Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Novato, California

At a glance

Zoning

Yes, Novato adopts its own zoning ordinance for land inside city limits¹

Building permits

Issued by the City of Novato Building Division²

Building code

2025 California Building Standards Code with local amendments³

Septic

Marin County Environmental Health Services runs the county septic program; Novato-specific rules unconfirmed⁴

Temporary housing while building

Mobile home allowed with a Temporary Use Permit while a building permit for a new house is in force⁵

Floodplain

Development in flood hazard areas must comply with Novato's flood damage rules⁶

Owner-builder

California allows owner-builders, who still sign a building permit application⁷

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Does Novato have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and tiny homes?

Yes. The City of Novato adopts its own zoning ordinance for land inside city limits¹, and the Planning Division is responsible for maintaining and implementing it along with the city's general plan⁸. Marin County's separate zoning code covers only unincorporated land, not incorporated cities⁹.

On RVs and camping, Novato's code makes overnight camping on public property unlawful except under a park permit, and bars camping in listed areas such as wildfire risk areas; it does not prohibit overnight camping on private residential property by friends or family of the owner¹⁰. That section does not address other private-land camping, so living in an RV on your own lot is unconfirmed: ask the Planning Division before you buy. We also could not confirm Novato's rules on tiny homes, minimum dwelling size, lot size or setbacks, which depend on the zoning district of the lot.

Do you need a building permit in Novato, and who issues it?

Construction inside Novato follows the 2025 California Building Standards Code, and the city adopts local amendments with express findings of necessity³. The City of Novato Building Division reviews plans, issues building permits and conducts field inspections². Where state building codes and city ordinances conflict, the more restrictive one applies³.

We did not locate Novato's exemption list for small structures, so ask the Building Division whether a shed, fence or similar project needs a building permit. California owner-builders who sign a building permit application take on the owner-builder responsibilities, and the project is still inspected⁷¹¹. Novato's own owner-builder rules inside city limits are unconfirmed.

How do septic permits work inside Novato?

Marin County Environmental Health Services administers septic systems in Marin County⁴, and the county requires a permit for new, replacement, repair, alteration or abandonment of a septic system¹². Statewide, new and replacement septic systems also fall under California's onsite wastewater rules¹³.

We could not confirm from Novato's official pages how septic or sewer service works at a particular Novato address. The city's Novato Permit Connections service lists the Novato Sanitary District among its participating agencies, so ask whether your parcel is on sewer before you plan a septic field². Call Environmental Health Services at 415-473-6907 for septic questions¹⁴. Well permits are also unconfirmed inside city limits.

Can you live in a temporary home while building in Novato?

Novato allows a mobile home as the owner's temporary residence, but only with a Temporary Use Permit from the Zoning Administrator, and only while a valid building permit for a new single-family dwelling is in force or for temporary caretaker quarters during certain construction projects⁵. The permission lasts for the specified period or until the building permit expires, whichever comes first⁵.

That rule covers mobile homes, not RVs or tiny homes. Novato's rules for those, and for permanent manufactured home siting, are unconfirmed, so ask the Planning Division before you move anything onto a lot⁸.

Building a home in Novato: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the lot's zoning district and what it allows with the Planning Division⁸.
2. Check whether the lot lies in an area of special flood hazard, where construction must comply with Novato's flood damage rules⁶.
3. Confirm sewer or septic with the Novato Sanitary District and Marin County Environmental Health Services¹⁴.
4. Create an account on the city's Novato Permits online portal, where building and planning applications are submitted².
5. Submit plans to the Building Division for review under the 2025 California Building Standards Code³.
6. Schedule field inspections through the Building Division as work proceeds².

What stays with Marin County, and what to check before you buy

Inside Novato, the city handles zoning and building permits. Outside city limits, Marin County's Building and Safety Division and Planning Division apply their own rules to unincorporated land; see the Marin County page for those answers. Septic and well programs run through county Environmental Health Services⁴.

Before buying, confirm the zoning district, sewer availability, and flood status with the offices above. Marin County's typical home value is about $1,504,466¹⁵, and its effective property tax rate is 0.7%¹⁶. These are county-level figures, not Novato-specific.

Watch-outs

• Marin County's building and zoning offices serve only unincorporated land, so a Novato address goes to the City of Novato offices, not the county counter⁹.
• Novato's rules on RVs, tiny homes, accessory dwelling units, lot size and setbacks are unconfirmed; call the Planning Division at 415.899.8989 before relying on any of them⁸.
• Septic and sewer service at a given Novato address is unconfirmed; ask Marin County Environmental Health Services and the Novato Sanitary District¹⁴.
• Novato moved to the Novato Permits online portal on October 1, 2025, and an account is required before applying online².

Sources

1. Novato Code, Chapter XIX Zoning, 19.60.020 Definitions (Novato), quoted and re-checked
2. City of Novato Building Division (novato.org)
3. Novato Code 4-1 Administrative Provisions; Building Code (Novato), quoted and re-checked
4. Septic systems/onsite wastewater treatment systems, quoted and re-checked
5. Novato Code 19.42.040 Temporary Use Permits (Novato), quoted and re-checked
6. Novato Code 5-31 Flood Damage Prevention Requirements (Novato), quoted and re-checked
7. Owner-Builder Responsibilities (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. City of Novato Planning Division (novato.org)
9. Title 22 - Development Code, quoted and re-checked
10. Novato Code 7-11 Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Wildfire Risk Areas (Novato), quoted and re-checked
11. Owner-Builder Responsibilities (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Septic systems/onsite wastewater treatment systems, quoted and re-checked
13. 2023 OWTS Policy (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Marin County Community Development Agency - Environmental Health Services (marincounty.gov)
15. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
16. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 16, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.