General contractor in Humboldt County

Building permits in Humboldt County

The Humboldt County building department covers all of unincorporated Humboldt County. It does not cover the cities of Eureka, Arcata, Trinidad, Rio Dell, Fortuna, Ferndale or Blue Lake.

The county's Planning and Building Department is at 3015 H Street, Eureka.

Inside the City of Eureka, the city's own Building Division regulates construction, and building permit applications go through its online permitting platform, OpenGov.

Sources: Humboldt County: Building Inspection Department; Humboldt County: Planning and Building Department, About Us; City of Eureka: Building

Work that doesn't need a permit

The county says the work that does not need a building permit is described in Humboldt County Code §331-11(a)(4) and California Building Code §105.2.

Source: Humboldt County: First Time Applying for a Building Permit

Grading

For a house in unincorporated Humboldt County, the county asks for a grading plan when the grading is 50 cubic yards or more (not counting the foundation excavation), or when the job triggers the county grading ordinance in any other way.

Source: Humboldt County: Residential (Standard) construction documents

The coastal zone

Humboldt County's Local Coastal Program is certified; it is made up of six local coastal plans together with the first three chapters of the county zoning code.

In unincorporated Humboldt County, coastal development permits are processed by the Current Planning Division of the Planning and Building Department, and a new house in the coastal zone may need one as well as a building permit.

The county's web map (GIS) shows coastal zone boundaries, so it can show whether a property is in the coastal zone.

Sources: Humboldt County General Plan; Humboldt County: Current Planning; Humboldt County: Planning & Building FAQs

Driveways onto county roads

In Humboldt County, encroachment permits for work in the right of way of a county-maintained road come from Public Works, whose encroachment permit office also checks that new driveway locations meet county standards.

County policy requires a paved entrance where a driveway meets a paved county road.

Sources: Humboldt County: Real Property & Right of Way; Humboldt County: Public Works; Humboldt County: Instructions for Completing the Encroachment Permit Application