Christopher Valley Building Official 600 Elm Street San Carlos, CA 94070 Phone: (650) 802-4261 Fax: (650) 595-6761
San Carlos Building Division
Effective May 17th, 2010, Building and Planning Division service counter hours will be 8:00 AM to Noon Monday through Friday.
The mission of the San Carlos Building Division is to provide quality services to the community in a manner that is comprehensive, efficient, knowledgeable and helpful. The Building Division promotes and insures all new development in San Carlos be constructed in accordance with the highest standards of safety, and all existing structures maintained in a safe manner.
The Building Division is also responsible for education, city-wide code enforcement, floodplain management, and the Apartment Inspection Program. Building Division personnel consist of the Building Official, Plan Check Engineer, five Building Inspectors, and our Senior Administrative Clerk.
Building Safety Into The Community, One Project At A Time...
Permits
Permits are issued during our office hours, 8:00 AM to 12 Noon & 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. If you are a contractor, you must have a valid California State Contractors License in the correct specialty for the permit you are seeking. Valid workers compensation insurance is also required. The City of San Carlos requires a current business registration, as well.
Projects such as residential solar installations as well as kitchen and bath remodels are reviewed within 24 hours. Added living space and other exterior changes require Planning Department approval prior to submitting to the Building Division.
Plan Check Engineer Counter Hours
Our Plan Check Engineer is available Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Please call for an appointment to insure we can adequately address you plan review questions. Plans that contain structural or energy calculations are reviewed by our Plan Check Engineer.
Construction Noise Hours
7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday;
Weekends and Holidays 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Home Workshop, Yard Maintenance & Gardening Hours
8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday;
Weekends and Holidays 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Adopted Codes & General Information
2007 California Building Code
2007 California Electrical Code
2007 California Mechanical Code
2007 California Plumbing Code
2007 California Fire Code
2007 California Administrative Code
2007 California Energy Code
1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings
1997 Uniform Housing Code
1997 Uniform Security Code
Climate Zone: 3
Seismic Zone: E
Basic Wind Speed: 85 mph
Soils Hazard Zones: A and B (B most restrictive)
Building Exposure: B, C, and D (D most severe)
Soil Bearing Value: 1000 psf (Higher values require soils report)
Wildland Urban Interface Zone: South of San Carlos Avenue and West of Alameda de las Pulgas
ISO Grades City of San Carlos with High Score
The City of San Carlos has been awarded an Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating of 3 (in a range from 1 to 10, with 1 being the best). Please see ISO's site for more information, and what that means to you as a home owner and the community you live.
The concept is simple: Municipalities with well-enforced, up-to-date codes should demonstrate better loss experience, and insurance rates can reflect that. The prospect of lessening catastrophe-related damage, and ultimately lowering insurance costs, provides an incentive for communities to enforce their building codes rigorously - especially as they relate to windstorm and earthquake damage.
The Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) program assigns each municipality a BCEGS grade of 1 to 10. ISO develops advisory rating credits that apply to ranges of BCEGS classifications (1-3, 4-7, 8-9, and 10). ISO gives insurers BCEGS classifications, BCEGS advisory credits, and related underwriting information.
ISO began implementing the program in states with high exposure to wind (hurricane) hazards, then moved to states with high seismic exposure, and then continued through the rest of the country.
