It is the City of Newark’s mission to serve and partner with our community to continually enhance the quality of life of everyone in Newark.

The Building Inspection Division strives to enhance the life safety for all in Newark by reviewing construction documents, issuing building permits, and conducting inspections on construction projects within the city.

ALL permits are now issued electronically!  An application for a building permit can often include drawings/plans that describe the proposed work. These plans are reviewed by City staff for compliance with applicable state and local codes as well as federal disabled access standards. Once the plans are approved a building permit can be issued. Status of plan checks can now be viewed by visiting our eTRAKiT site: eTRAKiT online assistance

**Plans submitted after 12/18/2025 at 4pm may not be accepted for the 2022 code cycle and need to be designed to the new 2025 California Building Standards** 

Note, not all applications will require plans. Some of the exceptions are:

• Water heater replacements
• Electrical service upgrades
• Re-piping an existing residence
• Minor electrical work
• Minor plumbing work
• Re-roofing
• Heater and/or air conditioning installations and replacements
• Pest control damage
• Solar applications (not eligible for SolarApp+, Require plans but can be submitted via email due to the shorter turnaround)

The City of Newark has adopted SolarAPP+, an automated online application for instantaneous permitting of new residential rooftop solar and storage systems. To see which systems are eligible, please refer to the Eligibility Checklist. Only projects that conform to this list are eligible to use the automated portal for instant permitting:  https://gosolarapp.org/

All other solar/PV installations require a regular Building Permit. 

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A PERMIT NOT REQUIRING PLANS

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A PERMIT REQUIRING PLANS

Submittal Checklist_SFD and MFD

Submittal Checklist_COMMERCIAL

Inspection services

We encourage submitting your request via email to birequests@newarkca.gov or you may call the Building Inspection Division main line at (510) 578-4261.  A staff member will contact you as soon as possible. 

If you are wanting a narrower timeframe on the day of the inspection, please visit our eTRAKiT site: eTRAKiT online assistance.

Please provide the following information:

• Address of project
• Permit number
• Type of inspection requested
• Onsite contact (Name and Phone Number)
• Preferred date and time frame (AM/PM)

Most Requested Items

• Permit Application(PDF)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
• Submittal Checklist_SFD and MFD
• Submittal Checklist_COMMERCIAL
• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
• Waste Management Plan
• 2025 NEWARK CALENDAR

Additional Information

Our information is consistently being updated. Should you require additional information regarding Construction, Permit Issuance and Code Requirements not listed on our page, please send us an email at: building.inspection@newarkca.gov