Do I need a new home permit in Sacramento County? Plans, sprinklers, the departments that sign off, and how long builders take

Who has to approve a new house

The division's FAQ (read 23 October 2026) lists "New homes, buildings, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU)" as permit work and says: "All new homes need to be reviewed and approved by Technical Resources, LDSIR, Planning Department, Sacramento Sewer District." Water Resources may also be involved, depending on the parcel.

Two rules that set the budget early: "As of January 1st, 2011 all new one and two family dwellings require fire sprinklers", and the County's CO-06 list asks for a "Solar Drawing" for "all new dwellings or ADU". Production builders filing many homes have their own route: questions go to BPIDProductionHomes@saccounty.gov. This guide covers unincorporated areas only; Elk Grove, Citrus Heights and the other incorporated cities issue their own permits.

What the plan set must include

From CO-06 (last updated February 2024), submitted as PDFs:

The list warns that "Lack of required items will result in a delay of your permit issuance." The County's Development Navigation Assistant, linked from the FAQ, builds a printable checklist for your parcel. Plan review and zone check fees are paid when you submit, through the "Pay Fees Due" action in Accela Citizen Access. The building pages publish no new-home fee table, and development impact fees are set by other County programs, so get the invoice before you commit to a schedule.

Who can pull it

A CSLB-licensed builder, normally a B General Building contractor (CSLB Licensing Classifications). 86.1% of the 72 firms on County new-home permits matched an active CSLB license by name.

You, as owner-builder, after initialing and signing the AP-16 notice. For a new house the clause to read twice is number 7: an owner-builder "cannot legally build them with the intent to offer them for sale, unless all work is performed by licensed subcontractors and the number of structures does not exceed four within any calendar year, or all of the work is performed under contract with a licensed general building Contractor." Number 5 adds that hiring anyone other than licensed contractors on work of $500 or more may make you an "employer" under state and federal law.

Inspections

Book online, on 916-875-5296 or by text to 855-280-5383, by 5 p.m. for the next day (Scheduling Inspections). The County's list has combination codes built for a new house:

The FAQ's rule is to "Call for an inspection before placing concrete or 'covering' any aspect of construction". For a home project, the signed final job card "is your Certificate of Occupancy"; keep it with the plans for a sale or refinance.

What 2,344 County new-home permits show

This is a production-builder market: Lennar Homes of California LLC alone filed 439 permits in the 12 months to September 2026, and five builders hold 86.9% of the file. A custom build on your own lot is the other 66.7% of firms, who filed one permit each. For those, ask for County addresses you can look up in Accela. About 171 days from issue to final is the yardstick for a schedule. Prices: Sacramento County new home cost.

See every Sacramento County home builder by permits filed →

Related

Other places' rules: do I need a permit to build a house. The checklist: hiring a home builder; national prices: new home construction cost. License steps: Sacramento County contractor license lookup; records: Sacramento County building permit search; counts by year: Sacramento County permit statistics.

What this does not tell you

Days to final run from permit issue, so plan review, the other departments and the fire district come before our clock starts. Production builders finalize almost everything, which makes the finaled share less useful here than for small builders. Filed value is construction only: no land, impact fees or utility connections.