Every demolition starts with a permit. The office that issues it, what it costs, and how long it takes are different in each city and county. Pick your city to see the local rules, then see what the whole job costs.
Reviewed by Spencer Farman, licensed California demolition contractor (CA Contractor #1117491). Updated June 3, 2026.
Last verified 2026-06-03. Sources: official source 1, official source 2, official source 3, official source 4. Confirm with your local authority before relying on these figures.
Every figure below is drawn from the official permitting authority. Confirm current details with your local office before you rely on them.
| Jurisdiction | Permit office | Cost | Timeline | Asbestos authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Sacramento | City of Sacramento, Community Development Department, Building Division (demolition coordinated with Public Works Recycling and Solid Waste for the C&D Waste Management Plan). | Contact office | Contact office | SMAQMD |
| Sacramento County (unincorporated) | Sacramento County Building Permits & Inspection Division. | $116 minimum | Contact office. Commercial demolition permits can take up to about a month. | SMAQMD |
| City of Chico (Butte County) | City of Chico Building Division (Permit Counter, 411 Main Street). Mailing P.O. Box 3420, Chico, CA 95927. | $199 | 1 to 3 weeks | BCAQMD (Butte County Air Quality Management District) |
| Placer County (unincorporated) | Placer County Community Development Resource Agency, Building Services Division. | $156.22 flat | Contact office | US EPA Region 9 and CARB (Placer County APCD is non-delegated for the demo/reno NESHAP). Placer County APCD handles naturally occurring asbestos only. |
| Yolo County (unincorporated) | Yolo County Building Inspection Services (Community Services Department). | Contact office | Contact office | Yolo-Solano AQMD (YSAQMD) |
| El Dorado County (unincorporated) | El Dorado County Planning and Building Department, Building Division (Placerville office, (530) 621-5355). | $144 minimum | Contact office | US EPA and CARB (El Dorado County AQMD is non-delegated for the demo/reno NESHAP). El Dorado County AQMD handles naturally occurring asbestos only. |
| City of Elk Grove | City of Elk Grove Building Safety & Inspection Division (8401 Laguna Palms Way, (916) 478-2235, bldonline@elkgrovecity.org). | $300 base plus $15 per 100 sq ft | Contact office | SMAQMD |
For any structure built before 1980, a certified asbestos survey is required before demolition can begin.
Submit the notification to the local air district, or to the US EPA and CARB in non-delegated counties, at least 10 working days before work starts.
File the demolition permit application with the city or county building department for the project address.
Have gas, water, and electric disconnected by the local utilities before the teardown.
The structure comes down. A typical 1,500 square foot home is down in about a day.
Submit debris diversion receipts where required and pass the final inspection to close out the permit.
We handle every one of these steps for you on the jobs we run, so the permitting is one less thing on your plate.
From permit to cleared lot.
Real Northern California demolition work, start to finish.
The permit fee is the small part. Here is what the whole job typically runs by project type. These are real ranges, not quotes. Every job carries a $5,000 minimum, and your final price comes from a written, itemized estimate after an onsite walk.
$8 to $15 per sq ft
A 1,000 sq ft home runs $8,000 to $15,000. A 1,500 sq ft home, the most common teardown, runs $10,000 to $15,000. A 2,000 sq ft home runs $16,000 to $25,000.
See house and residential demolition$5,000 to $13,000+
Single-wide runs $5,000 to $8,500. Double-wide runs $8,000 to $13,000. Triple-wide starts around $12,000. Park removals are often about $6,500 in a day, with volume pricing for multi-unit pads.
See mobile home demolition$8,000 to $25,000
Priced by fill volume, which is length by width by average depth, plus the number of days on site. Wisetack financing is available for pool jobs.
See pool demolition$50,000 typical
No minimum on commercial work. A common office or multi-unit teardown runs around $50,000 over 3 to 4 days. Larger structures scale into six figures with size, hazmat, and complexity.
See commercial demolition$12,000 to $18,000
For a 1,500 sq ft fire-damaged home. Priced by square footage, roughly 10 to 40 percent above standard demolition for the hazmat handling, ash containment, and insurance coordination.
See fire damage demolition$4 to $5 per sq ft
When concrete is the primary scope. Concrete work is often part of a larger demolition. Disposal through a recycling yard is free to you.
See concrete demolitionFinal cost depends on size, access, site conditions, foundation type, and any added scope like tree removal or hauling. You get a written quote within 24 hours of the site walk.
Structures built before 1980 usually need an asbestos survey and a notification before any demolition begins.
Most counties route that notification to the local air district. A few are non-delegated, where it goes to the US EPA and CARB instead. We coordinate the survey and the notification as part of the job scope.
Gas, water, and electric have to be disconnected before a teardown. We coordinate those shutoffs with the local utilities so the schedule holds.
Debris is sorted and diverted to recyclers and landfills, with dump receipts on every load for jurisdictions that track diversion.
Yes. Every Northern California jurisdiction requires a demolition permit before a structure comes down. The permit office, cost, and timeline vary by city and county. Use the lookup above to see the rules where your project is.
Demolition permit fees run about $116 to $300 depending on the jurisdiction. Sacramento County is $116, Placer County is $156.22, and Elk Grove starts at $300 plus $15 per 100 square feet. Some cities calculate the fee from project valuation rather than a flat rate.
It depends on the jurisdiction. Some smaller cities turn permits around in 1 to 3 weeks. Larger counties can take up to a month, especially for commercial work. The lookup above lists the typical timeline for each area we serve.
Structures built before 1980 generally require an asbestos survey and a notification before demolition. Most counties route that notification to the local air district. A few are non-delegated, where the notification goes to the US EPA and CARB instead. The guide lists the correct authority for each area.
We handle the permit for you on the jobs we run. We pull the demolition permit, coordinate the asbestos notification, schedule utility disconnects, and manage inspections, so the permitting is one less thing on your plate.
Spencer Farman is the owner and lead operator of Demo Patrol, a licensed California demolition contractor (CA Contractor #1117491). He quotes and runs every job himself and pulls demolition permits across Northern California, from Sacramento to Chico.
Last updated June 3, 2026. Permit rules change. Confirm current requirements with your local building department and air district before relying on this guide.
Licensed demolition contractor serving Northern California. We pull the permits, coordinate the asbestos notification, schedule utility disconnects, and manage inspections. One call, clean lot.
