Fairfield Municipal Code § 105.3 Application for permit.

Section 105.3.1.1 – Conditions of issuance.¶

Except as provided in "Exception 1", below, or by City Council action, or by recorded fee deferral agreement between the City and permittee, or meeting the provisions of Section 5.3.3 of the City Code, a building permit shall not be issued for any structure until:

(A)	All applicable fees, including, but not limited to, purchase of water meter, construction water, sewer, and water connection fees, park and recreation fees, school impact fees, school development fees, school mitigation fees, construction license tax, Solano County facilities fee and those special charges for each facility described in the reimbursement agreements identified in Sec. 6B.6 of the City Code are paid.
(B)	Any contractor or subcontractor who applies for permits to do work on said structure holds a current business license to do work in the city.
(C)	Where an application for a building permit includes electrical, mechanical, and or plumbing work, a single permit shall be issued for all work specified in the application, except for commercial and industrial projects, where separate electrical, plumbing, or mechanical permits may be issued.
(D)	No person to whom a permit has been issued shall transfer, assign, or convey such permit to another person for the purpose of completing the work for which the permit was issued. When the permittee to whom the permit has been issued no longer has a vested interest in the project or is no longer responsible for the project or work covered by the permit, the permit shall automatically become null and void. No person shall proceed with such a project or work without first obtaining a new permit.
A permit to do or, to cause to be done, any work regulated by this code shall be issued only to persons holding a valid contractor’s license issued by the State of California authorizing said person to undertake such work or to a person exempt from the contractor’s licensing requirements of the State of California.
Exception:	Exception:
The director of community development may reduce the amount of the park and recreation fees, water connection fees, construction license tax, purchase of water meters, and or other fees described in Section 105.3.1.1 above by the amount of the annual increase in those fees ("the incremental increase") under the following circumstances:
(a)	The project for which a building permit is being applied was previously issued building permit(s) which have expired.
(b)	Construction under the previously issued permit(s) began but was not completed.
(c)	The project has been the subject of foreclosure, receivership, bankruptcy, or other similar proceedings.
(d)	The applicant for the building permit(s) demonstrates to the satisfaction of the community development director, that payment of the incremental increase substantially decreases the possibility that the construction of the project will be completed.
(e)	The community development director determines that the project’s state of partial construction creates a nuisance or otherwise provides an unsafe environment for the citizens of Fairfield.
(f)	Upon written request by the applicant, the applicant may request credit for existing infrastructure already installed at the site. The community development director may authorize credit or a reduction in a fee or fees based on the existing infrastructure or impact. If authorized, in no case shall credit be granted more than the current fee or applied to different fees.
The community development director shall condition any reduction of fees pursuant to this Exception upon the applicant’s completion of the project within a time certain.

Section 105.3.2 – Time limitation of application. Replace section 105.3.2 of the CBC with the following section:

Section 105.3.2 – Time limitation of application. An application for a permit for any proposed work shall be deemed to have been abandoned and expired one year after the date of filing or a permit has been issued. If an application has been pursued in good faith, an applicant who requests in writing prior to the expiration qualifies for a single one-year extension. Upon approval of the building official, a second one-year extension may be granted with just cause. The fee for a permit extension shall be as prescribed in the building division fee schedule.

Section 105.5 – Expiration. Replace section 105.5 of the CBC with the following section:

Section 105.5 – Expiration.
Unless otherwise authorized or restricted, every permit issued by the chief building official under the provisions of this code shall expire and become null and void one year from the date of issuance. The chief building official may issue a permit for a lesser period when necessary to abate dangerous or substandard conditions. The chief building official may grant up to a maximum of two one-year extensions of an unexpired permit to any permittee who submits a request in writing, demonstrating justifiable cause for granting the extension. The fee for a permit extension shall be as prescribed in the building division fee schedule.
Before any work can be recommenced on an expired permit, a new permit shall be obtained. All work done under a new permit shall comply with the most current edition of the codes in effect at the time a new permit for the remaining work is applied for and shall apply to that permit through the point of completion or expiration, whichever occurs first.
Expired permits may be granted a one-time administrative 90 day extension upon approval of the chief building official, provided that the project has received all required inspections except for the final inspection approval. The fee for an administrative permit extension shall be as prescribed in the building division fee schedule.

(Ord. No. 2025-10, § 1)

Exceptions & meaning →