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In-house permits

The Department of Building Inspection (DBI) reviews every building permit application for life safety and building code compliance. We review complex projects In-House. We accept In-House Projects for electronic plan review (EPR) or with paper plans. DBI will transition to 100% Electronic Plan Review starting on January 1, 2024. For more information, please scroll down and click on the “Electronic plan review resources” link below.

In-house review project assignment

Building plan review is currently assigning projects that arrived at the Building Station before October 13, 2023.

Once your project is assigned to a plan reviewer, you can expect the plan review to begin the following week.

Services

Learn about the process

Prepare for your construction project

Before you apply for a building permit, follow these steps.

Learn about our building permit review processes

We review every building permit application for life safety and building code compliance.

Start your building permit application

Get a building permit with In-House Review

You must have a building permit to do construction. Follow these steps for In-House Permit projects.

Apply for your Affordable Housing and Development Agreement online

You can now submit some building permit applications online.

Prepare for an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) project

Decide if you want to add an ADU and prepare your application.

Permit processing

Resubmit plans for a building permit application

Follow our instructions to upload revisions for non-licensed Bluebeam users or Mac users.

Track your building permit application or property complaint

Find building permits for current and past construction projects in our permit tracking system.

Gather documents for your building permit issuance

Bring these documents to get your building permit issued.

Related permits

Get your small business permits with a 30-day review

Open a new business or change your business operations under Prop H.

Submit addenda for your site permit

Follow our instructions to submit addenda for your EPR project.

More services

Apply for a kitchen or bath remodel permit

Registered general contractors can get permits online to renovate a kitchen or bath.

Bring plans to the Permit Center for paper in-house review

Get a pre-plan check and submit plans for paper in-house review.

Comply with floodplain management requirements

Check your construction location. You may need to complete a checklist when you apply for building permits.

Contractors: Schedule inspections online for your permitted work

Contractors can sign into their DBI account to schedule a building, electrical, or plumbing inspection.

Accessory dwelling unit (ADU)

Add accessory dwelling units (ADUs), in-law units, or cottages to residential properties.

Electronic plan review (EPR) resources

DBI will transition to 100% Electronic Plan Review starting on January 1, 2024.

Click here for training materials and resource guides for building permit Electronic Plan Review.

See resources

Resources

Create your building project plans

Follow these rules to create plans that meet the building code.
How to create PDFs of your plans or addenda

Follow these rules to create PDFs of revised plans and addenda to submit.
Plan review process in Bluebeam

Starting on January 1, 2024, we will transition to 100% Electronic Plan Review for In-House projects.
Find out how the City uses Bluebeam to do plan reviews.
How to use Bluebeam

Find out how to use Bluebeam, our plan review software.

Departments

Department of Building Inspection

DBI approves plans and issues permits for all construction in the City. We make sure buildings are safe and comply with building and housing codes.

SF Planning

Under the direction of the Planning Commission, we work to help guide the growth and development of our City.

Fire Department

SFFD protects San Franciscans from fires and natural disasters, through education and emergency services.

Public Utilities Commission

We provide drinking water and wastewater services to San Francisco and hydroelectric and solar power to municipal departments.

Public Works

We are one of the largest and most complex municipal operations in the City, with a 1,600-member workforce and a $384 million annual operating budget.