The Ross Valley Fire Department reviews all building permits associated with businesses and will likely require at least one inspection. They may have special requirements including fire sprinklers, exits, extinguishers, and/or alarm systems, depending on the scope of any construction project, the number of people that are intended to be in your business space at one time, and/or the type of business.
Even if you do not plan to do any work, you may need to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy to change the building code "occupancy" of a space. For example, if you are changing a use from a retail space to a fitness center a Certificate of Occupancy will be required, even if no construction work is involved. This is to ensure that the proposed space meets building and fire code safety requirements for the number of people that will be using the space.