Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

Sonoma County

Permit Sonoma (County of Sonoma Permit and Resource Management Department)

In short

Permit Sonoma (County of Sonoma Permit and Resource Management Department) issues 3 permits we publish for Sonoma County, last verified 2026-10-09. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Use Permit — Restaurant Serving Alcohol in the C1, LC or K Zones (unincorporated area)only if it applies to youPermit Sonoma (County of Sonoma Permit and Resource Management Department)Charged at cost against a minimum deposit set by the use permit's level on Permit Sonoma's FY 2026-27 Planning (Project Review) fee schedule (Ordinance No. 6554, effective July 1, 2026), plus a 1.3% surcharge. The schedule does not name the level for a restaurant serving alcohol; contact Permit Sonoma, (707) 565-1900, for the deposit that applies to a given project.Discretionary approval, per project2026-10-09
Septic (Onsite Wastewater Treatment System) Permit (unincorporated area)only if it applies to youPermit Sonoma (County of Sonoma Permit and Resource Management Department)Standard septic system: site plan review $1,236 plus inspection $840. Septic tank only: $633 plus $642. Repair: $950 plus $1,108. Soil profile or pre-percolation test $706.Per project2026-10-09
Commercial Building Permit and Plan Check (unincorporated area)only if it applies to youPermit Sonoma (County of Sonoma Permit and Resource Management Department)Building Permit, New Construction, Commercial (by total valuation): $1-$500, $112; $501-$2,000, $112 plus $6.20 for each additional $100; $2,001-$25,000, $205 plus $20.56 for each additional $1,000; $25,001-$50,000, $678 plus $20.72 per additional $1,000; $50,001-$100,000, $1,196 plus $16.88 per additional $1,000; $100,001-$500,000, $2,040 plus $8.98 per additional $1,000; $500,001-$1,000,000, $5,634 plus $0.25 per additional $1,000; $1,000,001-$5,000,000, $5,761 plus $0.96 per additional $1,000; over $5,000,000, $9,628 plus $1.91 per additional $1,000. Plan Check, Commercial: $1-$500, $72; $501-$2,000, $72 plus $3.93 per additional $100; $2,001-$25,000, $131 plus $25.17 per additional $1,000; $25,001-$50,000, $710 plus $18.20; $50,001-$100,000, $1,165 plus $12.60; $100,001-$500,000, $1,795 plus $10.09; $500,001-$1,000,000, $5,834 plus $8.48; $1,000,001-$5,000,000, $10,076 plus $3.29; over $5,000,000, $23,239 plus $4.62 per additional $1,000. Temporary occupancy (commercial) $1,195. A 1.3% Technology Enhancement Surcharge is added.Per project2026-10-09

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Use Permit — Restaurant Serving Alcohol in the C1, LC or K Zones (unincorporated area)

In unincorporated Sonoma County, County Code §26-26-140(B)(1) states for the C1, LC and K zones: 'Use permit required for restaurants serving alcohol.' Section 26-26-140(A)(1) defines restaurants to include coffee shops and cafes, so a restaurant or coffee shop in one of those zones that wants to serve alcohol needs a use permit from Permit Sonoma. Use permits are charged at cost against a minimum deposit that depends on the permit level on the FY 2026-27 Planning schedule; contact Permit Sonoma for the level and deposit for a given site. The alcohol license itself, and its fee, come from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, a state agency; the use permit is the County's land-use step. Inside one of the nine cities, the city's own zoning code applies instead.

Septic (Onsite Wastewater Treatment System) Permit (unincorporated area)

Any of the 10 tracked industries on an unsewered site in unincorporated Sonoma County that installs, replaces or repairs a septic system needs a permit from Permit Sonoma's Well and Septic section. As published on the FY 2026-27 Well and Septic schedule (Ordinance No. 6554, in effect July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), a standard system costs $1,236 for site plan review plus $840 for inspection, a tank-only job $633 plus $642, a repair $950 plus $1,108, and a soil profile or pre-percolation test $706. A business on a public sewer system needs no septic permit, since the permit covers only an onsite system.

Commercial Building Permit and Plan Check (unincorporated area)

Any of the 10 tracked industries building or altering commercial space in unincorporated Sonoma County needs a building permit from Permit Sonoma, whose About page states that 'Virtually any land development or construction in the unincorporated area of Sonoma County (outside the city limits of the nine cities) is reviewed, permitted, and inspected by Permit Sonoma.' Fees are figured on the project's total valuation per Permit Sonoma's FY 2026-27 fee schedule, adopted by Board of Supervisors Ordinance No. 6554 and in effect July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027: the commercial permit fee starts at $112 for up to $500 of valuation, and the commercial plan check starts at $72, each rising by tier; a temporary commercial occupancy is $1,195, and a 1.3% technology surcharge is added. The schedule titles the permit table 'New Construction – Commercial'. Other Permit Sonoma sections may add their own review fees. Inside one of the nine cities the city's own building department issues the permit instead.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Sonoma County
Phone
707-565-1900

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. About Permit SonomaPermit Sonoma · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  2. Building Construction Services fees 2026-2027 (adopted by Ordinance No. 6554; effective 07/01/2026)Permit Sonoma · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  3. Fee Schedules 2026-2027Permit Sonoma · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  4. Planning (Project Review) fees 2026-2027 (adopted by Ordinance No. 6554; effective 07/01/2026)Permit Sonoma · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  5. Sonoma County Code, Chapter 26, Article 26 (Regulations for Use Standards), including §26-26-140County of Sonoma / Municode · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  6. Well and Septic fees 2026-2027 (adopted by Ordinance No. 6554; effective 07/01/2026)Permit Sonoma · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09

Other offices serving Sonoma County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

California jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.