Good to know
Glossary
Terms used on this site's answer pages, each with the rule or fact behind it, its sources, and a link to the page that explains it.
Glossary
Building permit application
Since July 5, 2023, the county's Building Division has required new permit applications to be submitted digitally.
Inside the City of Eureka, the city's own Building Division regulates construction, and building permit applications go through its online permitting platform, OpenGov.
In Trinity County, building permits come from the county's Community Development Department, Building Division, 61 Airport Road, Weaverville.
Sources: Humboldt County: Building Inspection Department; City of Eureka: Building; Trinity County: Building Permit Application (Community Development, Building Division)
How do I apply for a building permit in Humboldt or Trinity County?Census designated place
The Census Bureau's unincorporated communities (its census designated places, such as Cutten or McKinleyville) are, in its words, “unincorporated communities that do not have a legally defined boundary or an active, functioning governmental structure.”
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Census Designated Places
My ZIP code is a Eureka one. Does the City of Eureka issue my building permit?Coastal development permit
Which work in California's coastal zone needs a coastal development permit, and which is exempt, is set out in the Coastal Act, Public Resources Code sections 30600 and 30610.
Sources: California Public Resources Code §30600; California Public Resources Code §30610
Do I need a coastal development permit?Coastal zone
On land, the coastal zone runs from several hundred feet wide in built-up areas to as much as five miles in some rural areas.
Source: California Coastal Commission: Our Mission
Do I need a coastal development permit?Contractor's bond
A California contractor's license bond has to be $25,000; it rose to that amount on January 1, 2023.
Who can make a claim against the bond is set out in Business and Professions Code §7071.5.
Sources: Contractors State License Board: Bond Requirements; California Business and Professions Code §7071.5 (who the contractor's bond is for)
What does a contractor's bond cover in California?Decay hazard index
The USDA Forest Products Laboratory rates how hard a place's climate is on wood left outdoors above the ground with a decay hazard index: the higher the number, the greater the hazard.
Its map groups places into three bands: under 35, 35 to 65, and over 65.
Source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory: Decay Hazard (Scheffer) Index Values, 1971-2000 (FPL-GTR-179)
Is the north coast's climate hard on outdoor wood?Defensible space
For a building in the State Responsibility Area, California's defensible space rules and their exceptions are in Public Resources Code §4291; in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone that a local agency has designated, they are in Government Code §51182.
Sources: California Public Resources Code §4291; California Government Code §51182
How much defensible space does California require around a home?Down payment
On a home improvement contract in California, the down payment cannot be more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract amount, whichever is less, and apart from the down payment the contractor cannot ask for or accept more than the value of the work done or the materials delivered. Neither limit applies to a contractor who furnishes a performance and payment bond, a lien and completion bond, or a bond equivalent or joint control approved by the registrar, covering full performance and payment.
Source: California Business and Professions Code §7159.5 (home improvement contract payments)
How big can the down payment be on a home improvement job in California?Encroachment permit
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.
Sources: Humboldt County: Real Property & Right of Way; Humboldt County: Public Works
Dirt work: DrivewaysFire Hazard Severity Zone
In State Responsibility Areas there are three hazard levels: moderate, high and very high.
The State Fire Marshal's Fire Hazard Severity Zone page links to a map viewer of the zones.
Source: Office of the State Fire Marshal: Fire Hazard Severity Zones
How much defensible space does California require around a home?Grading permit
Unless the work is exempt, no one may grade in unincorporated Humboldt County without a grading permit from the county's Building Official.
The work that needs no grading permit, and where those exemptions do not apply, is listed in Humboldt County Code §331-14(d)(2) and (d)(3).
Source: Humboldt County Code §331-14 (grading, excavation, erosion and sediment control)
When does grading need a plan or a permit here?Home improvement contract
What a home improvement contract must say, and when it must be in writing, is set out in California Business and Professions Code sections 7159 and 7159.5.
How big can the down payment be on a home improvement job in California?License exemptions
When a job can be done without a contractor license is set out in California Business and Professions Code sections 7040 to 7054.5, including the $1,000 exemption in §7048.
Sources: California Business and Professions Code, sections 7040 to 7054.5 (exemptions from the contractor license law); California Business and Professions Code §7048 (the $1,000 exemption)
When does a job need a licensed contractor in California?Noncompliant plumbing fixture
A fixture is “noncompliant” if it is a toilet made to use more than 1.6 gallons per flush, a urinal made to use more than 1 gallon per flush, a showerhead made to flow more than 2.5 gallons per minute, or an interior faucet that emits more than 2.2 gallons per minute.
Source: California Civil Code §1101.3
Does California's water-saving fixture law apply to my older home?Owner-builder
Who can build as an owner-builder, and on what conditions, is set out in Business and Professions Code §7044, and the license board explains what an owner-builder takes on.
Sources: California Business and Professions Code §7044 (owner-builders); Contractors State License Board: Owner-Builder Responsibilities
What does it mean to pull a permit as an owner-builder?Right to cancel
When a home improvement contract can be cancelled, how long the buyer has and the exceptions are set out in California Civil Code sections 1689.5 to 1689.14 and Business and Professions Code §7159.
Sources: California Civil Code, sections 1688 to 1693 (rescission of contracts, including 1689.5 to 1689.14); California Business and Professions Code, sections 7150 to 7170 (home improvement contracts, including 7159 and 7159.5)
Can I cancel a home improvement contract in California?Risers and treads
The rules for stair risers and treads, and their exceptions, are in section R318.7 of the 2025 California Residential Code.
Source: 2025 California Residential Code, Chapter 3 (UpCodes)
How steep can stairs be under the California code?Solar on new homes
Which newly built homes need a solar power system, where it can go and the exceptions are set out in section 150.1(c)14 of the 2025 California Energy Code, which the Energy Commission explains on its solar page.
The 2025 Energy Code applies to buildings whose permit applications are submitted on or after January 1, 2026.
Sources: California Energy Commission: 2025 Single-Family Solar PV; California Energy Commission: 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards
Does a new home in California need solar panels?Workers' compensation
The license board says a contractor's insurance information is on the contractor's license history page.
What the license board requires of contractors for workers' compensation, and for which license classes, is set out on its workers' compensation page.
Sources: Contractors State License Board: How do I find the right licensed contractor?; Contractors State License Board: Workers' Compensation Requirements
How do I see whether a contractor carries workers' compensation?Zone 0
The ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of a building, counting any attached deck as part of the building, is set out in Public Resources Code §4291, and its details are left to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection's regulations.
Under that section, the requirement for the zone (“Zone 0”) does not take effect for new buildings until the Board updates its regulations and its guidance document, and it takes effect for existing buildings three years after that.
Sources: California Public Resources Code §4291; Board of Forestry and Fire Protection: Defensible Space Zones
What is Zone 0, and is it in effect yet?Last checked against the sources:
Page last updated:
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