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Building Permit in Clovis, California

Clovis publishes eight local design values, a clear permit-exemption list, and an inspection process that ends in a telephone call to the inspector personally. Paper still has a place here: commercial projects take four plan sets, wet signed and stamped.

Verified 2026-09-19 · Source

When you need this permit

  • WHEN A PERMIT IS NEEDED: "A permit is required to build, construct, remodel, repair, demolish, remove or move any house, building or structure."
  • THE EXEMPTIONS ARE ENUMERATED: a one-story detached accessory building used as a tool or storage shed or playhouse "provided the floor area does not exceed 120 square feet"; "Fences not over 7 feet high", wood or block, with a caution to check with Planning on a corner lot; retaining walls "not over 4 feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge or impounding Class I, II or III-A-liquids"; "Platforms, walks and driveways not more than 30 inches above grade and not over any basement or story below"; "Painting, papering and similar finish work"; and prefabricated pools entirely above grade whose capacity "does not exceed 5,000 gallons".
  • COMMERCIAL DRAWINGS MUST BE WET SIGNED: new commercial permit requirements "include submitting drawings, plans and calculations that must be wet signed and stamped by a licensed California Architect or Engineer."
  • PLAN SET COUNTS DIFFER BY OCCUPANCY: "Residential: One set for initial submittal. Commercial: Four sets for commercial projects."
  • SOLAR HAS THREE ROUTES AND ONE OF THEM IS CLOSED TO OWNERS: in person, online through the CSS portal, or "Submitting a SolarApp application (SB-379) via CSS portal" - and "NOTE: The 3rd method is for contractors only (Owner builders are required to use method 1 or 2)." Owner-builder

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Permit fees
The city publishes a Letter to Industry Proposed Fee Increase and recurring Notice to Industry Valuation Update letters, the latest dated 2025-08-18 in its filename, which indicates fees are resolved… Show full citationThe city publishes a Letter to Industry Proposed Fee Increase and recurring Notice to Industry Valuation Update letters, the latest dated 2025-08-18 in its filename, which indicates fees are resolved through a periodically updated valuation table. Neither letter was opened, so no schedule, amount or multiplier is asserted.
NOT TRANSCRIBED for this record.
Photovoltaic permits"All residential roof-mounted and ground-mounted photovoltaic permits will have a new fee structure", per the city's 2023 Code Notice to Industry Letter 1. The structure itself was not read.
A separate fee structure.

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Building Permit permit actually take in Clovis?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    The portal route: look up your inspector, then telephone them

    The Building Division page gives five steps: "To request a time for Inspections, please go to the CSS portal, and complete the following steps. Go to the top of the page and click on Today's Inspections. Look for your permit number. Look at who your inspector for the day is. Their phone number will be next to their name. Call the inspector to see what times are available." The city adds its own caveat: "Inspectors may not be able to accommodate your time request due to work load."

  2. 2

    The FAQ route: a central line, 24 hours ahead

    The FAQs page answers the same question differently: "After you receive a building permit, inspection requests can be called for at (559) 324-2337. Inspection requests must be made 24 hours in advance so that field personnel can be scheduled." Both routes are published by the city on its own site; this record reports both rather than choosing between them.

  3. 3

    Today's Building Inspections is public

    The daily inspection list is published and is the first step of the city's own scheduling instructions, since it is where the assigned inspector's name and phone number appear. No data from it is reproduced in this record.

See the full Clovis inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • COMMERCIAL TAKES FOUR WET-SIGNED PLAN SETS; residential takes one for initial submittal.
  • THE AUTOMATED SOLAR ROUTE IS CLOSED TO OWNER-BUILDERS - contractors only. Owner-builder
  • THE CITY PUBLISHES TWO DIFFERENT INSPECTION-REQUEST ROUTES; confirm which applies before relying on either.

Frequently asked questions

Clovis requires a building permit for: WHEN A PERMIT IS NEEDED: "A permit is required to build, construct, remodel, repair, demolish, remove or move any house, building or structure."; THE EXEMPTIONS ARE ENUMERATED: a one-story detached accessory building used as a tool or storage shed or playhouse "provided the floor area does not exceed 120 square feet"; "Fences not over 7 feet high", wood or block, with a caution to check with Planning on a corner lot; retaining walls "not over 4 feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge or impounding Class I, II or III-A-liquids"; "Platforms, walks and driveways not more than 30 inches above grade and not over any basement or story below"; "Painting, papering and similar finish work"; and prefabricated pools entirely above grade whose capacity "does not exceed 5,000 gallons".; COMMERCIAL DRAWINGS MUST BE WET SIGNED: new commercial permit requirements "include submitting drawings, plans and calculations that must be wet signed and stamped by a licensed California Architect or Engineer."; PLAN SET COUNTS DIFFER BY OCCUPANCY: "Residential: One set for initial submittal. Commercial: Four sets for commercial projects."; SOLAR HAS THREE ROUTES AND ONE OF THEM IS CLOSED TO OWNERS: in person, online through the CSS portal, or "Submitting a SolarApp application (SB-379) via CSS portal" - and "NOTE: The 3rd method is for contractors only (Owner builders are required to use method 1 or 2).". If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Clovis Planning & Development Services, Building Division at (559) 324-2390 (Building Division); (559) 324-2337 (inspection requests, per the FAQ page) before starting work.

In Clovis, the published Permit fees is: NOT TRANSCRIBED for this record.. Additional published fees: Photovoltaic permits — A separate fee structure.. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Clovis does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Clovis Planning & Development Services, Building Division at (559) 324-2390 (Building Division); (559) 324-2337 (inspection requests, per the FAQ page) for current turnaround.

Apply through City of Clovis Planning & Development Services, Building Division at 1033 Fifth Street, Clovis, CA, 93612. Phone: (559) 324-2390 (Building Division); (559) 324-2337 (inspection requests, per the FAQ page), email: NOT PUBLISHED as a divisional mailbox on the pages read for this record. The Building Division page gives a street address and a telephone number and routes everything else through the CSS self-service portal.. Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8 AM - 4:30 PM, published as "Hours" on the Building Division page beside the division's address and phone number. No lunch closure and no weekend hours are listed.. Official information: https://www.clovisca.gov/services/planning_development/building/index.php.

Eight: "Wind Exposure 85 V asd/ 110 V alt"; "Seismic Design Category D"; "Climate Zone 13"; "Exposure B or C"; "Soil 1500psi"; "Roof live Load 20 PSF, and the Dead load depends on the roof material used"; "Yearly Rain - 3 inches"; and "Snow Load - 0".

A named list: a detached shed or playhouse of 120 square feet or less, a fence up to 7 feet (check with Planning on a corner lot), a retaining wall up to 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing unless it supports a surcharge, platforms and driveways not more than 30 inches above grade, painting and papering, and an entirely above-grade prefabricated pool of 5,000 gallons or less.

One set for a residential initial submittal, four sets for a commercial project - and commercial drawings, plans and calculations "must be wet signed and stamped by a licensed California Architect or Engineer."

No. Clovis offers three photovoltaic routes - in person, online through CSS, or a SolarApp application under SB-379 - and "The 3rd method is for contractors only (Owner builders are required to use method 1 or 2)."

Clovis's permit history isn't searchable here yet

This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Clovis yet is the record of permits actually issued — the history you'd search by street address. That is a gap in our coverage, not a statement about any particular property.

Your email, and the place — never an address. We only use it to tell you when Clovis lands. Privacy.

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