Question 1

Is new single-family supply in San Bernardino County rising, falling, or flat?

Accepted Answer

Flat, and it has been for four straight years. Census Building Permits Survey county files show single-family units authorized ran between 3,578 and 4,006 a year from 2022 through 2025, a narrow band with no sharp falloff. That gives a ground-up builder here a more predictable permit pipeline than a market swinging between boom and bust.

Question 2

What do building permit fees and plan review timelines run in San Bernardino County?

Accepted Answer

There is no single figure to quote, because none is standardized across the county. Fontana, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino, Victorville, and the county's other jurisdictions each set their own building permit fees and plan review process. Confirm the current fee schedule and timeline with the building department for the specific city or unincorporated area where you're building before you underwrite the draw schedule.

Question 3

Is duplex or fourplex infill construction common in San Bernardino County?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. It's a thin lane. In 2025 the entire county permitted only 313 units across two-unit and three-to-four-unit buildings, against 2,349 units in buildings of five or more units. A builder targeting small multifamily infill here is working in one of the county's least-built product types.

Question 4

Do I need to worry about water rights building in the High Desert?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the parcel relies on well water rather than a municipal system. The Victor Valley cities sit inside the Mojave Basin Area, an adjudicated groundwater basin where the Mojave Water Agency has served as court-appointed Watermaster since 1993, monitoring roughly 450 parties and 1,700 wells. A Base Annual Production water right is a transferable, encumbered asset: a permanent transfer requires a preliminary title report and notice to lienholders filed at least 45 days before the Watermaster's meeting, and there are dedicated transfer forms for a purchaser after foreclosure or a deed in lieu. Confirm whether your lot is well-served before you build, since the water right does not simply follow the deed.

Question 5

If I build to rent in San Bernardino or Ontario, when does the city inspect the property?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the city, and the cadence differs. The city of San Bernardino requires single-family, duplex, and triplex rentals to be inspected every two years, with no exemption for Section 8 or group-home units, though a self-certification option can earn a compliant owner a fee exemption for three years. The city of Ontario inspects rental units over seven years old once every four years, at $51 per unit annually. Neither program was found for Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, Redlands, Chino, Victorville, or Hesperia, so confirm the rule in the specific city where you build to rent.

Question 6

Will my new construction carry a Mello-Roos special tax?

Accepted Answer

Possibly, and it can escalate faster than the property tax itself. San Bernardino County and its cities layer their own community facilities districts on new development: the county runs CFD 2002-1, 2002-2, 2003-1, 2006-1, and 2010-1, and Fontana funds streets, sewers, and storm drains through its own CFD bonds that typically run 30 years. In the county's CFD 2006-1 (Lytle Creek North), the special tax escalates by CPI each year with a floor of 2% and a cap of 4%, on top of the 1% ad valorem property tax. Pull the secured tax bill by APN and read the special tax lines before you price a build-to-hold exit.

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