Permit

Permit Application and Review
Applicants can obtain a Permit Application (PDF) and other informational documents from this website or the County’s Application and Permit Center located at:
 30 Muir Road
 Martinez, CA 94553
 
Applicants may visit the Permit Portal or contact the Application and Permit Center at (925) 374-2136 or by email.
 
 At the initial step, applicants are required to fill out and submit an application form, provide an initial cash deposit ($1,900 for Flood Control Encroachment Permits and $1,600 for Drainage Permits) to pay for review and/or inspection costs, and submit a PDF copy of the engineered plans (if applicable). Permits that require CEQA documentation include an additional deposit of $3,000 and processing time of three months minimum. If permit charges exceed the initial deposit an additional deposit may be required. In most cases, a cash bond is required for permits.
 
Applicants are advised that any activity and work within watercourses and within flood control facilities may be subject to the requirements of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and other environmental regulatory agencies.
 
 
Drainage Permit
Permits for work that affect private and public drainage systems.

 

The 1010 Drainage Ordinance of Contra Costa County (County) regulates work on watercourses and drainage facilities in the unincorporated County areas. Any work that involves man-made drainage facilities or natural watercourses may require a drainage permit from the County.


Some of the activities covered by this permit requirement include:

  • Construction of creek improvements or bank stabilization
  • Creek cleanup
  • Removal / alteration of creek bank-stabilizing vegetation
  • Construction of improvements within drainage easements or within natural watercourses
  • Construction / modification of drainage facilities
  • Filling in a natural watercourse or ditch
  • Construction of a private or public bridge crossing
  • Pipeline crossings


Flood Control Encroachment Permit 

Permit for ingress/egress work in/on Flood Control District property or right of way.  Routine permits for ingress, egress, water sampling, creek clean ups, and fence installation can be processed in approximately three weeks.  Permits requiring CEQA documentation should allow three months minimum for the process. Permits for major modifications to a flood control facility can take up to a year.

 

The Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (District) owns properties, flood control channels, and drainage facilities in the unincorporated County and Cities.


The District requires a Flood Control Permit for all activities and encroachments within District rights of way. The District also requires an environmental document be adopted for most Flood Control Permit applications.  If the encroachment is within a flood control facility built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), we are required to obtain concurrence from the Corps Operations Branch before we issue the encroachment permit.  Concurrence or approval by the Corps can take six months to a year for standard encroachment permits.