Digital permit application gateway
Start with the issuing authority’s own submission lane. A complete application package, accurate valuation, and accessible inspection path are the fastest route through statutory plan review.
Recommended first click
Use the official digital gateway to submit plans, monitor review comments, pay required charges, and request inspections when the permit is issued. If the link is unavailable, use the agency website or phone number on the administrative profile to confirm the current lane.
Typical review lane
The county's published process gives an initial completeness review of approximately 4-5 business days. Subsequent plan review depends on project scope, completeness, corrections, and payment; the county does not publish one universal final-issuance timeline.
Treat this as a planning signal, not a guaranteed approval date. Completeness, corrections, resubmittals, and agency workload control the actual clock.
Verify the parcel is inside this agency’s service area and note whether a city, state, fire marshal, septic authority, or utility district also has approval authority.
Prepare legible plans, site information, project valuation, ownership authorization, contractor information, and any energy, floodplain, zoning, or utility documentation the issuing office requires.
Keep the permit number, approved plan set, correction comments, fee receipts, and inspection results together. Those records establish the compliance trail for the next trade.
Application documents
Before submission, call 925-655-2700 (Building and Planning); 925-646-4108 (automated inspections) if the project involves a change of occupancy, structural alteration, accessory structure, demolition, or work near a regulated environmental feature.
Source trail
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development, Building Inspection Division is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 925-655-2700 (Building and Planning); 925-646-4108 (automated inspections).
The county's published process gives an initial completeness review of approximately 4-5 business days. Subsequent plan review depends on project scope, completeness, corrections, and payment; the county does not publish one universal final-issuance timeline.
Schedule building inspections through the ePermits Center or the automated system at 925-646-4108. The county posts the daily inspection schedule after 8:45 a.m. Monday-Friday; the permit card and approved plans must be on site.
The county's current building-code guide, updated January 2, 2026, lists the 2025 California Building Standards Administrative Code; Building Code Volumes 1 and 2; Residential, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy, Wildland-Urban Interface, Historical, Fire, Existing Building, Green Building Standards, and Reference Standards Codes; Contra Costa County Code Title VII; and applicable city ordinances in county-served cities. The county's official exemption sheet lists one-story detached accessory structures up to 120 square feet; fences up to 7 feet; qualifying retaining walls up to 3 feet; ground-supported water tanks up to 5,000 gallons meeting the 2:1 height-to-width limit; qualifying sidewalks and driveways; painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work; qualifying shallow above-ground pools; agricultural shade-cloth structures; playground equipment; qualifying window awnings; movable fixtures, cases, racks, counters, and partitions up to 5 feet 9 inches; and qualifying detached decks up to 200 square feet and 30 inches above grade. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, zoning, public-works, and other agency requirements can still apply.
What makes an application complete
Before you click submit, make sure the drawings agree with the site plan, project description, valuation, ownership authorization, and contractor information. If the work changes structure, occupancy, drainage, fire protection, energy performance, or utility demand, describe that scope plainly. Ambiguous narratives create correction cycles and delay the field schedule.
Save the confirmation number, payment receipt, uploaded plan set, and every correction comment. Those records are the backbone of a defensible compliance file when multiple trades or agencies share responsibility.
Submission quality check
Site: address, parcel, access, setbacks, and existing conditions are consistent.
Scope: structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, and energy work is identified.
Closeout: inspection contacts and the final approval path are understood before work begins.