Accessory structures are small utility buildings and structures
associated with a residential parcel. They include but are
not limited to:
Pool house
Shed
Pump/well house
Carport
Guest house/cottage
Fence taller than
six feet high
Decks
Gazebo
Retaining walls
over four feet measured from the bottom of footing to
top of wall
Water tanks greater
than 5,000 gallons
Accessory structures exempt from
building permits:
If the accessory structure, with the exception of
the guest house, is single story, detached, less
than 120 square feet of floor area as measured from outside face of framing, has no electrical
or plumbing installed, and used as a tool or storage
shed, playhouse, and similar uses, it is exempt from
a required permit. California Building Code §106.2
If a deck does not exceed 30 inches above grade at
any point, and is
not attached to a permitted structure, and does
not serve a door or an exitway, it is exempt from
permit.
Accessory structures located in the Tahoe Basin:
If the accessory structure is located within the Tahoe Basin, a permit will be required to facilitate the review of TRPA requirements for the proposed structure.
Other structures exempt from
permits include:
Oil derrick
Water tanks on
grade less than 5,000 gallons
Painting, papering
and similar finish work
Pre-fab pools entirely
above grade less than 5,000 gallons
Concrete flatwork
Window awnings
projecting less than 54"
Retaining walls
that are not over four feet measured from the bottom
of footing to top of wall, unless supporting a surcharge
or impounding a Class I, II, or III-A liquid
Exemption from the permit
requirement of the codes does not grant authorization
for any work to be done in any manner in violation
of the provisions of the codes or county ordinances.
The Permit Process
Building Services permit application:
a. Complete the three part application and
sign where applicable (signature must be verified by
office personnel). If you are applying as owner-builder, you
must be the owner of record and complete part four of the multi part application. If property ownership was
recently changed a copy of the grant deed may be required
at time of application.
b. When other than the
owner or licensed contractor is applying for the permit, the second half of part four of the form must be completed, giving
authority to sign as the owner's agent.
c. An owner or their agent must sign a "Deed Restriction Certificate," declaring
conformance with any applicable deed restrictions and/or CC&R's
for subject property.
3. When the property is not served by public water/sewer, the Environmental
Management Department will review the site plan for distance to
any septic tank or leach field.
Plan Requirements
BUILDING SERVICES WILL NOT ACCEPT
AN APPLICATION FOR A PERMIT UNLESS THE MINIMUM CRITERIA
LISTED BELOW ARE MET.
Submit TWO COMPLETE SETS OF PLANS that include
the following:
A PLOT PLAN (minimum scale I "=20').
This plan must show the entire parcel and indicate and
identify actual distances from all property lines and/or
easements to structures, existing and proposed. The plot
plan shall also indicate the distances between structures.
Locate septic system(s). Indicate slope of lot. Contour
lines (@ 1 ',2' or 5' vertical increments) must be shown
for the building site and/or disturbed area and extend
20 feet beyond or to the property line, whichever is
less. Similar contour lines must also be shown for the
full length of a new driveway, if applicable. Any proposed
grading is to be delineated in conformance with the County
Design and Improvement Standards Manual. If the plot
plan, drawn as required above, is too large to fit on
a 24" x 36" sheet of
paper, a SITE PLAN, drawn to a small
scale, shall be provided which locates the area covered
by the plot plan on the parcel.
TITLE BLOCK giving: owner's name and
mailing address, job site address, and assessor's parcel
number. Include a summary of square footage of the structure.
FOUNDATION PLAN with details, indicate
all hold-down device locations (if applicable).
FULLY-DIMENSIONED FLOOR PLAN(S) Label
all areas and rooms for use. Show braced wall panel locations
or engineered shear walls (if applicable).
FRAMING PLAN for structures with details
(include deck framing if applicable).
ROOF FRAMING PLAN. If trusses are to
be used, supply wet-signed copies of engineered design
along with structural plan set submittal. Trusses must
be keyed to Roof Framing Plan. The building design professional
(project engineer) must review and initial truss specs
as being compatible with building design.
ELEVATIONS including front, rear, and
both sides.
ELECTRICAL/MECHANICAL PLAN identifying
all outlets, switches, lights, smoke detectors and main
panel ampacity and location. This may be illustrated
on the Floor Plan.
Name and wet-signature (original) of the person responsible
for preparing plans on the title page of the plan set.
(Plans requiring design by a California-Registered Architect
or Engineer must bear stamp and license number.) Expiration
date must not predate the application date.
Pre-packaged metal structures may require two engineers;
one for the structural design and another for the foundation
in a particular location. Due to the complexities of
a metal building, additional plan check time may be needed
for review by the department plan check engineer. This
requirement does not include the small prefab tool sheds
available at department stores.
Any revisions to the metal
building plans will require a review of the structure
by the project or building engineer.
CHECK OUR PLAN
REVIEW GUIDELINES FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE
PLAN CHECK PROCESS. The guideline,
while not all-inclusive, is intended to help
you prepare residential plans that are essentially
"complete".
NOTE: PLEASE
USE A SCALE COMMON TO INDUSTRY PRACTICE (1/4 PER FOOT DESIRED). Plans and specifications
shall be drawn to scale upon substantial paper and shall be of
sufficient clarity to indicate the location, nature and extent of the work
proposed and show in detail that it will conform to the provisions of the
codes and all relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations.
Fees
PLEASE NOTE: The
Development Services Department DOES
NOT ACCEPT ANY CREDIT CARD PURCHASES at this time.
Personal or bank draft checks accepted as well as US currency.
ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT FEES Rural parcels may require
a well and septic system. Your parcel may be in an asbestos
area and a review and associated fee will be required by Air
Quality. Please contact Environmental
Management (530-621-5300)
for information concerning permit requirements and fees.
OTHER AGENCIES & DEPARTMENTS
A review by the Air Quality Board and separate fee
is required with each grading permit.
For permits not subject to the 2004
General Plan Traffic Impact Mitigation (TIM)
Fee Program, fees shall be determined by
the valuation shown on the Valuation Table as
published annually in the August issue of Building
Safety Journal with a fee of $.0125 per $1.00
valuation of the work proposed.
If a new driveway encroachment
to a County-maintained road is proposed, a $273.00
fee will be charged.
Projects necessitating a Grading
Permit require
a $435.00 permit fee.
One-half of the Building Permit Fee is collected
at time of Permit application. The remainder of the
building permit fee and other agency fees will be
collected at the time of permit issuance.
Note: The minimum fee for any Building
Services permit is $100.00. Other agency
fees may apply.
Worksheet for Calculating Estimated Permit Fees
Use Type
Area Sq Feet
X
Cost per Sq. Ft.
=
Valuation
Dwelling Living Area
X
$123.34
=
$
Garage/Shop Area
X
$35.55
=
$
Unfinished Space
X
$35.55
=
$
Cov'd Porch Area
X
$35.55
=
$
Deck Area
X
$35.55
=
$
Total Valuation
To Calculate Building Services Fee:
Also for calculating
remodels, repairs and other projects not adding square footage, use contract
price for valuation. See
DOT for determination of TIM fee requirements. Generally remodels, repairs, additions and residential accessory buildings
are not subject to TIM fees.
Total Valuation Calculated
X
.01
=
Estimated Building Services Fee
If Subject to TIM fees
$
X
.0106
=
$
If NOT Subject to TIM fess
$
X
.0125
=
$
CALIFORNIA
STATE SMIP FEES - Effective
4/1/91
The State of California requires a fee, established in 1972, to be collected
for the state
seismic instrumentation program for the study of earthquakes.
Strong Motion Instrumentation Program
Total Valuation
Calculated
X
0.0001
=
State SMIP Fee
$
X
0.0001
=
$
How Long Do I
Have?
The Application The
permit application is valid for 365 days. You should keep track of the
date to avoid problems as the expiration date approaches. Once expired,
the permit application is not
renewable; you simply start over. Extension of the application
may only be granted if a delay is caused by a governmental agency and
only for the amount of time the application was delayed by that agency. There
may be fee building service credits for an reapplication if within 6 months
and the first permit application was ready to issue. All plans and documents will be destroyed within 180 days from submittal date if not picked up from Development Services.
The
Plan Review We review plans
in the order received. As a result, our turnaround time will vary. At
the time of submittal, we ask you to review a checklist of required information
and sign that all documentation is present. Having all of the necessary
information at the time of plan review is a must for us and ensures that
your application will experience no unnecessary delay in being reviewed.
If the application is incomplete in any way, you will be notified by
mail and your place in line forfeited. When we receive all of the required
information, you will once again be included in the plan review order,
but the operative date will be the date of the new submittal.
The
Permit The permit is valid
for two years from the issuance date (three years in the Tahoe Basin). If you find you cannot finish your project within the prescribed
time, you may renew your permit two times only for a period of one year
each if construction has proceeded in a timely manner showing progress
with approved inspections. There will be a renewal fee based on the
percentage of progress that has occurred. If four years are not sufficient for construction, the permit may be reactivated with a new permit number and review of the projects progress.
