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Permit Sonoma › Policies and Procedures › 4-0-7 Building Permit No Plan Check
Permit Sonoma

4-0-7 Building Permit No Plan Check

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Purpose

This policy is intended to provide guidance when a permit may be issued as a Building Permit No Plan Check. A Building Permit No Plan Check is issued without construction plans and without formal plan review, although in some cases supporting documents (such as a site plan, floor plan, or manufacturer’s listing documents) may be required. It is not intended that a Building Permit No Plan Check be issued for any change of occupancy. Any work done in conjunction with a change of occupancy shall require a Building Permit With Plan Check.

The policies of Permit Sonoma are not intended to supersede or conflict with any provisions or government code or the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the County of Sonoma and Employee Organizations or general County policies.

This policy and the process described herein do not alleviate the County and the Employee Organizations from their duty to meet and confer pursuant to Government Code 3500 et sequens.

Procedure

  1. Residential and / or Associated Accessory Structures

    Types of Building Permits No Plan Check for Residential and / or Associated Accessory Structures
    1. Water heater replacement or installation including associated water piping, gas piping, and vents.
    2. Plumbing work other than the above.
    3. Electrical services upgrade maximum 225 amps including associated wiring at the service panel. Electrical services greater than 225 amps require a Building Permit With Plan Check.
    4. Electrical work other than the above.
    5. Heating and/or cooling equipment repair or replacement, including associated water piping, gas piping, and vents.
    6. Mechanical work other than the above.
    7. Re-roofing, for the purposes of this policy, roof sheathing, fascia boards and rafter tails that are replaced as a matter of required maintenance shall be considered included in the scope of re-roofing. (See item 10 below).
    8. Installation or replacement of siding.
    9. Dry rot repair and/or replacement in kind to not more than 40 lineal feet of wall, provided the work meets the requirements for conventional construction in the building code. “Wall” includes bottom plate to top plate and may include rim joist, rafter tails and fascia (foundation repair/replace and re-framing of room rafters requires plans).
    10. Repairs to decking or guardrails of decks.
    11. Repair or replacement of interior or exterior stairs, including handrails and guardrails.

    Because there are no plans, it is important that the permit description include enough information so that the building inspector can determine the extent of the work.

    All work authorized by a Building Permit No Plan Check must conform to present codes. For instance, guardrails which are replaced must meet current spacing and height requirements. Stairs must comply with current rise and run requirements.

  2. Non-Residential Structures

    The following work can be issued as a Building Permit No Plan Check for non-residential structures:
    1. Replacement heating, water heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment with the same type of unit in the same location. New roof mounted equipment or equipment in a new location requires plans.
    2. Re-roofing (reframing the roof requires plans).
    3. Service upgrade maximum 225 amps including associated wiring.
    4. Electrical work not involving the placement or replacement of switches or receptacles.
    5. Plumbing work not involving the placement or replacement of plumbing fixtures.

    All work to a non-residential structure other than that shown above requires plans.

  3. Permits for Abating Violations

    Refer to Permit Sonoma Policy & Procedure 7-0-8, Abatement Demolition Permits. If an applicant elects to legalize a violation by removing unpermitted construction, this policy requires:
    1. A site plan as well as a floor plan showing the current and final floor plan.
    2. Form CDE-005 Demolition Permit Checklist completed by Code Enforcement staff.
    3. All other applications to legalize construction without permit shall be treated as new construction subject to inspection per Permit Sonoma Policy & Procedure 1-4-2, Concealed Construction Verification Guidelines.

  4. Fees

    1. For electrical panel service upgrades, see current fee schedule
    2. If there is electrical work included, select the minimum electrical fee
    3. If there is plumbing work included, select the minimum plumbing fee
    4. For water heaters, select the minimum plumbing fee only
    5. If there is mechanical work included, select the minimum mechanical fee
    6. For furnace, select the minimum mechanical fee only
    7. If there is work, which is part of a minor remodel on walls, ceilings, roofs, or floors, the fee is calculated using four value ranges. This results in the fee ranging from the minimum building fee up to 2.5 hours inspection time.

    Fees for commercial Building Permits No Plan Check shall be assessed using the existing fee schedule.

  5. Inspections

    When a Building Permit No Plan Check is issued, the permit holder should be informed that if the building inspector finds, during the course of inspection, that the work authorized by a Building Permit No Plan Check exceeds the scope of work described above, or if the work does not meet the requirements of conventional construction in the building code, plans will be required and a Building Permit With Plan Check issued after the appropriate reviews and approvals.

    The following procedures shall be followed:
    1. The building inspector shall issue a correction notice stating that plans and a Building Permit With Plan Check are required, including the reasons for this requirement. If the limits of the Building Permit No Plan Check have been exceeded, the correction notice should explain the details; such as, more than 40 linear feet of wall reframed or lateral bracing of structure compromised, engineering required.
    2. The correction notice shall specify what, if any, work can continue (such as weatherproofing the structure).
    3. A stop work notice shall be issued when necessary. When the customer comes to Permit Sonoma with plans for the work, customer service staff shall review the plans and initiate a Building Permit With Plan Check or all the work on the project, including any work previously described on the Building Permit No Plan Check, in accordance with current procedures.
    4. A site review will be necessary if required by current procedures.
    5. Fees paid for the Building Permit With Plan Check shall be adjusted to exclude fees previously paid for work on the Building Permit No Plan Check.
    6. Review is required by other sections of the department in accordance with current procedures.
    7. As a general rule the Building Permit With Plan Check does not receive priority processing. The Building Official may authorize priority processing when necessary to protect health and safety. Customer service staff shall change the status of the original record to "Cancelled."
    8. Customer service staff shall add the following notice to the original record: “Work Included in BLD-####.”

Approved By:  /S/ Tennis Wick, Director

Reviewed by:  Department Manager:  Regina De La Cruz

Reviewed by:  County Counsel:  n/a

Lead Author:  John de Courcy

Version:  02/01/2019 |11/03/2014 | 10/22/2012 | 10/29/2010 | 01/16/2009 | 07/09/2008

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