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San Diego permit search

San Diego permit records are looked up in DSD Online Services, the City's Accela Citizen Access portal: pick Search by Address or enter a PMT permit or PRJ project number, then open the record to check on a project's features and status. The City of San Diego Development Services Department says: “A Building Permit is required to construct any new structure or improve existing buildings and other structures.” Search permits in DSD Online Services

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Sources read: 2026-10-30Updated 2026-10-30

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San Diego building permit department

Permits for a home in the City of San Diego come from the City's Development Services Department (DSD), which reviews, issues and inspects them for development projects across the city. Its permits page names new construction, additions, remodeling and repairs to electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems as work that needs one. In the department's words:

The Development Services Department (DSD) comprises ten divisions that provide review, permit, inspection and code enforcement services for private and public development projects throughout the City of San Diego.

Source: About Us | City of San Diego Official Website, read 2026-10-30

San Diego permit numbers, with their sources

New privately-owned housing units authorized in 2025, San Diego County (Census county total)11,707 units: 3,506 in one-unit buildings, 7,311 in buildings of five or more unitsCensus Bureau Building Permits Survey, annual county file 2025, San Diego County, CA (county grain), read 2026-10-30
Inspections completed by DSD in 2024, from the City's dashboard table (data as of Jan. 1, 2025)175,881 in the year, 701 per working dayPermitting Center Dashboard | City of San Diego Official Website, City of San Diego (authority grain), read 2026-10-30
Private ministerial permits the City processes each year, as DSD's About Us page puts it72,000About Us | City of San Diego Official Website, City of San Diego (authority grain), read 2026-10-30
Permit issuance queue for a Building Permit, approximate business days (weekly estimate, data current as of October 23, 2026)1Permit Processing Timeline | City of San Diego Official Website, City of San Diego (authority grain), read 2026-10-30
A homeowner's Simple (no-plan) mechanical, electrical or plumbing permit, after the Owner-Builder form DS-3042 is submittednormally within two business daysSimple Permits | City of San Diego Official Website, City of San Diego (authority grain), read 2026-10-30
Life of a building permit for a single-family home or duplex3 years after issuancePermits FAQs | City of San Diego Official Website, City of San Diego (authority grain), read 2026-10-30

Download this table: CSV · JSON

San Diego permit status

Status lives in the reports of DSD Online Services, which let customers and the public check on a project's features and status. The Inspection Plan by Permit report, as the City describes it:

It features key details about the associated PRJ (project) number, the type of permit, the permit status, the date the permit was issued, the current inspection status, and how to schedule an inspection, when applicable.

Source: project-reports-and-information (PDF), read 2026-10-30

Without logging in, the portal offers viewing information and limited services as an anonymous user, while the City's report guide says an online services account is required to view and access project record information. A homeowner's Simple Permit normally follows within two business days of the DS-3042 form, and an inspection can be scheduled once the invoice is paid and the permit is issued.

San Diego building permit records

DSD keeps building permits, plans, maps and technical reports for land development projects in the City of San Diego and makes them available to the public on request. Permits and applications from 2003 to present can be researched online for a City of San Diego address, and self-service stations at the records counter need no appointment for permit research. Plans are different:

Requests to view or obtain building plans are not available through the self-service option and require an in-person appointment with a team member.

Source: Records | City of San Diego Official Website, read 2026-10-30

Archived building plans or records take a Records Review appointment: Schedule an Appointment.

Do I need a permit for a fence in San Diego?

Not a building permit for a fence 7 feet high or less, unless it is a swimming pool barrier. The exemption is item (2) of San Diego Municipal Code §129.0203(a):

(2) Fences, other than swimming pool barriers, that are 7 feet in height or less.

Source: Ch12Art09Division02 (PDF), read 2026-10-30

The §129.0203(a) exemptions do not apply to work on a historical resource, on a site with environmentally sensitive lands that needs a development permit, or on a building with unreinforced masonry bearing walls or exterior wall parapets.

Start my request for a fence in San Diego

Do I need a permit to repair or replace a roof in San Diego?

Usually not for new roof covering alone: the City says most reroofs are exempt from permits. Its roof covering bulletin, Information Bulletin 123 (September 2026):

A building permit is not required for renewal of roof coverings on any building permitted by the California Building Code and the California Residential Code, where the existing roof structure, including roof diaphragm, is not altered. Refer to SDMC Section 129.0203 for additional requirements.

Source: Minimum Standards for Renewal of Roof Covering | City of San Diego Official Website, read 2026-10-30

A permit is needed when framing, sheathing or other structural parts must be altered or replaced, when wood shakes, wood shingles or asphalt shingles give way to roofing weighing more than six (6) pounds per square foot, when spaced skip sheathing is removed for new sheathing, and on a site with a designated historical resource or inside a historic district. On single-family homes, duplexes and townhouses, damaged sheathing may be replaced in-kind without a permit up to 25% of the roof surface. Reroofs that need a permit need plans.

Start my request for a roof repair in San Diego

Do I need a permit for a deck in San Diego?

Not for a small detached deck: item (15) of §129.0203(a) covers a deck of 200 square feet or less, no more than 30 inches above grade at any point, not attached to a dwelling and not serving the required exit door. The code's words:

(15) Decks accessory to buildings within the scope of the California Residential Code that do not exceed 200 square feet (18.58 m2) in area, that are not more than 30 inches (762 mm) above grade at any point, that are not attached to a dwelling, and that do not serve the exit door required by the California Residential Code.

Source: Ch12Art09Division02 (PDF), read 2026-10-30

For a deck that does need a permit, the City's Information Bulletin 211, Residential Decks, sets out the basic requirements for an attached or detached deck on a single-family home or duplex.

Start my request for a deck in San Diego

Do I need a permit for a shed in San Diego?

Not a building permit for a one-story detached tool or storage shed, playhouse or similar building on the ground, with a projected roof area of 120 square feet or less and no separately regulated use. Item (1) of §129.0203(a):

(1) One-story detached accessory buildings supported on the ground and used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses, or similar uses provided the projected roof area is 120 square feet or less and the structure will not be utilized for any separately regulated use subject to Land Development Code Chapter 14, Article 1.

Source: Ch12Art09Division02 (PDF), read 2026-10-30

Wiring, plumbing or mechanical work in the shed is a separate matter, because the building permit exemptions are not exemptions from electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits.

Start my request for a shed in San Diego

Do I need a permit to replace a water heater or A/C in San Diego?

Yes, a Simple Permit: a no-plan mechanical, electrical and plumbing permit for installing or replacing these systems in single-family homes and duplex buildings outside historic districts. Repairing the system alone needs no permit. Among the work the City lists for a Simple Permit:

Source: Simple Permits | City of San Diego Official Website, read 2026-10-30

Other wiring follows the City's electrical rule: no wiring, device, appliance or equipment is installed or altered without an Electrical Permit, except as the code exempts.

Start my request for a water heater in San Diego

Can a homeowner pull their own permit in San Diego?

Yes. A property owner can take out a permit as the owner-builder, and the City then needs its Owner-Builder form DS-3042, which gives notice of the owner's responsibilities and risk under California Health and Safety Code Section 19825. The form says:

Development Services Department (DSD) will not issue a building permit until you have read, initialed your understanding of each provision, signed, and uploaded this form to the DSD online permitting portal.

Source: ds3042 (PDF), read 2026-10-30

As owner-builder you are the responsible party of record on the permit. The form is also needed for mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits when the owner does the work or hires different contractors. An Electrical Permit can be issued to the property owner or lessee, as well as to a state contractor authorized to perform electrical installations, and the City makes the contractor or the owner responsible for scheduling all required inspections.

What work does not need a permit in San Diego?

San Diego Municipal Code §129.0203 lists the work that needs no building permit, except on a historical resource, on a site with environmentally sensitive lands that needs a development permit, and on a building with unreinforced masonry bearing walls or exterior wall parapets. Its items include fences up to 7 feet, small sheds, retaining walls 3 feet or less in height, sidewalks and driveways 30 inches or less above adjacent grade, painting and similar finish work, new roof coverings where the roof structure is not altered, and small maintenance repairs. The repair item, with its dollar limit and its limit on scope:

Source: Ch12Art09Division02 (PDF), read 2026-10-30

Painting and decorating, floor covering, cabinet work and outside paving are exempt without a valuation limit. Building permit exemptions are not exemptions from electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, and exempt work must still follow the Building Regulations and other local or state regulations.

How much is a permit and how long does it take in San Diego?

City of San Diego permit fees (Information Bulletin 103, May 2026, and Information Bulletin 501, August 2026)

Fee lines from the City's fee bulletins: Information Bulletin 103 covers mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits, and Information Bulletin 501 lists the fees the City collects for building permits, plus some fees of other agencies. Building permit fees may be collected at project submittal, during review, at permit issuance and during inspection, and the mapping fee is charged when plans, drawings, maps or other geographical documents are used for project review. These are government permit fees, not a price for the work itself.

Circuits 15-45 Amps First 5 Circuits $176.57

Source: Fee Schedule for Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing/Gas Permits | City of San Diego Official Website, read 2026-10-30

Panel Replace/Upgrade up to 200 amp Each $176.57

Source: Fee Schedule for Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing/Gas Permits | City of San Diego Official Website, read 2026-10-30

Mapping Fee $12.16

Source: Fee Schedule for Construction Permits-Structures | City of San Diego Official Website, read 2026-10-30

Processing time changes week to week. The City's Permit Processing Timeline gives a weekly snapshot of the approximate days for application setup, review and issuance, and actual times vary with the number of applications received and how complete the documents are. Standard inspection costs are included in the permit fees, and standard inspections must be scheduled at least one day in advance. When inspectors come:

Schedule: Inspections are performed on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A high volume of inspection requests may result in some inspections not being completed on the day requested. After-hours, holiday or weekend inspections outside of these hours may be requested at an additional cost.

Source: Inspections | City of San Diego Official Website, read 2026-10-30

Before you apply in San Diego: checklist

Set up a user account first, since accounts are required to submit all online permit applications, and read the §129.0203 exempt list. For a building permit, draw the plans to the City's Requirements for Digital Plans and Documents on its Building Permit Template; add the Title 24 energy forms (conditional) and the Storm Water Requirements Applicability Checklist (DS-560) unless the work is an interior alteration, a Water Meter Data Card (DS-16) when plumbing fixtures are new or changed, and the Project Contacts Information form (DS-345). A building 45 years or older also needs a photographic survey and a copy of its building record from the County Assessor, and you check the plan sheet numbers before you upload. What the code says each application must state:

(b) Every application shall include the following information: (1) A description of the work for which the application is submitted; (2) A legal description and a street address or similar description that will definitively locate the proposed building or work; (3) An indication of the proposed use or occupancy; (4) The valuation for any addition, improvement, or alteration to an existing structure or the valuation of any new structure proposed.

Source: Ch12Art09Division02 (PDF), read 2026-10-30

How do I contact the San Diego building department?

In person, go to the Mission Valley office, where most services need an appointment and in-person services close on business days between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; the building is open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Downtown office serves customers with pre-scheduled appointments for existing projects and permits, with no walk-ins. The City on Mission Valley:

This office is the primary location for in-person customer assistance, with most services requiring an appointment.

Source: Locations and Hours | City of San Diego Official Website, read 2026-10-30

Hours, locations and appointments: Locations and Hours; Contact Us; Schedule an Appointment.

Sources

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