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Berkeley building permits

Verified

Berkeley, California — as published 2026-09-19.

Verified 2026-09-19 · Source

Codes adopted

2025 California Building Standards Code (Cal. Code Regs., Title 24) - published July 1, 2025 by the California Building Standards Commission, effective January 1, 2026. Health & Safety Code 18938(b): building standards adopted into the California Building Standards Code "shall apply to all occupancies throughout the state and shall become effective 180 days after publication."THE CITY'S OWN ADOPTING ORDINANCE WAS NOT READ FOR THIS RECORD, so no Berkeley ordinance number or local effective date is asserted here. Berkeley publishes a separate Green Building programme which was not opened for this record.

Permit types & fees

Building Permit

Verified

Berkeley's Permit Service Center on the third floor at 1947 Center Street is "a one-stop shop for building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire, and some public works permits". Most of it can be done online; the counter exists but is fenced by four different time limits at once.

Verified 2026-09-19 · Source

Requirements

APPOINTMENTS ARE THE DEFAULT, NOT THE EXCEPTION: the published hours are "Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-2:30pm (last arrival 2:00pm) BY APPOINTMENT".
WALK-INS ARE A MORNING SERVICE AND A LIMITED ONE: "Walk-Ins: Welcome until 11:30am (for limited services)". Which services are in scope is not enumerated on the page read.
WHATEVER YOU COME FOR IS TIMEBOXED: "counter services are limited to 30 minutes".

Required documents

Optional
Optional

Fee schedule

Fee type	Amount	Notes
Building permit fee	NOT PUBLISHED on the pages read for this record.	No fee schedule, valuation table or minimum figure appeared on the Permit Service Center page, so none is recorded.
How fees can be paid in person	Cash, Visa or Mastercard, or check.	"You can pay permit fees in person at the Permit Service Center by cash, Visa or Mastercard, or check." Note what is absent from that list: American Express and Discover are not named.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-19.

City of Berkeley Permit Service Center — official building department

Applications & forms

City of Berkeley Permit Service Center (address, hours, last-arrival and walk-in cut-offs, 30-minute service cap, payment methods, digital-application rule, and the city's payment-fraud warning)

Codes & ordinances

Department & other records

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Berkeley building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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