How the Sacramento County Permit Process Works for Home Remodels
Timelines, fees, required inspections, and why unpermitted work creates serious problems at resale in California.
Sacramento County’s unincorporated areas, which include communities like Rancho Murieta, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, and large portions of the rural foothills, fall under Sacramento County Building Inspection. Cities within the county, including Sacramento, Folsom, Elk Grove, and Citrus Heights, have their own building departments with their own timelines and fee schedules. This article focuses on the county process for unincorporated areas, with notes on where cities differ significantly.
If you are hiring a contractor, they should be managing the permit process as part of the project scope. If they are not pulling permits or telling you permits are not required for work that clearly requires them, that is a significant red flag. ADC handles all permit applications as part of every project. Here is what the process looks like.
What Requires a Permit in Sacramento County
The California Residential Code and Sacramento County amendments require permits for:
- Structural work, wall removals, beam installation, new load-bearing elements, foundation work
- Electrical work, panel upgrades, new circuits, rewiring, subpanel installation
- Plumbing work, supply line replacement, drain rerouting, water heater replacement in most cases, fixture additions that require new rough-in
- Mechanical work, new HVAC equipment, ductwork modifications, added combustion appliances
- New construction, all work including ADUs and JADUs
- Roofing, full replacement requires a permit in the unincorporated county; repair-only often does not
Permits are generally not required for cosmetic-only work: interior painting, flooring replacement (not subfloor), cabinet face replacement without moving plumbing, and similar finish work that does not affect structural, electrical, or plumbing systems.
The Permit Application Process
Step 1: Plan Preparation
For structural work, you need engineered drawings before you can submit a permit application. This typically means hiring a structural engineer to design the beam and connection details for any load-bearing wall removal. For a kitchen or bath remodel without structural changes, plans showing the layout and indicating what work is being done are sufficient for an over-the-counter review in many cases. ADC prepares the required plan documents for standard scopes.
Step 2: Application Submission
Sacramento County DCED (Department of Community Development) accepts permit applications online through their permitting portal or in person at 827 7th Street in Sacramento. The online system handles most residential projects. You submit plans, project description, contractor license number, and property information. The fee is calculated at submission for straightforward scopes or at plan check completion for complex ones.
Step 3: Plan Review
This is where current timeline variance is highest. Sacramento County DCED is currently running 4 to 8 weeks for over-the-counter residential permits (kitchen/bath without structural, electrical panel upgrades, roofing). Projects requiring full plan check, including structural changes and new construction, are running 6 to 12 weeks. Concurrent review is available for some projects and can reduce the timeline by running structural, electrical, and plumbing reviews simultaneously rather than sequentially.
Step 4: Permit Issuance and Work Start
Once approved, the permit is issued and the job card must be posted at the property during construction. Work cannot begin before permit issuance. The permit is valid for 180 days from issuance, and inspections reset the clock.
Step 5: Inspections
Sacramento County requires inspections at specified stages. For a typical whole home remodel:
- Framing inspection after all structural changes but before insulation and drywall
- Rough electrical inspection before walls are closed
- Rough plumbing inspection before walls are closed
- Insulation inspection after insulation installed but before drywall
- Final inspection once all work is complete
Inspections are typically scheduled through the online portal or by phone and are available the next business day in most cases. If an inspection fails, work on that scope is stopped until corrections are made and re-inspection passes.
Permit Fees in Sacramento County
Fees are calculated based on project valuation using the Sacramento County fee schedule. For reference:
- Kitchen remodel without structural changes: a modest permit-fee line
- Bathroom remodel: lower than a kitchen, since the scope is smaller
- 200-amp panel upgrade: one of the lower permit fees
- Structural addition (load-bearing wall removal): higher, set by engineering complexity
- Full whole home remodel: a larger permit package covering every trade
- ADU: the largest permit package, including state-mandated fees
These are 2026 estimates. The actual fees depend on project valuation and scope details. ADC provides the permit fee estimate as part of the project quote so there are no surprises.
What Happens with Unpermitted Work
California real estate law requires disclosure of known unpermitted improvements. When an appraiser notes unpermitted additions or alterations, the property is typically valued at less than a comparable permitted home. More significantly, buyers’ lenders often require unpermitted work to be legalized before closing, which means retroactive permits and potentially opening walls that were just renovated.
In Sacramento County, the legalization process for existing unpermitted work often requires the work to be opened up to allow inspection. A bathroom that was remodeled without permits may need the tile removed so the framing and rough plumbing can be inspected. That is an expensive correction. ADC does not take shortcuts on permits. The fee savings are not worth what it costs at resale.
City of Folsom, Elk Grove, and Rancho Cordova
If your project is within Folsom, Elk Grove, or Rancho Cordova city limits rather than the unincorporated county, the process is similar but the fee schedules and timelines differ. Folsom’s building department is currently running slightly faster on residential reviews than the county. Elk Grove has its own fee schedule with separate assessments for fire district review in some project types. ADC is familiar with all three city permit processes and manages applications accordingly.
For Rancho Murieta specifically, permits go through Sacramento County Building since the community is in the unincorporated county, not an incorporated city. Call ADC at (209) 200-5302 to discuss your specific project and the expected permit timeline for your area.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get a remodel permit in Sacramento County?
Over-the-counter residential permits (kitchen, bath, panel upgrades without structural changes) are currently running 4 to 8 weeks. Full plan check projects with structural changes run 6 to 12 weeks. Concurrent review is available for some project types. ADC files applications as early as possible in the project planning phase to minimize the permit waiting period.
Can I start any work before the permit is issued?
No. Work requiring a permit cannot begin before the permit is issued and the job card is posted at the property. Demolition of existing finished surfaces (tile removal, cabinet removal) is often allowed before permit issuance in practice, but structural, electrical, and plumbing rough-in work must wait for the permit. Starting before permit issuance risks a stop-work order and can require work to be removed for inspection.
Who is responsible for pulling the permit, the homeowner or contractor?
Either can apply. When a licensed contractor is doing the work, standard practice and Sacramento County preference is that the contractor pulls the permit under their license. This places insurance and code compliance responsibility on the contractor. ADC always pulls permits under our General B license for projects we manage.
What if the previous owner did unpermitted work?
You are required to disclose known unpermitted improvements to buyers when you sell. If you want to legalize existing unpermitted work, Sacramento County has a legalization process that typically requires the work to be exposed for inspection. The cost of legalization varies significantly based on scope, condition, and whether corrections are required. ADC can assess existing unpermitted work and advise on the most practical path forward.
Do permits for Rancho Murieta go through Sacramento County?
Yes. Rancho Murieta is in the unincorporated Sacramento County area. All building permits go through Sacramento County Department of Community Development, not a city building department. Fire district review for projects in State Responsibility Areas (SRA) adds an additional review step for some project types. ADC is familiar with the SRA fire zone requirements that apply to Rancho Murieta construction.
ADC Handles the Permits.
Sacramento County permits are part of every ADC project scope. Call for a free on-site quote including permit cost estimate.