Required Plans and Documents

Permit projects may require some or all of the following information.  To find out if you're in a special district or area requiring additional review, please see the Building Permit Application Archive and Search tool.

 

Site Plan

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A site plan is a drawing that depicts the placement of the project on the property. Site plans must be drawn to scale. Two versions are required: one that shows the existing site, and one of the proposed work. It should show all buildings, including sheds, and the setbacks of a proposed project to the site itself. It should also include the direction of drainage, landscaping, sidewalks, and other site features. It should show property dimensions, the location of adjoining streets and alleys, and location of all existing and proposed structures on the property with distances from other buildings and property lines specified. Please see sample site plan to the right.

Floor Plan(s)

Floor plans show room sizes and uses, placement of walls, location and size of windows, doors, stairs, plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets and light fixtures, fireplaces, and cabinets.

Exterior Elevations

Exterior elevations show all sides of the building being constructed or remodeled. Exterior elevations also indicate the height of the structure and specifiy the exterior materials being used.

Structural Plans

Structural plans include foundation, floor framing, roof framing, cross sections, and drawings of specific aspects of the project, such as an eave detail. A good example is a footing detail. The detail drawing would show the size and materials required for the construction of the footing, and a reference on the foundation plan to where the footing detail is located in the plan set.

Structural Engineering Calculations

Wet signed and stamped structural engineering calculations are only needed if your project does not meet conventional code requirements per the California Building Code.

City of Sacramento Design Criteria

Seismic- Design Category D (R-3) Only	No snow loading
Wind- Exposure: C, unless site complies with definition for Exposure B Speed: 85 mph 3 second gust	Allowable Soil Bearing Pressure- 1500 psf without a soils report.  A soils report is required if either the site has poor soil or a bearing capacity higher than 1500 psf is desired.
Climate Zone- 12	Rainfall- 3" per hour max.

Energy Compliance Documentation

Energy compliance documentation is needed if the area of conditioned space is being increased as necessary to comply with the 2005 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards.

Truss Calculations
Wet signed and stamped truss calcualtions are required if utilizing roof or floor trusses for the project.  The calcualtions must match the roof and floor plan provided in the plan set.

Product “Listing” Numbers

List the product listing numbers of the materials to be used, (i.e., roofing, skylights, spas, fireplaces, and fireplace inserts). The numbers are to be provided by an approved testing agency, such as United Listing, International Conference of Building Officials, or International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials.

Automatic Fire Extinguishing System Plans

Automatic Fire Extinguishing System Plans include drawings, calculations, and specifications. These are required for remodels and tenant improvements where the walls or ceilings are being moved or modified.

Supplemental Questionnaires

• Heating and Cooling (HVAC) Equipment Questionnaire Form
  Required for new HVAC installations or an existing building in a Design Review area.
• Roofing Questionnaire
  Required for reroofs in a Design Review area.
• Site Drainage and Encroachment Questionnaire
  Required for all new residential structures and additions.

Who May Prepare Plans (PDF)

Use the following table to help you provide the proper number of plan sets:

The City does not allow any plan check items to be deferred (submitted at a later date) for residential projects.  When checking your plan set for completeness ask yourself, "Could I look at these plans, go out and purchase every material needed for this project, and know where to located each item I purchased?" 

Use this table to help you determine typical plan review cycle times (shown in business days):

Plan reviews usually take two or three cycles to obtain approval.  Don't forget, the quicker you can respond to the comments provided to you, the faster you will recieve your approval.