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Building Permit in Folsom, California

Folsom splits permits into Minor and Major, runs the Major ones through two systems at once, publishes its inspectors' direct numbers, and gives a per-department timeline for the Certificate of Occupancy sign-offs - but its own plan review timeline document is behind a broken link.

Verified 2026-09-21 · Source

When you need this permit

  • MINOR AND MAJOR ARE DIFFERENT ROUTES, NOT DIFFERENT SIZES OF THE SAME ONE. "Some permits, called Minor Permits, may be reviewed and issued using eTRAKiT", while "ProjectDox is used in conjunction with eTRAKiT for Major Permits where multiple divisions or departments are required to review the plans."
  • THE CITY LISTS WHAT COUNTS AS MAJOR, and the list is broader than most people expect: "swimming pools, photovoltaic systems, patio covers, retaining walls, new residential homes or commercial buildings, additions or minor structures such as sheds or pool houses, ADUs, fire sprinklers, fire alarms, and signs."
  • YOU APPLY BEFORE YOU HAVE DRAWINGS: "No documents are required at the time of application for Major Permits." The plan portal is only created after the application is deemed complete and plan check fees are paid.
  • NAME YOUR REVISED FILES EXACTLY AS BEFORE. "Please use the same exact name for any revised documents. ProjectDox has a versioning function that helps the reviewers expedite reviews in subsequent cycles." A renamed resubmittal loses the version chain.
  • AN UNFINISHED ADMIN TASK STOPS THE PROJECT DEAD: "If the Outstanding Items Task is not completed, your project will not move forward."
  • PRINT THE APPROVED PLANS FULL SIZE BEFORE THE FIRST INSPECTION: "The applicant is required to have all approved plans and documents printed full-sized on site prior to their first inspection. Failure to do so may result in a FAILED inspection."
  • OUTSIDE AGENCIES CAN GATE ISSUANCE, and Folsom lists four. School fees via form CD-B103 to Folsom Cordova Unified. SMAQMD asbestos approval for "any commercial project where a minimum 160 square feet of surface area is being removed". Sacramento County Environmental Management for commercial pools, restaurants, commercial kitchens and food storage or retail. And Regional Sanitation for "All commercial alterations (including tenant improvements), additions, and new construction".
  • A WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN MAY BE REQUIRED, AND SELF-HAUL IS NOT AN OPTION: "Currently there is only one option for debris removal... Please note that the option to self-haul is NOT available at this time."

Required documents

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

Fee schedule

Plan check feesThe sequence is stated: application, completeness check, "Applicant: Pay Plan Check Fees via eTRAKiT", and only then "Applicant: Receive invitation to ProjectDox and upload plans and documents." No figure or schedule appears on the pages read.
Paid via eTRAKiT before the plan portal opens.
Issuance fees"You can pay via eTRAKiT or in person at City Hall and complete the Outstanding Items Task in ProjectDox."
Paid after approval, before the permit is released.
Re-inspection fee"Inspections must be canceled prior to arrival of the inspector, or a re-inspection fee may be assessed." No amount is published on the pages read.
May be assessed if an inspection is not cancelled in time.
School district development impact feesForm CD-B103 is completed by applicant, then Building Division, then the district, and must be done "prior to permit issuance".
Set by Folsom Cordova Unified, not by the City.

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

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

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Phone scheduling is gone; eTRAKiT only, up to four days ahead

    "The automatic phone scheduling system is no longer available. Inspections can be scheduled online via eTRAKiT and can be scheduled up to four days in advance."

  2. 2

    The next-day cut-off is 3pm

    "Next day inspections can be requested until 3pm. Any inspections requested after 3pm will be scheduled a minimum two business days out." The page repeats the rule lower down as "a minimum two days out", dropping the word business; the stricter reading is the one printed first.

  3. 3

    The site must be ready by 8 a.m., ladders included

    "All job sites shall be ready and accessible for inspection by 8 a.m. on the day of the inspection. This includes ladders in place for roofing, HVAC, or similar inspections." A time preference "may be requested; however, it is not a guarantee."

  4. 4

    Your inspection can be rolled to the next day

    "Depending on the inspection workload for the day, some inspections may be rolled. If your inspection is rolled, the inspector will contact you and it will need to be rescheduled for the following day."

  5. 5

    Cancel before the inspector arrives, preferably to the inspector

    The city's preferred cancellation route is calling or emailing the named inspector directly, with eTRAKiT and the Building Counter as alternatives. "Inspections must be canceled prior to arrival of the inspector, or a re-inspection fee may be assessed."

  6. 6

    Certificate of Occupancy: 800-series sign-offs first, then the 900-series final

    "Prior to a CO, all COO (800 series) inspections are required to be completed with a PASS status. Once that is completed, the 900 series FINAL INSPECTION shall be scheduled and performed by the Building Inspector." Each sign-off has its own published lead time: Engineering (883) 2-3 days, Planning (885) 2-3 days, Arborist (887) 2-3 days, Fire (891) 2-3 days, County Health (893) next day, Landscape & Lighting (895) 5 days, Water Quality (899) 5 days, Building TCO (901) next day.

  7. 7

    A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy is case by case

    "A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) may be issued on a case-by-case basis dependent on project scope, size, and type", discussed with the Building Inspector, with form B350 setting out the process.

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

Tips

  • BOOK NEXT-DAY INSPECTIONS BEFORE 3PM - after that it is two business days.
  • HAVE FULL-SIZE APPROVED PLANS ON SITE, or the first inspection can fail on that alone.
  • KEEP RESUBMITTED FILE NAMES IDENTICAL so ProjectDox versioning works.

Frequently asked questions

Before 3pm. "Next day inspections can be requested until 3pm. Any inspections requested after 3pm will be scheduled a minimum two business days out." You can book up to four days ahead, and the phone scheduling line no longer exists - it is eTRAKiT only.

In Folsom, the published Plan check fees is: Paid via eTRAKiT before the plan portal opens.. Additional published fees: Issuance fees — Paid after approval, before the permit is released.; Re-inspection fee — May be assessed if an inspection is not cancelled in time.; School district development impact fees — Set by Folsom Cordova Unified, not by the City.. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Folsom publishes estimated timelines by permit type in a document called CD-B111, but one of the two links to it on the Plan Review page is broken and returns the city's own Page Not Found. The city also warns the figures "may vary based on staff workload". This record does not quote a number it could not read; ring the Building Counter on 916-461-6201.

Not having the paperwork on site. "The applicant is required to have all approved plans and documents printed full-sized on site prior to their first inspection. Failure to do so may result in a FAILED inspection." Also make the site ready by 8 a.m., ladders included.

Apply through City of Folsom Community Development Department, Building Services Division at NOT PUBLISHED on the pages read for this record. The Plan Review and Building Inspections pages give a counter telephone and an email but no street address; issuance fees may be paid "in person at City Hall".. Phone: 916-461-6201 (Building Counter). Inspectors are published by name and direct line: Mike Toledo 916-220-3053, Enrique Jimenez 916-220-3037, Adam Ulbrickson 916-510-9061., email: epc@folsom.ca.us. Office hours: NOT PUBLISHED on the pages read for this record.. Official information: https://www.folsom.ca.us/government/community-development/building-services.

Because Folsom splits permits in two. Minor Permits "may be reviewed and issued using eTRAKiT" alone. Major Permits - which include swimming pools, photovoltaic systems, patio covers, retaining walls, new homes and commercial buildings, additions, sheds, ADUs, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and signs - run through eTRAKiT for the application, fees and inspections and ProjectDox for the plans.

ProjectDox tracks versions by file name. "Please use the same exact name for any revised documents. ProjectDox has a versioning function that helps the reviewers expedite reviews in subsequent cycles." Renaming a revised sheet breaks the chain the reviewers rely on.

Another department. All 800-series sign-offs must PASS before the 900-series final can be scheduled, and Folsom publishes how long each takes - Engineering, Planning, Arborist and Fire around 2-3 days each, Landscape & Lighting and Water Quality 5 days, County Health and the Building TCO next day. The city's own advice is to "discuss with your Building Inspector what inspections are required early on".

Folsom's permit history isn't searchable here yet

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

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