Integrating CALGreen Special Inspection into the Building Permit Process

Revised 08/14/2015

CALGreen Special Inspector

On September 1, 2015, CALGreen field verification shifted from a Permit Sonoma field inspector duty to that of a CALGreen Special Inspector. Permit Sonoma made this change due to the ever increasing role of green building standards and also in an effort to more closely align our CALGreen requirements with those of surrounding jurisdictions. Applicants or owners are responsible for contracting with an approved CALGreen Special Inspection Agency for these services. Permit applicants submitting plans requiring a CALGreen checklist on or after September 1, 2015 will need to use the updated checklist forms that include a field for identifying the chosen CALGreen Special Inspector.

County CALGreen Agency Recognition List

View a list of CALGreen Special Inspection Agencies approved to perform services in Sonoma County.
CALGreen Inspectors who would like to perform services as a Sonoma County CALGreen Special Inspector will need to apply by using the Application Form.

Application Submittal and Plan check

• All projects subject to the requirements of the California Green Building Standards Code(CALGreen) will be required to have the completed PRMD CALGreen Application Checklist attached to or incorporated into the plans prior to initializing the application.
• The applicable design requirements for compliance with Tier I level enhanced greenbuilding measures for either residential or nonresidential projects shall be shown on the plans.
• CALGREEN Checklist items that are part of the design requirements shall be shown on the plans.
• Prior to submittal, a PRMD Approved CALGreen Special Inspector shall verify there are no discrepancies within the plans due to requirements of the CALGreen checklist. If a CalGreen Special Inspector has not yet been chosen, it is incumbent upon the owner or the owners agent to ensure the plans conform to the CALGreen checklist requirements.
• Support documentation required to verify compliance shall be received.

Plan Check Process and Approval

• PRMD staff will verify all submittal documents are included during the plan check process.
• The CALGreen Building Acknowledgements (last page of Checklist) shall be signed by owner, designer, and CALGreen Special Inspector prior to issuance of any building permit.
• The PRMD Approved CALGreen Inspector shall be identified prior to issuance of the permit.

The Inspection Process

• All CALGreen measures that are to be verified by CALGreen Special Inspector shall be scheduled directly with the Approved CALGreen Inspector by the applicant or contractor.
• During construction of the permitted project, all measures shall be marked as approved in third column of CHECKLIST by the CALGreen Special Inspector.
• Any modification to the established checklist items must be coordinated with PRMD PlanCheck staff.
• The PRMD Building Inspector may request further verification or actions where any CALGreen checklist item or verification is in question.
• The PRMD Building Inspector shall be responsible for review of all other building code requirements, interpretations, inspection approvals, and permit status.

Authorization to Occupancy and Final Permit Approval

• The PRMD Approved CALGreen Special Inspector shall confirm in writing compliance with all required CALGreen building measures prior to final inspection by PRMD staff.
• A fully signed copy of the last page of the CALGreen Approved Checklist shall be provided to the project owner or applicant prior to final of the associated project. A fully signed copy of the Sonoma County CALGreen Special Inspection Project Verification form shall be provided to the county building inspector at or before final inspection.