Building Safety Process FAQ

Yes, someone over the age of 18 years old will need to be present at the time of inspection and provide access. Access includes but is not limited to allowing the inspector inside the residence, the rear yard, provide a ladder and removing objects in the way.

If you have questions regarding which plans, if any, need to be submitted for your specific project please call us at (209) 831-6400 or email us at plancheck@cityoftracy.org and we will respond as soon as possible.

It is best to reach out to the individual who provided you with the corrections. All contact information, including name, phone number and email will be referenced in the correction letter. When sending an email or leaving a voicemail regarding your questions, please always ensure you provide the permit number and address for the project.

If you need a copy of your corrections, please email plancheck@cityoftracy.org and provide your permit number and/or address for the project with your request.

On the scheduled day of your inspection, please call us at (209) 831-6400 any time after 8:00 a.m.. Please have your permit number ready. We will provide you with the name and phone number of your Inspector. You may contact them to determine the timeframe for your inspection.

You may access permit status at eTRAKiT by logging into your account and entering the address or permit number in question.

You may access permit status at eTRAKiT. Once you log into your account, on the left side of your Dashboard, under Permits, select Search Permit. Enter the permit number or site address. Select the permit number and then click on the Reviews tab. Select More Info to obtain the details. You can also see corrections if they are provided on the Permit Info tab under Attachments.

Please call (209) 831-6400 or email plancheck@cityoftracy.org with project details and we will contact you with the plan check fees.

You may pay all fees online at eTRAKiT. Please see the step-by-step eTRAKiT Online Permit Payment process(PDF, 143KB).

The City of Tracy does not have all plans for every property within Tracy. Due to Government Code section 6254 (k): (see definition below), the City is unable to release these documents without requesting approval from the owner of the plans and a signed Plan Reproduction Request Affidavit(PDF, 274KB) from the owner of the property. Please submit the Plan Reproduction Request Affidavit(PDF, 274KB) to the Building Admin at buildingadmin@cityoftracy.org and the Building Admin will provide fees and instructions on how to pay for the request. Please allow 30-45 days to complete the process once fees are paid, which includes the minimum 30-day response time from the plan owners. After the 30-45 timeframe, we will email a set of the requested plans to the homeowner.

Customers can view plans in our office during regular business hours. When viewing plans in the office, customers are allowed to take notes however, photos are not allowed.

For any additional questions, please email buildingadmin@cityoftracy.org.

Government Code section 6254 (k): Documents are exempt from disclosure if they are “exempted or prohibited pursuant to federal or state law.” Federal law provides that architectural plans can be inspected, but not copied without permission of the owner; state law provides that building plans can be inspected, but not copied without written permission of the professional who signed the document and the original or current property owner. (17 U.S.C. § 101; California Health and Safety Code § 19851).

Please email buildingadmin@cityoftracy.org to request a refund. Please include the permit number, project address and reason for the refund request.

Please follow the directions in the TCO Instructions(PDF, 214KB) and email plancheck@cityoftracy.org with your request. Please include a copy of your Inspection Card with every request. We will follow-up within one business day to confirm receipt.

You may schedule all inspections online at eTRAKiT or by calling (209) 831-6400. If you have to leave a message, we monitor this voicemail on a regular basis and someone will return your call as soon as possible. Please note, leaving a voicemail does not guarantee your inspection will be scheduled, you must speak to a live person.

To schedule online, please see the step-by-step eTRAKiT Inspection Scheduling Guide(PDF, 129KB).

It is best to make an appointment to ensure the individual you want to speak with is available. If you already have a permit in review, please reach out to the Plans Examiner who is reviewing your project directly. The contact information will be listed on your Correction Notice you received via email. If you have not gotten a correction, do not know who the Plan Examiner is, or have not gotten a permit yet but have technical questions, please call (209) 831-6445 or email buildsafe@cityoftracy.org and a Plan Examiner will respond to you.

The Building Safety Division will only accept construction documents submitted for a building permit in electronic format. For a successful electronic plan submittal, please follow Electronic Plan Check Requirements(PDF, 269KB). Note that not complying with the electronic plan submittal formatting requirements may cause a delay in the plan review process.

All submittals must be in PDF format. Please be sure to separate your documents by document type and size. For example, the permit application should be one (1) PDF file, plans should be one (1) PDF file, Supplemental Documents should be their own PDF files. Please do not separate each page unless it is a separate document.

Please be sure all documents are unlocked so we can put our stamps on them.

Submittals for all permits except for solar must be emailed to plancheck@cityoftracy.org. All solar submittals must be sent to photovoltaic@cityoftracy.org. Submittals via email are limited to 25 MB total. If your documents are larger, please send them via email through a file sharing program (FTP, Dropbox, Newforma, etc.). Please make sure the files are unlocked for us to access.

A Building Permit technician will notify you once your plan check fees are ready to be paid. The plan review fee must be paid online and the plan review will only begin after the plan review fees are paid.

Submittals after the 3rd review and all Revisions are charged at an hourly rate with a 1/2-hour minimum. For rates & fees, please see our Master Fee Schedule.

If you are having issues emailing your documents to us, please call us at (209) 831-6400 or email plancheck@cityoftracy.org.

For more details, please see the Building Safety Division Permit Process and Fees on our website.

The Building Safety Division will only accept construction documents submitted for a building permit in electronic format. For a successful electronic plan submittal, please follow Electronic Photovoltaic Plan Review Requirements(PDF, 264KB). An electronic plan review will not begin until the submittal meets these requirements. Note that not complying with the electronic plan submittal formatting requirements may cause a delay in the plan review process.

All submittals must be in PDF format. Please be sure to separate your documents by document type and size. For example, the permit application should be one (1) PDF file, plans should be one (1) PDF file, Supplemental Documents should be their own PDF files. Please do not separate each page unless it is a separate document.

Please be sure all documents are unlocked so we can put our stamps on them.

Submittals for all solar permits must be emailed to photovoltaic@cityoftracy.org. Submittals via email are limited to 25 MB total. If your documents are larger, please send them via email through a file sharing program (FTP, Dropbox, Newforma, etc.). Please make sure the files are unlocked for us to access.

A Building Permit technician will notify you of the next step in the process once your permit is approved.

Submittals after the 3rd review and all Revisions are charged at an hourly rate with a 1/2-hour minimum. For rates & fees, please see our Master Fee Schedule.

If you are having issues emailing your documents to us, please call us at (209) 831-6400 or email photovoltaic@cityoftracy.org.

For more details, please see the Building Safety Division Electronic Photovoltaic Plan Review Requirements(PDF, 264KB).

For all technical or code interpretation questions, please call (209) 831-6445 or email at buildsafe@cityoftracy.org and a Plans Examiner will respond as soon as possible.

For all technical or code interpretation questions, please call (209) 831-6445 or email at buildsafe@cityoftracy.org and a Plans Examiner will respond as soon as possible.

Upon payment of all fees, notify the Building Safety Division via email at plancheck@cityoftracy.org and approved plans will be emailed to the contractor of record. If the homeowner is pulling the permit, we will email plans to the homeowner.

Please feel free to contact us at (209) 831-6400 or sending an email to us at plancheck@cityoftracy.org Monday through Thursday 8am-6pm and every other Friday, 8am-5pm. We monitoring such emails and voicemails regularly.

Please email buildingadmin@cityoftracy.org with your permit number, address, and reason why an extension is being requested.

The City of Tracy is currently using the 2025 California Codes as of January 1, 2026.

Questions regarding Residential (one & two-family dwelling and townhomes) Fire Sprinkler plan reviews may be directed to the Building Safety Division Plan Examiners by telephone at (209) 831-6445 or by email at buildsafe@cityoftracy.org.

For all other fire protection questions, please contact South San Joaquin County Fire Authority at 209-831-6700 or visit their Community Risk Reduction page.

Contractors can apply and pay for the following building permit types online:

• Water Heaters
• Water softeners
• Residential HVAC
• Sewer Lateral Repairs
• Temporary Power Poles
• Electric Service Change-Outs
• Residential Re-Roofs

Please see the step-by-step eTRAKiT Online Permit Guide(PDF, 751KB).

Access eTRAKiT online.