How it works
Public records, made easier to follow.
Sonoma Watch organizes property and permit activity around the places you care about, highlights what may be meaningful, and keeps the original public record within reach.
Activity tiers
A signal for attention, not a judgment.
Tiers help you quickly understand which records may deserve a closer look. They describe likely relevance, not urgency, risk, approval, or whether a project is welcome.
Larger or more complex activity that is more likely to change what nearby residents experience.
Examples can include new construction, subdivisions, substantial grading, or significant land-use changes.
Smaller or more localized projects that may still be useful to know about when they happen nearby.
Examples can include additions, accessory dwellings, pools, wells, septic work, and some use or parcel changes.
Routine maintenance, minor improvements, or records that provide context without usually needing immediate attention.
Examples can include reroofing, equipment replacement, electrical upgrades, and minor permit revisions.
Permit descriptions vary widely, and classification is not perfect. When something matters to you, open the county source and review the underlying record.
From record to update
The source stays part of the story.
- 1
Collect public records
We regularly observe supported permit and parcel sources and preserve the public facts needed to follow activity over time.
- 2
Connect records to places and projects
Parcel numbers and project references help group related records without exposing unnecessary personal details.
- 3
Make the activity easier to scan
Plain-language summaries, dates, statuses, and tiers help separate meaningful changes from routine recordkeeping.
- 4
Keep the evidence attached
Source links stay available so you can verify important details for yourself.
Current coverage
Coverage follows the public agency.
Permit coverage currently centers on Permit Sonoma records, primarily for unincorporated Sonoma County. Incorporated cities can operate separate permitting systems, so Sonoma Watch does not yet provide comprehensive coverage for every city address in the county.
Public systems can be delayed, corrected, or incomplete. Sonoma Watch links to the official record whenever possible.
Open Permit Sonoma SearchBuilt for trust
Useful without becoming alarmist.
Project details, not personal details
We focus on what is proposed or recorded at a place while excluding contact and identity fields from the public product.
Neutral by design
A permit is evidence of a public process, not proof of ownership, occupancy, value, intent, or construction.
Quiet records stay visible
Routine activity remains available for context even when you choose not to receive every small update.
Corrections are part of public data
Source records can change. Sonoma Watch preserves freshness context and avoids presenting automated interpretation as certainty.
Common questions
A little more context.
Does a permit mean the project will definitely happen?
No. A permit record shows activity in a public process. It does not prove that work has started, will be completed, or matches the original proposal. Statuses can also change over time.
Are tier labels official county classifications?
No. Sonoma Watch assigns tiers to make public records easier to scan. A tier is an estimate of likely relevance to nearby residents, not a county decision or a judgment that a project is good, bad, dangerous, approved, or code compliant.
Why might an address show little or no activity?
An empty result can mean there are no matching records in the current time window, but it can also reflect source delays, incomplete parcel matching, or an address outside current Permit Sonoma coverage. It should not be treated as proof that nothing is happening.
How current is the information?
Sonoma Watch checks supported public sources regularly. Public systems can publish records late or correct them later, so the linked official record remains the best source for the latest status.
Will every small permit appear in an email?
Alert preferences are designed to give you control. You can focus on major and notable projects or choose broader updates. Routine activity remains visible in the product so useful context does not have to become inbox noise.
What personal information does Sonoma Watch use?
The product uses property and project facts such as addresses, parcel numbers, descriptions, statuses, and public dates. It excludes owner, applicant, contractor, staff, phone, email, and other contact information from the public experience.
Are Sonoma Watch summaries official?
No. Summaries and project groupings are aids for understanding the underlying records. They can be incomplete or mistaken, so each item keeps the public source link available for verification.
Is Sonoma Watch affiliated with Sonoma County?
No. Sonoma Watch is an independent service that organizes public records. It is not operated by, endorsed by, or affiliated with Sonoma County or Permit Sonoma.
Questions or feedback
We’d like to hear from you.
Sonoma Watch is built for the people who use it. Found something that doesn’t look right, have an idea for the app, or need help understanding an update? Bug reports, feature requests, and questions are all welcome.
sonomawatchapp@gmail.com