Building permits, zoning and land rules in Concord, California

At a glance

Building permits

City Building Division; residential work requirements and exemptions are listed in the city bulletin¹

Zoning

Concord Planning Division; district and parcel lookup required²⁴

Septic permits

Contra Costa Environmental Health; construction and replacement require approval⁵

RV living

California generally limits RV occupancy to approved parks unless a local ordinance allows otherwise; ask Concord Planning about your parcel⁶

Tiny homes

Approved structure classification and an approved location required⁷

Owner-builder

Conditional contractor-license exemption; building permits and inspections still apply⁸⁹

Private wells

County Environmental Health water-well permit application and licensed driller required¹⁰

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Concord, CA?

Concord’s Building Division publishes a work-requiring-a-permit bulletin for single-family and duplex residential projects; the bulletin is not a complete list, so ask the division about work that is not listed.¹ All work must comply with Concord’s construction codes and development standards even when a building permit is unnecessary.¹

A one-story detached accessory structure with no more than 120 square feet of floor area does not require a building permit under the bulletin, but a structure taller than 6 feet needs planning approval.¹ Treat the building-permit exemption and the zoning review as separate questions when planning a shed.¹

Who is the Concord building department, and how do you apply?

For Concord residential building-permit questions, call the City Building Division at (925) 671-3107.¹ Concord’s Permit Center also lists [email protected] for permit inquiries.¹¹ The city Permit Portal supports applications, application-status checks, inspection-status checks and permit-history searches.¹¹

Use the city’s permit-history search when reviewing previous work on a Concord property.¹¹ For a project that also needs a planning application, contact Concord Planning staff to determine whether a pre-submittal meeting is required and how to submit online.¹² Septic-system and well approvals remain a separate Environmental Health review rather than a substitute for city building-permit review.³

Does Concord have zoning, and which setbacks apply?

Concord administers zoning, permitted land uses and development standards inside city limits.² Concord’s Parcel Data Viewer accepts a street address or parcel number, and the Permit Center has current General Plan and zoning maps.⁴ Ask Concord Planning for the parcel’s district and applicable standards before choosing a house footprint or assuming that a lot can be divided.⁴¹³

For housing development projects on listed AFFH overlay properties, the published front and corner-side setbacks are 10 feet; interior-side and rear setbacks are also 10 feet, subject to transitional requirements.¹⁴ These are AFFH overlay standards, not a citywide setback schedule.¹⁴ Concord subdivisions are subject to the California Subdivision Map Act and the city’s subdivision regulations.¹³

How do septic permits work inside Concord?

Contra Costa Environmental Health serves properties with septic systems and wells, including properties inside Concord.³ The county OWTS construction-permit application covers new conventional and alternative systems, alterations, replacements, abandonment and tank replacement.⁵ The Land Use Program describes the sequence as site and soil evaluation, percolation testing, system design, a construction permit and monitoring for an alternative system.¹⁵

For a Concord property with septic rather than public sewer, obtain Environmental Health plan approval before building-permit application submittal; additions on septic properties also need that plan review.¹⁶ Keep the approved septic permit and plans onsite until final approval, obtain required inspections, and obtain written authorization before placing the system in service.¹⁷

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on land in Concord?

California generally limits RV occupancy to mobilehome parks or special occupancy parks unless a local ordinance allows otherwise, and RVs are not intended as permanent dwellings.⁶ We could not confirm a Concord provision authorizing RV residence on an ordinary private lot; ask Concord Planning about residential occupancy at the specific address before relying on an RV while building.²

California requires a tiny home to comply with an approved structure classification and to have an approved location for that classification.⁷ We could not confirm Concord’s specific tiny-home occupancy rules; bring the proposed structure type and parcel address to Concord Planning rather than treating the label “tiny home” as approval to live there.²⁷

Building a home in Concord: what are the steps, in order?

1. Look up the Concord parcel’s zoning by address or parcel number, then ask Planning about the proposed use, development standards and any pre-submittal meeting.⁴¹²
2. For a property using septic, complete Environmental Health site evaluation and system review, and obtain approved plans before submitting the building-permit application.¹⁵¹⁶
3. Ask the Concord Building Division which building approvals your project needs and use the city Permit Portal for applications and status checks.¹¹¹
4. If applying as an owner-builder, account for California’s conditional contractor-license exemption while still obtaining building permits and passing applicable codes and inspections.⁸⁹
5. Complete required septic inspections and obtain written authorization before putting the septic system into service.¹⁷

What should you check before buying land in Concord?

For a proposed private well in Concord, Contra Costa Environmental Health requires a water-well permit application with a plot plan and a licensed driller’s signature; required inspections and written authorization apply before the well is placed in service.¹⁰ Vault privies and sewage holding tanks appear as county permit work types, but their use remains subject to approved permit conditions and required inspections.¹⁸ Ask Environmental Health about the proposed sanitation system before budgeting for an off-grid home.¹⁵

For land outside Concord city limits, use the Contra Costa County guide: county planning jurisdiction applies to unincorporated land, while Concord administers its own zoning.¹⁹² We could not confirm Concord’s general driveway-access or agricultural-building exemption rules; ask the city Permit Center to identify the appropriate review for your project.¹¹

Watch-outs

• A Concord shed that is exempt from a building permit can still need planning approval when taller than 6 feet.¹
• Concord’s AFFH overlay setbacks apply to listed overlay properties; use a parcel lookup before applying those dimensions elsewhere.¹⁴⁴
• Concord building and planning review does not replace Contra Costa Environmental Health approval for septic systems and wells.³
• We could not confirm a Concord ordinance permitting RV occupancy on a private lot; ask Concord Planning before buying land for that purpose.²

Sources

1. City of Concord Building Division (cityofconcord.org)
2. Land Use & Zoning Information (Concord), quoted and re-checked
3. contracosta.ca.gov, quoted and re-checked
4. Land Use & Zoning Information (Concord), quoted and re-checked
5. OWTS Construction Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
6. hcd.ca.gov (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Information Bulletin 2016-01: Tiny Homes (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. California Business and Professions Code Section 7044 (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Owner-Builder Responsibilities (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Water Well Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
11. City of Concord Permit Center (cityofconcord.org)
12. City of Concord Planning Division (cityofconcord.org)
13. Concord Municipal Code Chapter 18.120, AFFH Overlay District (Concord), quoted and re-checked
14. Concord Municipal Code Chapter 18.120, AFFH Overlay District (Concord), quoted and re-checked
15. Contra Costa Health Environmental Health — Land Use Program (cchealth.org)
16. contracosta.ca.gov, quoted and re-checked
17. OWTS Construction Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
18. OWTS Construction Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
19. Planning and Zoning, quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.