permit will be issued until the verification is received and warns owners about employer, workers' compensation, and sale-of-property limitations under California law.

Contractor requirements

Stanton's owner-builder form states contractors must be licensed and bonded by the State of California, must place their license number on permit applications, and must have a city or county business license. The FAQ says contractors and subcontractors need a business license. The Building Division page also points applicants to CSLB.

Fees

Minimum permit fee

Not clearly published in the city sources reviewed for general building permits. Ordinance No. 1164 does say permits reissued only for final inspection may be charged a minimum fee as determined by the Building Official.

Plan check fee

Publicly posted examples include Precise Grading Plan Check and other grading-related review fees in the 2025 Community Development fee schedule. Solar permit fees in the FAQ appear to include plan check.

Permit fee formula

Stanton's posted Community Development fee schedule is a mixed schedule of flat fees, deposits, actual-cost items, and percentage-based charges depending on permit type. Publicly posted examples include flat-fee solar permits and flat-fee grading/plan review items.

Reinspection fee

Specific building reinspection fees were not clearly located in the public sources reviewed. Ordinance No. 1164 provides that renewed permits after expiration are generally charged at one-half of the original permit fee or one-half of the current adopted fee schedule, and abandoned permits requiring only final inspection may be reissued at minimum fee or as determined by the Building Official.

Payment note

As of March 15, 2025, Stanton says a 2.6 percent convenience fee applies to debit and credit card payments. The Building Division and Plan Check Center pages also say online payments are temporarily not being accepted and applicants should contact the division for current payment instructions.

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

Work That Does NOT Require a Permit

• One-story detached accessory structures used as storage sheds, playhouses, or similar uses, if floor area is 120 square feet or less and ceiling height is not over 7 feet.
• Fences not over 6 feet high and block walls not over 3 feet high.
• Retaining walls not over 4 feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge or impounding Class I, II, or III-A liquids.
• Prefabricated swimming pools accessory to a Group R occupancy that are less than 18 inches deep, do not exceed 5,000 gallons, and are installed entirely above ground.

Important: These are the Stanton-specific local amendments visible in Ordinance No. 1164 to CBC Section 105.2. Other exemptions may still exist under the adopted California codes, but were not separately restated on the city's public permit pages reviewed here.

Inspections

How to Schedule

• (714) 890-4252 (phone)

Inspection hours

Building inspections are conducted Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Typical inspection sequence: Stanton does not publish a single general building inspection sequence on its public Building Division page. The sequence is scope-dependent and should follow the approved permit documents and inspection card. For grading, Stanton's published required-inspections sheet lists a pre-construction meeting, start of work, and other grading inspections through final completion. The solar FAQ says Stanton requires only one solar inspection.

Additional Resources

• Building code: There is a public-source mismatch. Stanton's FAQ page still lists the 2022 California code set, but Ordinance No. 1164 published in late 2025 adopts the 2025 California Building, Residential, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy, Fire, Green Building, Existing Building, Historical Building, Referenced Standards, Wildland-Urban Interface, and Administrative codes, plus the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and International Property Maintenance Code. Applicants should confirm with the Building Division which code cycle the city is actively reviewing against for the specific submittal date.
• Zoning information: View zoning info
• ; https://www.stantonca.gov/departments/community_development/building_regulations/faq.php ; https://www.stantonca.gov/Document_center/Department/Community%20Development/Building%20Regulations/Permit_Center_Submittal_Guidelines.pdf ; https://www.stantonca.gov/Owner%20Building%20Verification.pdf ; https://ecode360.com/ST5018/laws/LF2486492.pdf ; https://www.cslb.ca.gov/
• https://www.stantonca.gov/departments/community_development/apply.php ; ; https://www.stantonca.gov/Document_center/Department/Community%20Development/Building%20Regulations/Permit_Center_Submittal_Guidelines.pdf ; https://www.stantonca.gov/Owner%20Building%20Verification.pdf ; https://ecode360.com/ST5018/laws/LF2486492.pdf ; https://www.cslb.ca.gov/
• https://www.stantonca.gov/departments/community_development/apply.php ; https://www.stantonca.gov/departments/community_development/building_regulations/faq.php ; ; https://www.stantonca.gov/Owner%20Building%20Verification.pdf ; https://ecode360.com/ST5018/laws/LF2486492.pdf ; https://www.cslb.ca.gov/
• https://www.stantonca.gov/departments/community_development/apply.php ; https://www.stantonca.gov/departments/community_development/building_regulations/faq.php ; https://www.stantonca.gov/Document_center/Department/Community%20Development/Building%20Regulations/Permit_Center_Submittal_Guidelines.pdf ; ; https://ecode360.com/ST5018/laws/LF2486492.pdf ; https://www.cslb.ca.gov/
• https://www.stantonca.gov/departments/community_development/apply.php ; https://www.stantonca.gov/departments/community_development/building_regulations/faq.php ; https://www.stantonca.gov/Document_center/Department/Community%20Development/Building%20Regulations/Permit_Center_Submittal_Guidelines.pdf ; https://www.stantonca.gov/Owner%20Building%20Verification.pdf ; ; https://www.cslb.ca.gov/
• https://www.stantonca.gov/departments/community_development/apply.php ; https://www.stantonca.gov/departments/community_development/building_regulations/faq.php ; https://www.stantonca.gov/Document_center/Department/Community%20Development/Building%20Regulations/Permit_Center_Submittal_Guidelines.pdf ; https://www.stantonca.gov/Owner%20Building%20Verification.pdf ; https://ecode360.com/ST5018/laws/LF2486492.pdf ;
• License lookup guide: California Contractor License Requirements
• Contract template: California Homeowner-Contractor Agreement

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