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Santa Clara building permits

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Santa Clara, California — as published 2026-09-19.

Verified 2026-09-19 · Source

Codes adopted

THE ADOPTION IS KEYED TO WHEN THE APPLICATION IS RECEIVED: "The City enforces the California codes and has adopted and amended codes for permit applications received on or after January 1, 2026." So which code governs a project is fixed by the receipt date of its application.THE 2025 SET, AS THE CITY LISTS IT, AND IT INCLUDES THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE WHICH MOST RECORDS HERE OMIT: 2025 California Administrative Code, Building Code, Electrical Code, Energy Code, Existing Building Code, Green Building Standards Code, Historical Building Code, Mechanical Code, Plumbing Code and Residential Code.AND TWO OLDER ADOPTED CODES SIT ALONGSIDE THEM: the "2024 International Property Maintenance Code" and the "1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings". The second is a twenty-nine-year-old model code still listed as adopted - a reminder that a city's code list is not all one vintage.Health & Safety Code 18938(b) provides that building standards in the California Building Standards Code "shall apply to all occupancies throughout the state and shall become effective 180 days after publication." The 2025 code was published July 1, 2025 and took effect January 1, 2026.

Permit types & fees

Building Permit

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Santa Clara runs a Permit Center at City Hall serving Building, Planning, Fire and Public Works, with two distinct permit tracks - a fast Simple Permit that trades refundability for speed, and a standard Regular Permit. Everything is submitted electronically through a Permitting Online Portal that runs around the clock.

Verified 2026-09-19 · Source

Requirements

THE PERMIT TRIGGER IS BROAD: "A building permit is required before you erect, construct, enlarge, alter, move, repair, improve, convert, or demolish any building/structure."
AND THE THRESHOLDS ARE PUBLISHED WITH NUMBERS: "decks over 30 inches high"; "patio covers"; "sheds over 120 square feet"; "fences over 7 feet high"; "retaining walls more than 4 feet in height measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall."
A SHED UNDER THE SIZE LIMIT STILL NEEDS A PERMIT IF IT HAS POWER: "Regardless of shed size, any new electrical circuits, outlets, receptacles, etc., will require a building permit for electrical work."
SUBMITTAL IS ELECTRONIC ONLY: "All applications and files must be submitted electronically. Submit to our Permitting Online Portal (POP) and use the POP User Guide (PDF) for instructions on how to upload documents."
OTHER DEPARTMENTS MAY HAVE TO APPROVE FIRST: the city lists "other department approvals (if applicable)" among what to include, giving the example that "Planning Division approval is required for specific development types. Contact them at 408-615-2450 or Planning@santaclaraca.gov."

Required documents

Optional
Optional
Optional

Fee schedule

Fee type	Amount	Notes
Card and e-check transaction fees	Charged since July 1, 2026; the amount varies by payment method.	The city's notice: "Effective July 1, 2026, all credit/debit card and e-check (bank account/ACH) payments for Building, Planning, Public Works, and Fire are subject to transaction fees. Show full citationHide The city's notice: "Effective July 1, 2026, all credit/debit card and e-check (bank account/ACH) payments for Building, Planning, Public Works, and Fire are subject to transaction fees. The transaction fee amount varies based on the payment method." Note that this reaches BANK TRANSFERS as well as cards, which is broader than the card-only surcharges elsewhere in this corpus, and it applies across four departments.
Simple Permit refundability	No refunds.	The city warns before you choose the fast track: "Please read all instructions and acknowledgements carefully before applying, as these are not eligible for refunds." The speed is bought with the money becoming unrecoverable.
Fee schedule	NOT TRANSCRIBED for this record.	The city publishes a Fee Schedule and a Fee Payments page, neither of which was opened here, so no amount and no fee basis is asserted.

Sources & verification

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

City of Santa Clara Permit Center, Community Development Department — official building department

Fee schedules

Santa Clara Permit Center (hours, the Thursday Planning staff-meeting closure, the permit fee phishing alert, the July 2026 transaction fee change, the expedited plan review outage, address and contacts; page carries its own Last Updated stamp of 09-18-2026)

Applications & forms

City of Santa Clara Building Permit Information (permit thresholds with their measurement basis, the adopted 2025 code list and two older adopted codes, Simple vs Regular permits, electronic-only submittal)

Codes & ordinances

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 Santa Clara building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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