Benicia's property registration ordinance is a point-of-sale requirement that has to be cleared before escrow closes
NOT A SALE TRIGGER. The Solano Association of REALTORS county advisory describes these as vacant and foreclosed property registration programs: they "require the registration, maintenance, and security of vacant and foreclosed residential properties". The trigger is vacancy or foreclosure, not transfer. A seller of an occupied home is not caught by it; a bank selling an REO very likely is, and must register before it lists rather than before it closes. Rio Vista and Dixon had no registration programme as of 15 July 2016.
Benicia requires a resale inspection, occupancy inspection, energy audit, retrofit or point-of-sale sewer lateral test before a home sale closes
NONE FOUND. The City of Benicia's Building Safety Division describes permits for new construction, alterations, additions and owner-builder work, and inspections during construction. It names no resale inspection, occupancy certificate on transfer, energy audit, retrofit ordinance or point-of-sale lateral test. On laterals specifically the county REALTOR advisory states verbatim that "there are no mandatory inspections required for any of the cities in Solano County" — true when written in 2016, and still true for Benicia, though NO LONGER TRUE FOR VALLEJO, which adopted a point-of-sale lateral inspection ordinance in March 2025. The statewide seller obligations still apply.
California statewide, every property
Water heater bracing, anchoring or strapping
State of California · Retrofit · Before close
Triggered by: Sale of any real property containing a water heater
The seller must certify to the prospective purchaser that the water heater is braced, anchored or strapped to resist falling or horizontal displacement from earthquake motion.
Certificate
Seller certification (commonly satisfied on the C.A.R. Water Heater and Smoke Detector Statement of Compliance, form WHSD)
Issued by
Seller certifies; no agency sign-off required
Cost
No government fee; bracing kit and labor typically $30-$300
Triggered by: Every single-family dwelling which is sold
The dwelling must have an operable smoke alarm, approved and listed by the State Fire Marshal, installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Seller certifies compliance.
Triggered by: Standing obligation on single-family homes built on or before January 1, 1994, plus disclosure on sale or transfer
All non-compliant plumbing fixtures had to be replaced with water-conserving fixtures by January 1, 2017 — this deadline applies whether or not the property is being sold or altered. On sale or transfer, the seller must disclose to the buyer the requirement and whether the property complies.
Certificate
Written disclosure to the buyer; some jurisdictions use a Certificate of Compliance form
Issued by
Seller discloses; no state agency sign-off
Cost
No state fee; fixture replacement typically $50-$600
State of California / local fire authority · Defensible space · Can defer past close
Triggered by: Sale of a property located in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone
The seller must provide the buyer with documentation that the property is in compliance with defensible space requirements under Public Resources Code § 4291. If the seller does not have that documentation, the seller and buyer must enter into a written agreement under which the BUYER obtains compliance documentation within one year of close of escrow.
Certificate
Defensible space compliance documentation / inspection report from the local fire authority
Issued by
Local fire department or CAL FIRE
Cost
Varies by fire authority. Santa Rosa Fire Department charges $183 for a requested inspection.
Turnaround
Varies; request inspections early — fire departments are not obligated to inspect