Building Permits

Building Permits General

Photo by Remmington Wanner on Unsplash

A building permit ensures that your building project is structurally sound, that it complies with the building and zoning codes and more importantly, that the structure is built to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all occupants.

Visit Permit Sonoma's:

• Building Department
• Building & Construction Permits
• Streamlining Building Permit Process
• Third Party Plan Check - An applicant may choose to use a consultant to reduce building plan review processing time.

No Building Permit Needed

Building a fence or small accessory structure? A permit may not be needed. Find out about the work you can do without a building permit.

Ag Exempt Buildings

Ag Exempt Buildings are very limited in their scope of use. They are to house animals, grow crops and/or store farming/ranching equipment. They are not for housing, holding events or for processing.

See Permit Sonoma's Agricultural Building Permit Exemption for policies and procedures. 

Briefly, the parcel must be at least 5 acres, the ag exempt building must be at least 60 feet away from the property line and any non-ag buildings.

Allowed zones: LIA, LEA, DA, AR, RR, TP, RRD

There is a site inspection, but no plan check*. If Permit Sonoma inspection staff determines that the agricultural exemption can be approved, the property owner will be notified of the approval by letter, and the building can then be constructed. No building inspections are required.

*if the proposed building is wood frame with spans of structural members exceeding twenty-five (25) feet then building plans are required.

Membrane Structures - Green and Hoop Houses

For greenhouses and hoop houses, see Permit Sonoma's webpage:

B-45 Membrane Structures for Group U Occupancies

Check your parcel zoning to determine maximum square footage allowed.

See table at the bottom of the page for a summary of the permitting requirements.

Related Permits

Depending on the nature and scope of your project, other laws and regulations may be applicable, such as obtaining one or more of the following: