Welcome to Building Division

The Building Services Division issues building permits for residential and commercial structures in the unincorporated areas of San Diego County. Permits are reviewed to meet the following:

Building Services Highlights

Guaranteed Review Timeline

Housing projects eligible for a Guaranteed Review Timeline include:

  • Affordable Housing and Emergency Shelters
  • Workforce Housing
  • Housing projects within Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) areas

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)

  • ADU home page.
  • The ADU Handbook explains types and sizes of ADUs, things you should consider, and steps to build an ADU. 
  • ADU building plans. The plans are about 85% complete. You must fill in information about your project. You can choose from a few floor plans.
  • The County of San Diego (County) Planning & Development Services (PDS) has a new Director's Determination Letter, which is a public document that provides an official assessment based on facts and legal guidelines. This determination clarifies how the County's Zoning Ordinance aligns with California State law confirming that when there is a conflict between the two, State law takes precedence over any provisions of the Zoning Ordinance. This letter reaffirms the County's existing practice of ensuring local regulations comply with State law, particularly when implementing any housing-related process and standard. 

Simplified Permitting

The Homeowner’s and Business Owner’s Relief Acts simplify your building permit requirements if your project meets certain criteria. See summary.

Issue Resolution

We have two ways of resolving different opinions on code requirements. To Learn more please visit our Issue Resolution page.

Permit Overview

In person

We have a Permit Center in Kearny Mesa for you to process permits. We are here to answer your questions before you submit your plans, while your plans are in review, and during construction.

Online

Online services include:

Find these services and more on Accela Citizen Access.

See Help Guides for step-by-step instructions.

Exemptions

Certain structures meeting specific requirements (for example, size and location) may be exempt from building permits. Find a summary of qualifying structures in the Building Permit Requirements.

If you are not sure if your project is exempt, contact us.

Even if you do not need a building permit, all projects must follow:

  • Zoning Ordinance
  • Public Health and Safety Codes
  • Other County, state, or federal regulations

Requirements and Conditions of Approval

We will assign your project a Permit Record ID. It will include requirements for your project called Conditions of Approval. You must meet each condition before we issue your permit.

We recommend you review your Conditions of Approval early. Some items (for example, Fire District Approval, Flood Control, Septic Review, Driveway Review, etc.) may take longer.

See a sample Conditions of Approval.

If you change your permit’s scope, we may need to change your Conditions of Approval. To avoid delays in getting your permit, tell us about any scope changes in between review cycles. 

Requirements Specific to the San Diego County

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Requirements

Many areas in the County are in high fire zones. To lower risk, we require special features for projects in high-risk areas. See a summary of these requirements: Wildland-Urban Interface handout.

Pool Enclosure and Safety Feature Requirements

The County has amended the California Building Code to require four safety measures for pools and spas: 

  1. Enclosure
  2. Safety feature accepted by the County
  3. Safety feature accepted by the State of California
  4. Entrapment avoidance

Find descriptions of each in this guidance document.

Helpful Links

Storm Recovery Information

If your home:

you may be able to get benefits from the Homeowner’s Relief Act.

To learn more, email us at: PDSBuildingPermitCounter@sdcounty.ca.gov