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General building work permit checklist — San Bernardino County, California

Assembled from San Bernardino County’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.

Do you need a permit?

San Bernardino County requires a permit for general building work.

San Bernardino County Land Use Services enforces the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) with county amendments in County Code Title 6. The county's permits page sets the practical thresholds: new buildings and structures greater than 120 square feet require a permit (so detached accessory structures 120 sq ft and under are generally exempt), fences and block walls over 6 feet in height require a permit, and retaining walls over 4 feet in height require a permit. Grading of 100 cubic yards or more, erosion control and demolition all require permits. Because this is the largest county in the contiguous United States, overlays matter enormously in unincorporated areas: the county spans State Responsibility Area and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone land in the San Bernardino Mountains and foothills where California WUI Chapter 7A ignition-resistant construction and defensible space apply, high-desert parcels on septic requiring Division of Environmental Health Services onsite wastewater permits and percolation testing, and desert habitat areas with biological review. Seismic design requirements are heavier than in the other three counties.

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Sources

• building — permit rules ↗verified August 2026

Other permits San Bernardino County publishes rules for

Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.

• Deck permit checklist
• Fence permit checklist
• Shed permit checklist
• Water heater permit checklist
• Re-roof permit checklist
• Retaining wall permit checklist
• Electrical work permit checklist

BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with San Bernardino County before you build.