# San Diego County — Building permit expiry, progress and renewal rules by jurisdiction

For San Diego County, source type is department page; permit type is building permit; deadline to start work is it will expire if the work is not started within two years. To meet this requirement, the permittee must call for, and pass a valid inspection; inactivity window is passing a valid inspection at least every 180 days (six months); maximum permit life is all work must be completed within three years, recorded from its source on 2026-08-11.

- **Jurisdiction:** San Diego County _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Source type:** department page _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Permit type:** building permit _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Deadline to start work:** it will expire if the work is not started within two years. To meet this requirement, the permittee must call for, and pass a valid inspection _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Inactivity window:** passing a valid inspection at least every 180 days (six months) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Maximum permit life:** all work must be completed within three years _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Renewal fee basis:** One-half of current permit fees are due upon renewal unless progress has been made (and approved) so that only a final inspection is needed, then one-quarter of current permit fees are due _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Code citation:** Sec. 91.1.105.5.2 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> San Diego County's Building Code sets timeline requirements when building permits are issued. The work authorized by the permit must begin and demonstrate progress by certain dates, and all work must be completed within three years. From the day the permit is issued, it will expire if the work is not started within two years. To meet this requirement, the permittee must call for, and pass a valid inspection. If no inspection has been scheduled and passed within the first two years, the permit becomes null and void. Once the work has started and the first required inspection has been passed, the permittee must show that the work is progressing by passing a valid inspection at least every 180 days (six months). If these progress requirements are not met the permit will expire. This applies regardless of when the first inspection took place within the first two years of the life of the permit. To renew an expired building permit that has received and passed at least one valid inspection, but has not exceeded the three-year mark: The plans cannot be changed, nor changes proposed. One-half of current permit fees are due upon renewal unless progress has been made (and approved) so that only a final inspection is needed, then one-quarter of current permit fees are due. ( Sec. 91.1.105.5.2 of the

## Source

- https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/pds/bldg-perm-exp.html

Last verified: 2026-08-11. Review by: 2027-08-11.
Part of [Building permit expiry, progress and renewal rules by jurisdiction](https://referencesource.org/building-permit-validity-and-renewal/).