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End of Extended COVID Permit Expiration Date
In order to support the difficulties the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the community, Permit Sonoma offered customers a two-year extension above and beyond the regular timelines for various ministerial applications and permits. The conditions attributing to the local emergency no longer exist and the Board of Supervisors rescinded the local emergency as of May 16, 2023. As such, the policy extending the expiration dates was sunsetted effective May 17, 2023.
This change does not affect permits that have already been extended. All applications received beginning May 17, 2023 are valid for one year, and the COVID-19 extension will not be applied.
An encroachment permit is needed to conduct activities in the “public right of way,” which is public property in unincorporated Sonoma County such as roadways, driveways, sidewalks, curbs, and gutters. You need an encroachment permit if any structure, object or improvement is placed or constructed in, under or over any public right of way.
Examples of activities that require an encroachment permit if conducted in the public right of way include:
- Driveway entrance upgrades (ENC-006 Required Driveway Entrance Upgrades)
- Dumpsters, storage bins, or debris boxes
- Fencing
- Landscaping
- Mailboxes, placement of
- Public utilities repair and installation
- Roadway widening
- Scaffolding, temporary placement of
- Signs, posting of
- Special Events – Events such as parades, marathons, bike races, street fairs, farmers' markets, etc. that will occur in the public right of way
- Trenching and excavations
Contact Information:
- Email: PermitSonoma-Engineering@sonoma-county.org
- Phone: (707) 565-2268
- Fax: (707) 565-3313
Changes to Encroachment and Septic Permit Fee Process
As of July 12, 2019, Permit Sonoma will be changing how fees are assessed for encroachment permit applications and septic permit applications to be more consistent with how we assess fees for other types of similar construction permit applications.