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Building Permit in Napa, California

Napa has no online submittal portal at all and says so in capitals. Its counter is open four days a week, closes to new business at 3:30 PM, and its three review tracks run from a counter decision in ten minutes to twenty-one business days.

Verified 2026-09-20 · Source

When you need this permit

  • THERE IS NO ONLINE SUBMITTAL ROUTE, AND THE CITY LEADS WITH IT: "PLEASE NOTE: THE CITY DOES NOT HAVE AN ONLINE PORTAL FOR SUBMITTALS." Submittals are made in person at the counter. The eTRAKiT system the city does run is for INSPECTION scheduling, not for applications.
  • THREE REVIEW TRACKS, AND THE CITY NAMES WHAT QUALIFIES FOR EACH. Over the Counter: "issued for projects that do not require plans", examples "electrical service change-outs; furnace and water heater change-outs; roofing", needing only a "Completed application with accurate work description."
  • EXPRESS REVIEW IS A TEN-MINUTE DECISION AT THE COUNTER: "Plans reviewed at the counter for minor building projects that require a maximum of 10 - 15 minutes to complete." Examples given: "Minor residential interior remodels; rooftop PV under 10KW; window and door replacement; seismic upgrades; patio covers". It needs "Three sets of plans (minimum 11 x 17-inch paper size)".
  • AND COMMERCIAL TENANT IMPROVEMENTS ARE EXCLUDED FROM IT: "All commercial TI (tenant improvement) projects are not eligible for Express Review and must be submitted for either Rapid or Full review."
  • FULL REVIEW TAKES THREE TO SIX SETS OF PLANS "and additional documentation", per the published submittal checklists.
  • THE CITY ASKS YOU TO RING FIRST: "Prior to submitting for a building permit, we encourage you to contact us to confirm and discuss the details of your project and permitting / plan review options."

Required documents

Check off what you have — your progress is saved on this device.

Fee schedule

Permit and plan review feesPublished through the city's Master Fee Schedule archive. No fee basis is stated on the pages read and the schedule was not opened, so no amount or basis is asserted.
NOT TRANSCRIBED for this record.
School district development fees
"Depending on the scope of work the project may trigger a submission of development fees from Napa Valley Unified School District which is an outside agency review from the City of Napa. Show full citation"Depending on the scope of work the project may trigger a submission of development fees from Napa Valley Unified School District which is an outside agency review from the City of Napa. Please contact NVUSD directly for clarification." NVUSD is at 1616 Lincoln Ave, Napa CA 94558, 707-253-6281.
Charged by Napa Valley Unified School District, not by the city.
Sanitation district review"Depending on the scope of work the project may trigger a review from Napa Sanitation District which is an outside agency review from the City of Napa." NapaSan is at 1515 Soscol Ferry Road, Napa CA 94558, 707-258-6000.
A separate outside agency process.

Review timeline

Plan reviewNapa’s published plan-review target
29–29 business days

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

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Twenty-four hours' notice, or book further ahead

    "Inspections need to be made at least 24 hours prior or you can plan them ahead."

  2. 2

    An automated telephone line driven by numbered codes

    "Inspections can be made with our automated system by calling 707-257-1063 and selecting the inspection code... which applies to your project." The city publishes the full code list - for example 301 Underground DWV, 203 Underground Electric, 120 Under Floor Framing, 101 Setbacks, 102 Footings/Steel, 110 Slab Reinforcement, 107 Retaining Wall Footings, 280 Electric Service/Release. You need the right number before you dial.

  3. 3

    Or online through eTRAKiT

    "You can also schedule them with our eTRAKiT system online." Note that eTRAKiT here is an inspection-scheduling system only - the city has no online route for submittals. Richmond, elsewhere in this corpus, has retired eTRAKiT in favour of a newer system; Napa still runs it.

  4. 4

    NOT PUBLISHED on the pages read: arrival windows, daily cut-off and cancellation route

    No AM/PM window, daily cut-off time or cancellation procedure appeared on the pages read for this record. The 24-hour notice requirement is the only timing rule published.

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

Tips

  • THERE IS NO ONLINE SUBMITTAL ROUTE - plan a counter visit, Monday to Thursday only.
  • GET THERE BEFORE 3:30 PM; the counter stops taking submittals half an hour before it shuts.
  • LOOK UP YOUR INSPECTION CODE NUMBER before calling the automated line.

Frequently asked questions

Napa requires a building permit for: THERE IS NO ONLINE SUBMITTAL ROUTE, AND THE CITY LEADS WITH IT: "PLEASE NOTE: THE CITY DOES NOT HAVE AN ONLINE PORTAL FOR SUBMITTALS." Submittals are made in person at the counter. The eTRAKiT system the city does run is for INSPECTION scheduling, not for applications.; THREE REVIEW TRACKS, AND THE CITY NAMES WHAT QUALIFIES FOR EACH. Over the Counter: "issued for projects that do not require plans", examples "electrical service change-outs; furnace and water heater change-outs; roofing", needing only a "Completed application with accurate work description."; EXPRESS REVIEW IS A TEN-MINUTE DECISION AT THE COUNTER: "Plans reviewed at the counter for minor building projects that require a maximum of 10 - 15 minutes to complete." Examples given: "Minor residential interior remodels; rooftop PV under 10KW; window and door replacement; seismic upgrades; patio covers". It needs "Three sets of plans (minimum 11 x 17-inch paper size)".; AND COMMERCIAL TENANT IMPROVEMENTS ARE EXCLUDED FROM IT: "All commercial TI (tenant improvement) projects are not eligible for Express Review and must be submitted for either Rapid or Full review."; FULL REVIEW TAKES THREE TO SIX SETS OF PLANS "and additional documentation", per the published submittal checklists.; THE CITY ASKS YOU TO RING FIRST: "Prior to submitting for a building permit, we encourage you to contact us to confirm and discuss the details of your project and permitting / plan review options.". If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Napa Community Development Department, Building Division at 707-257-9540 (Building Division); 707-257-1063 (automated inspection line) before starting work.

On the Full Review track, "Plans are reviewed within 21 business days of submittal" - about 29 calendar days before public holidays. Two faster routes exist: Over the Counter for projects needing no plans, and Express Review, a counter decision for minor projects the city budgets at 10 to 15 minutes.

Apply through City of Napa Community Development Department, Building Division at 1600 First Street, Napa, CA 94559. Phone: 707-257-9540 (Building Division); 707-257-1063 (automated inspection line), email: NOT PUBLISHED as a plain address on the pages read - the division is reachable through an "Email Building Division" link rather than a stated mailbox.. Office hours: FOUR DAYS A WEEK, AND THE LAST HALF HOUR IS NOT USABLE. "The Building Division is open and available to the public from 8 AM - 4 PM Monday through Thursday", and "Last submittal and/or permit issuance is at 3:30 PM to allow adequate time for processing before the counter closes." No Friday hours are published in any form - not even by appointment - so the effective week is 32 counter hours with a 30-minute dead zone at the end of each day.. Official information: https://www.cityofnapa.org/228/Building-Division.

No. The city states it in capitals: "PLEASE NOTE: THE CITY DOES NOT HAVE AN ONLINE PORTAL FOR SUBMITTALS." Submittals are made at the counter, which is open Monday to Thursday 8 AM to 4 PM with a 3:30 PM cut-off. The eTRAKiT system the city runs is for scheduling inspections, not for applying.

The city's two pages disagree, so this is worth a phone call. The Building Division page says the 2025 California Building Code was adopted "effective January 1, 2025"; the Permits and Plan Review page says "Any permits applied for on January 1, 2026, or after must comply with adopted 2025 California Codes." The second matches the statewide position, since the 2025 code was published on 1 July 2025 and takes effect 180 days later. Ring 707-257-9540 to confirm.

3:30 PM, not 4 PM. "Last submittal and/or permit issuance is at 3:30 PM to allow adequate time for processing before the counter closes." And there are no Friday hours at all.

No. "All commercial TI (tenant improvement) projects are not eligible for Express Review and must be submitted for either Rapid or Full review."

The city quotes the state list from California Building Code section 105.2 - among them a detached shed or playhouse of 120 square feet or less, fences not over 7 feet, retaining walls up to 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing unless supporting a surcharge, sidewalks and driveways not more than 30 inches above grade and not part of an accessible route, painting and finish work, and above-ground prefabricated pools less than 24 inches deep and not more than 5,000 gallons. The city adds that "All work, including work exempt from permits, is required to be done in compliance with applicable codes and ordinances."

Napa's permit history isn't searchable here yet

This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Napa 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 Napa lands. Privacy.

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