Building Inspections

Schedule inspections online or call 408-615-2400. 

1500 Warburton Avenue 
Santa Clara, CA 95050 

Tel: 408-615-2440
Fax: 408-241-3823
Email: building@santaclaraca.gov

The Building Division provides inspection services for building construction to ensure compliance with approved plans, and local and State building code laws. Inspection services are provided for new residential, commercial and industrial buildings, as well as building additions, remodels, repairs and changes in use.

The City of Santa Clara offers two ways of scheduling and checking the status of building inspections - online and by an automated phone system. Both systems provide permit holders with 24-hour access to schedule, cancel inspections or check the inspection status.

Final Inspection Requirements

Final inspections require releases from other departments (if applicable) prior to a Building Final. For Engineering clearances, please call 408-615-3000. Fire Department permits must be completed prior to final inspections by calling 408-615-4970. Planning and Zoning clearances (when required) must be obtained by calling 408-615-2450. For commercial kitchens, Santa Clara County Health Department 408-918-3400 approval must be obtained prior to occupancy.

All final inspections are conducted at the same time and must be scheduled on the same day. For example, if you are required to have Building, Electric and Plumbing finals (as indicated by these categories being checked on your permit application), all three finals must be scheduled together on the same day. Please see the Sample Permit for more information on how to determine which final inspections are required.

If it is required, an original final affidavit from your Special Testing Agency or Engineer of Record must be submitted to the Permit Center and approved prior to Building Final.

Please use the online or phone systems as outlined below.

Inspection Scheduling / Inspection Status

By Phone

Please call our automated phone system at 408-615-2400 to schedule any inspection requests or view inspection status. Please have your building permit number (for example, BLD2013-01234, BLD23-01234) and your three digit inspection codes available when you call.

Online

You can schedule inspection requests online. Please have your building permit number (for example, BLD2013-01234, BLD23-01234) and your three digit inspection codes available. Allow one business day for the inspections to be updated in the permit database.

Permit Expiration

Permits are valid for one year from the date of issuance or last passed inspection. If a permit is allowed to expire before all work is completed, work can only begin again when a new permit is obtained.

A permit holder with an unexpired permit may apply for an extension of time not to exceed 180 days upon written request by the original applicant prior to the expiration date. Please mail, fax or email your extension request with the permit number, job address, and the reason for the extension. Please include your contact information. Extension of a permit can only be granted once.

Temporary Occupancy

A building shall not be occupied without obtaining all required final building inspections. Owner/tenants could be cited for illegal use or occupancy that is in violation of City code, if approval for occupancy is not obtained. Under special circumstances, an owner or tenant may want to apply for temporary occupancy. Please see the requirements for temporary occupancy for information and fee amounts.

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