Reno building department

The City of Reno’s Building and Safety Division, part of Development Services, permits and inspects construction inside Reno city limits. Unincorporated areas around Reno go to the Washoe County Building Program, and Sparks has its own division, even though all three use the same regional OneNV (Accela) portal. The permit counter is on the second floor of City Hall, 1 E. First Street.

Submitting a permit

Every building permit application is filed online at OneNV. Starting July 1, 2026, all document handling runs through the portal’s Digital Projects feature. That covers first submittals, responses to hold comments, revisions, and downloads of final approved plans. Reno publishes a Digital Projects user guide and its “Electronic Permit Submittal Business Rules and Process.”

Reno sorts permits into four types:

• EZ Permits: work with no plans and no discretionary review.
• Flat Rate Permits: one set fee covers building plan review and inspection; application, issuance and other-department fees are added.
• Sign Permits: also flat-rate.
• Valuation-Based Permits: building plan review and inspection fees are set from project valuation. New construction and additions use the City’s Building Valuation Table; other work uses the actual construction cost.

The City’s online fee estimator returns only the base building and plan review fees. Engineering, planning, fire, sewer, health and impact fees are added during review. These include the Regional Road Impact Fee and the Police Facility Impact Fee.

Reno posts design guides for ADUs, patio covers, residential fences, generators, swimming pools, solar and signs, along with an Owner Builder Affidavit of Exemption for homeowners pulling their own permit. The City warns of fraudulent emails that pose as Reno, Sparks, Douglas County or Washoe County staff and demand immediate payment. Always confirm an invoice in OneNV before paying.

Pre-application meetings

Virtual pre-application meetings are held on Monday mornings, 9 to 11:15 a.m. They are meant for complex projects: zoning map or master plan amendments, special use permits, tentative and final maps, and building permits over 5,000 sq ft, over four stories, or with site improvements. They are not for basic permit questions.

Codes and exemptions

Reno adopted the 2024 building codes and the 2023 NEC on July 1, 2025, with the 2024 Northern Nevada Amendments. Since January 1, 2026, plans are accepted only under the 2024 editions. For exempt work, the City points to IBC Section 105.2 and IRC Section R105.2. Separately, anyone doing electrical or plumbing work in Reno must hold the appropriate pre-apprentice, apprentice or journeyman card.

Expiration and extensions

Situation	Rule
Application with no activity	Expires after 180 days
Issued permit	Needs a Pass or Partial inspection within each 180-day period
One-time extension	Request through OneNV within 30 days before expiration; $135 for an application or a permit
EZ permits	Not eligible for extension

Once a permit or application expires, you must submit a new application.

Inspections

You can schedule inspections through the Reno Building Inspections app (iOS and Android) or through your OneNV account. On inspection day, the inspector texts the cell number on the request with an approximate arrival time.

After a fire, flood or wind event, owners can request a Damage Assessment through OneNV for $81. The inspection is set for the next business day, a text between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. gives the time window, and the resulting Structure Damage Report goes with the repair or demolition permit application.

Contacts

Need	Contact
Building permits and building questions	(775) 334-2063, option 2
Manometer inspection scheduling	(775) 334-2063, option 3
Zoning and planning (Planner of the Day, 2nd floor)	(775) 321-8309
Engineering	(775) 785-5888
City general information	(775) 334-4636