Building Permits

Permit Requirements

A permit is required for most construction and/or repair projects, including electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work. Permits are necessary for, but not limited to, residential and business additions; alterations; patios; decks; garden and retaining walls; swimming pools; spas; hot tubs; air conditioners (adding or replacing); and all electrical and plumbing installations, including lawn sprinklers, water heaters, and gas lines.

When Building Permits Are Not Required

Permits are not required for the following:

  • Fences below eight feet in height. Contact the Planning Division for plan approval before construction, 
  • Retaining walls that are not more than three feet in height, measured from the top of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge or ground slope of five percent (5%).  Please note: The presence of a building / structure within five feet or existence of a geogrid is a surcharge.
  • One-story detached accessory buildings with no electrical or plumbing installed, provided the floor area does not exceed 120 square feet, that are less than eight feet in total height and do not block any windows of the dwelling; zoning clearance is required before construction.
  • Raised wood decks, which are less than 30 inches above the ground at all points
  • Painting, papering, carpeting, and similar finish work

For a complete list, please see our Work Exempt From a Building Permit.  To find out if your project requires a permit or to ask any other building question, please contact the Building & Safety Division at 925-833-6620.

Plan Check Timelines

It takes about two to three weeks (10 to 15 business days) to process a building permit that requires plan review submittal. A majority of minor permits are issued over the counter.  View our frequently asked questions for more details. For additional questions on the timeline for a specific scope of work, contact the Building & Safety Division at 925-833-6620.

Online Permit Submittals

For residential permits that can be applied for by email, see our Email-Based Residential Permits Handout

For commercial permits that can be applied for by email, see our Email-Based Commercial Permits Handout
  
For all other projects please apply in our plan check portal, Eprocess360. For step-by-step instructions on the submittal process, see Electronic Plan Review submittals and our more detailed Instructions for Plan Submittals in Eprocess360.  For status and plan check comments in Eprocess360, login to your Eprocess360 account at https://dublin.ca.eprocess360.com/ and view the projects ‘Submittals’ tab. If you have additional questions regarding your Eprocess360 plan check, contact the Building & Safety Division at 925-833-6620.

Electronically submitted application acceptance reviews, plan check and final payment processing, and permit issuance end at 4:00 p.m.

Please see the following pages for additional information, handouts, forms and guides:

To check the status on an issued building permit, see What's My Status?

Over-the-Counter Residential Reviews

Staff is now offering over-the-counter (OTC) plan reviews, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., on Tuesdays, and 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., on Thursdays, for limited residential projects. Detailed information on specific submittal information, limits on review time and guides can be found on the Residential Projects page.


Separate Submittal For Sewer / Water, Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD)

To apply for DSRSD approval, visit: https://selfservice.dsrsd.com/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService#/home. If this is the first time visiting the site, you will need to sign up for an account. You can find the instructions here: https://www.dsrsd.com/do-business-with-us/development-and-construction under DSRSD Requirements, “How to Register” and “How to Apply for Review”.  Please contact DSRSD directly for additional information and questions by email at plansubmittals@dsrsd.com or by phone at (925) 828-0515. 

You may also view the DSRSD ‘How To Apply’ handout for step-by-step instructions.