Upland is an Inland Empire city of about 79,000 residents at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, with a historic downtown, established residential neighbourhoods and a commercial spine along Euclid Avenue. Its Building and Safety Division, within Development Services on North Euclid Avenue, is the sole building authority inside the city.
This guide covers the Building and Safety Division, its online-only permit process, the codes in force, and the occupancy and scheduling rules that shape Upland projects.
This guide covers work inside the City of Upland limits. Unincorporated San Bernardino County and neighbouring cities are separate authorities.
Upland takes every Building and Safety application online, and the account you use matters. All permit applications must be submitted through the city’s self-service portal, and the division asks applicants to register rather than continue as a guest, using an email address as the contact preference since the email is the link to the submittal. Permit runners are told to apply as though they were the contractor.
What requires a building permit in Upland?
Permit required
- New commercial, multi-family and residential construction, additions and change of occupancy
- Structural alterations, load-bearing changes, foundations, decks and retaining walls
- Electrical work — services, panels, circuits, solar and EV charging — under the California Electrical Code
- Plumbing under the California Plumbing Code
- Mechanical and HVAC change-outs, and work affecting the Title 24 energy envelope
- Re-roofing above the exempt scope, pools, signs, and demolition
Often exempt
- Minor repairs and maintenance replacing materials in kind
- Small accessory structures below the local threshold, where zoning allows
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry and other finish work
- Like-for-like fixture or appliance swaps with no alteration to wiring or piping
Local amendments and thresholds differ from one jurisdiction to the next, so an exempt list from a neighbouring city is not reliable — a project waved through in one place needs a full permit set in the next. An exemption from a building permit is never an exemption from zoning, the statewide energy or green-building codes, or an electrical or plumbing permit. Confirm scope with Building and Safety before work starts.
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Get a free quote →The statewide layers that apply everywhere
Several parts of Title 24 apply on top of the base building code and routinely catch projects owners assume are exempt: the California Energy Code (Part 6); CALGreen (Part 11), California’s mandatory statewide green-building code; and the accessibility provisions in Chapters 11A and 11B. Seismic design is built into the code statewide, and in fire-prone areas the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Title 24, Part 7, in force since 1 January 2026) and Cal Fire defensible-space requirements (Public Resources Code 4291) add a further layer. In the City of Upland, the Building and Safety Division administers the 2025 California Building Code, with the city’s building and construction codes contained in Title 15 of the Upland Municipal Code.
California builds on one statewide code, Title 24, whose 2025 edition took effect on 1 January 2026; the editions in effect when the application is submitted apply, and cities and counties may adopt local amendments only with findings filed with the state (new residential amendments are largely frozen until June 2031). Title 24 and local amendments
Who handles permitting in Upland?
The Building and Safety Division promotes and ensures that new development is constructed to the highest standards of safety and that existing structures are maintained in a safe condition.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | City of Upland Building and Safety Division |
| Serves | The City of Upland limits |
| Phone | 909-931-4110 |
| Counter | 460 North Euclid Avenue, Upland |
| Code | 2025 California Building Code with municipal code Title 15 |
| Filing | Self-service portal only; register rather than guest |
| Licensing | State CSLB license; a city business licence or tax registration may also apply |
| Records | Building reports published by work class |
The Building and Safety Division reviews plans, issues permits and inspects construction for the City of Upland. Permit applications can be submitted online at any time and are processed during regular business hours in the order they are received, with the building counter open on a four-day week and payments closing with the counter. Permits and applications are not reviewed during the city’s winter closure.
Confirm the parcel is inside the city first; unincorporated San Bernardino County and the neighbouring valley cities file with different authorities under their own amendments.
In 2025, building permits issued in Upland authorized 23 new privately owned housing units, 16 of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Permit types
Residential permits
Residential work inside the city is permitted and inspected by the division under the 2025 code and municipal code Title 15. Additions, ADUs, reroofs, pools, solar and EV chargers need permits, and the city publishes a guide listing the projects that do not require a building permit. A CSLB-licensed contractor in the right classification pulls the trade permits.
Commercial permits
Commercial work goes through division plan review against the California Building Code, the Energy Code and CALGreen, with municipal code Title 15. A zoning clearance from Planning confirms the use is allowed before occupancy, and a certificate of occupancy is issued by Building and Safety, following building permit final where tenant improvement permits were required.
Licenses, trade classifications and design professionals
Practically, three credential layers appear on California projects: a CSLB license in the correct classification for the contractor pulling the permit; the specialty C-classifications for the electrical, plumbing and mechanical trades; and, on commercial and larger residential work, drawings stamped by a California-licensed architect or engineer. Confirm what Building and Safety requires for the specific building before filing.
Contractors are licensed statewide by the Contractors State License Board (Classes A, B, B-2 and C) for work of $1,000 or more or any permitted work; a city may also require a business licence or tax registration. Contractor licensing in California
Upland permit costs and fees
Budget the city building permit and plan-review fees, separate trade permits, the state Building Standards and seismic surcharges, and any development impact fees. Applications are queued in the order received, so an early complete filing is worth more than a late complex one. Confirm the schedule in force on your filing date.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Based on project valuation or square footage; set by the local schedule |
| Plan check | A percentage of the permit fee or a flat charge, at submittal |
| Trade permits | Separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical fees |
| State surcharges | Building Standards and seismic (SMIP) fees collected with the permit |
| Impact and school fees | Development impact and school-district fees in growth areas |
| Re-inspections and revisions | Additional fees for failed inspections, revisions and expired permits |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →California layers two uniform state surcharges — the Building Standards Administration fee and the Strong Motion Instrumentation seismic fee — on top of the local charges (Health and Safety Code 18931.6; Public Resources Code 2705). The building and plan-check fees themselves are local and change, and California law limits them to the reasonable cost of providing the service, so a figure from a neighbouring city is not reliable — ask Building and Safety for the schedule in force on your filing date.
Need a real number for a specific Upland project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the authority having jurisdiction, the code edition in force and the fee categories that will apply.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar PV and EV chargers
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures, backflow and gas piping
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork, venting and commercial kitchen exhaust
- Sprinkler, standpipe and fire alarm work on commercial and multi-family structures
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
Each trade follows its part of Title 24 and is done by a contractor with the matching CSLB licence (C-10 electrical, C-36 plumbing, C-20 HVAC), a Class B contractor where allowed, or an owner-builder. Trade licences in California
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply for a Upland building permit
Only work within the City of Upland limits files with the division.
Register rather than continuing as a guest, and use a monitored email.
The division asks runners to apply in the contractor’s name.
Planning confirms the use before occupancy can be approved.
California licenses contractors statewide; match the classification to the scope.
Applications are not reviewed during the closure period.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
In California, the first cause of delay is uncertainty over jurisdiction — filing with the county when a city should have it, or missing a local amendment on top of Title 24. After that come Title 24 energy and CALGreen documentation, a CSLB classification that does not match the scope, and, in fire or coastal areas, defensible-space or coastal-zone requirements that were not addressed up front. Build the plan-check time into the schedule and confirm the checklist with Building and Safety before filing.
A building permit carries a validity period and can expire if work does not start or stalls between inspections; confirm the expiry with Upland on phased or delayed work. Permit validity in California
Inspections in Upland
Where a permit is required, standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, framing, rough-in electrical, plumbing and mechanical, insulation and Title 24 energy, CALGreen measures, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with a certificate of occupancy before use. Applications are processed in the order received during business hours, and the winter closure pauses review, so build both into the programme.
California inspections are made against the code editions in effect when the permit application was submitted (Health and Safety Code 18938.5), so the approved plans and any energy and green-building documentation need to be on site for the inspector to check against. Confirm the notice Building and Safety needs and schedule around its inspection windows.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permit, the approved plans, product listings, Title 24 energy documentation and your correction responses available on site.
Upland permit search and official resources
Permit records in California sit with the local authority that issued them. Where the City of Upland Building and Safety Division is the authority for the City of Upland limits, it holds the building permit, the inspection history and the certificate of occupancy. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, confirm that past work was permitted rather than assuming it was — and confirm the code edition that was in force.
Confirm the authority having jurisdiction and the local amendments first. California enforces one statewide code, Title 24, but each city and county adds its own amendments and fee schedule, so the requirements that apply vary by parcel. Confirm current requirements, fees and review turnaround for your filing date.
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- City of Upland Building and Safety
- California Building Standards Commission (Title 24)
- Contractors State License Board (CSLB)
- California Energy Commission (Energy Code)
- California Department of Housing and Community Development
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in the City of Upland?
The Building and Safety Division, within Development Services, issues permits for work inside the city; unincorporated San Bernardino County and neighbouring cities are separate authorities.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Can I apply at the counter?
No. All Building and Safety permit applications must be submitted online through the city self-service portal, at any time, and are processed during business hours in the order received.
Which code applies?
The 2025 California Building Code, with the city’s building and construction codes contained in Title 15 of the Upland Municipal Code.
Do I need a local contractor registration?
Not a contractor licence: California licenses contractors statewide through the CSLB, and the licence must be active and carry the classification that matches the work. A city may still require a business licence or business tax registration (Government Code 37101), so ask the department.
When do I need a certificate of occupancy?
For a new business use. A zoning clearance comes first, tenant improvement permits may be required, and the certificate follows building permit final.
Does the winter closure affect my permit?
Yes. Permits and applications are not reviewed during the city’s winter closure, so time the submittal accordingly.
Simplify Upland permitting with Alliance Permitting
Upland rewards a properly registered account and an early place in the queue. Applications are processed in the order received, and the winter closure stops the clock entirely.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Upland because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- We confirm the parcel is inside the city and route it to the division.
- We register the portal account correctly rather than filing as guest.
- We sequence the zoning clearance ahead of occupancy.
- We confirm the CSLB classification matches the scope of work.
- We time submittals around the four-day week and winter closure.
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in California. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.
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Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Upland permits while your crew stays on the job.
More California permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Upland permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.