Areas we serve
San Diego County Fire reviews discretionary and building plan projects in these districts:
- San Diego County Fire Protection District
- Deer Springs Fire Protection District
San Diego County Fire Protection District includes Borrego Springs, Boulevard, Campo, Deerhorn Valley, De Luz, Descanso, Dulzura, Harbison Canyon, Intermountain, Jacumba, Jamul, Julian, Lake Morena, Mount Laguna, Ocotillo Wells, Otay Mesa, Palomar Mountain, Pine Valley, Potrero, Ramona, Ranchita, San Pasqual, Shelter Valley, Sunshine Summit and Warner Springs.
For other districts
If your project site is not in one of these districts, you need to submit your plans to the fire authority for your area.
How you submit plans
Building plans for residential or commercial projects
You submit plans for residential or commercial projects to the County Planning & Development Services Building Division. They notify us when plans are submitted.
Grading and improvement plans
For:
- A residential minor grading permit as part of a residential building permit application
Submit to the County Planning & Development Services Building Division. They notify us when the plans are submitted.
For:
- Major and minor grading permits
- Major, minor and public improvement plans
Submit plans to the County Planning & Development Services Land Development Division. They will not route the plans to us. You need to contact the Land Development Division staff handling your application. Arrange with them how to submit your plans for review.
Fire protection system plans
These include:
- Alternative fire suppression systems
- Emergency responder radio coverage systems
- Fire alarm systems
- Fire sprinkler systems (commercial)
- Fire sprinkler systems (residential / NFPA 13D)
- Private underground fire service main systems
Submit these plans to San Diego County Fire Protection District. They are separate from building plans. You can submit them for review after we approve the building plans. See Submit fire protection system plans to Fire Marshal for details of each plan.
Project facility availability – fire
To request completion of form PDS-399F complete the Owner’s Information and Section 1 of the form, then email the form and a Plot Plan for the project to the attention of David Sibbet, Fire Services Coordinator ( david.sibbet@sdcounty.ca.gov ).
Discretionary project plans
You submit discretionary project plans to the County Planning & Development Services Project Planning Division. They route the plans to us.
Resources
Building and grading plan forms and information
- Fire Code Plan Check Correction List for Residential Projects
- Fire Code Plan Check Correction List for Commercial Projects
- Fire Code Plan Check Correction List for Grading Plans
- Emergency Vehicle Turnaround/Residential
- Emergency Vehicle Turnaround/Commercial
- Residential Water Tank Standards for Fire Protection
- Commercial Water Tank Standards for Fire Protection
Ordinances and standards
- Consolidated Fire Code
- Wildland-Urban Interface Code
- Defensible Space Ordinance
- Fee Ordinance
- County Building Codes Ordinance – Building, Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical Codes
- DPW Public Road Standards
- DPW Private Road Standards
- DPW Design Standards
- COSD Parking Design Manual
Developer guides
- CFA # 500 – Underground Piping for Private Hydrants & Sprinkler Supply Line
- CFA # 501 – Thrust Block Detail
- CFA # 502 – Hydrant and Bollard Detail
- CFA # 503 – Public and Private Fire Hydrants
- CFA # 504 – Fire Department Connections and Post Indicator Valves
- CFA # 505 – Emergency Responder Radio Coverage Systems
- East Otay Mesa Developers Guide
KnoxBox purchase guides
Fire marshal bulletins
- 2024-01 – Fire Alarm Systems and Fire Sprinkler Monitoring Systems
- 2024-02 – Wildfire Prepared Homeowner Guide
- 2024-03 – Water Tank Alternative
- 2025-01 – Smoke Control Periodic Testing
- 2025-02 – Traffic Calming Devices
Fire protection plan guidelines
- 2023 County Of San Diego Wildland Fire and Fire Protection Guidelines
For Discretionary Project applications determined complete by Planning & Development Services before June 22, 2024. - 2024 County of San Diego Fire Protection Plan Guidelines
For Discretionary Project applications determined not complete by or not submitted to Planning & Development Services by June 21, 2024.
Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) guidelines
- Final Fire Protection Guidelines For BESS Facilities. Applies to all facilities using batteries in an energy storage system (ESS) where the nominal capacity exceeds 600 kWh.
