Building permits in San Diego, CA
San Diego (San Diego County) follows California's statewide codes, but runs its own permit intake, forms, fees, and review timelines through its building department. Here's the general picture for the trades — and where to confirm the specifics.
San Diego's Development Services Department (DSD) takes all new permits and approvals online through DSD Online Services, the city's Accela Citizen Portal. Simple Permits — no-plan mechanical, electrical, and plumbing permits for minor installations in single-dwelling units, duplexes, or townhouses outside historic districts — are issued as soon as licensed contractors submit the application and pay the invoice. The 2025 California Building Standards Code applies to projects with applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026, with San Diego's local amendments effective April 22, 2026, and construction permit fees are listed in Information Bulletin 501 (August 2026).
Verified local data — San Diego
Every fact below is sourced from a public City of San Diego document or portal page. Each carries the source URL and the date we last verified it. Full dataset last re-verified .
- Permit portal
- DSD Online Services (Accela Citizen Portal)
verified Sep 13, 2026 · source · Stable city shortlink; resolves to https://aca-prod.accela.com/SANDIEGO/Default.aspx, which the Permits page links as "DSD Online Services Login"
- Submission methods
Online
verified Sep 13, 2026 · source · The Permits page states that all new permits and approvals must be submitted online
- Adopted code edition
2025 California Building Standards Code (with San Diego local amendments)
verified Sep 13, 2026 · source · DSD public notice dated April 15, 2026: the 2025 code applies to all projects with applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026, and the local amendments take effect April 22, 2026. Codified in San Diego Municipal Code Chapter 14, Article 5, Division 1 (Sec. 145.0103 adopts the 2025 California Building Code; amended by O-22080 N.S., effective 4-22-2026) — https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter14/Ch14Art05Division01.pdf
- Fee schedule
- Information Bulletin 501 — Fee Schedule for Construction Permits-Structures (August 2026)
verified Sep 13, 2026 · source · Bulletin dated August 2026. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing/gas permit fees are in Information Bulletin 103 (May 2026) — https://www.sandiego.gov/development-services/forms-publications/information-bulletins/103
Other local notes
DSD Customer Service Line: 619-446-5000 (Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m.).
verified Sep 13, 2026 · source
DSD's primary location for in-person customer assistance is 7650 Mission Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92108; most services there require an appointment.
verified Sep 13, 2026 · source
Building inspections can be scheduled or canceled online, through the automated phone line 858-581-7111 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), or by contacting Inspection Services; for the next available business day, phone-line requests must be made no later than 10 p.m. the night before (Information Bulletin 120, October 2025).
verified Sep 13, 2026 · source
Simple Permits are no-plan mechanical, electrical, and plumbing permits for minor installations in single-dwelling units, duplexes, or townhouses outside historic districts; licensed contractors receive the permit as soon as they submit the application and pay the invoice.
verified Sep 13, 2026 · source
All businesses operating in the City of San Diego must register for a Business Tax Certificate, which the City issues instead of a business license.
verified Sep 13, 2026 · source
Per DSD's July 2, 2026 notice, ongoing projects transition from the former PTS system to Accela's online permitting platform, keeping their original project numbers with a PRJ prefix (PTS-012345 becomes PRJ-012345); OpenDSD is for viewing historical permit data.
verified Sep 13, 2026 · source
Official building department
City of San Diego Development Services DepartmentVerified San Diego specifics are shown above. For project-specific fees, timelines, and counter staff, this department is the authority.
Permits by trade in San Diego
Electrical permits
Service panel upgrades · Rewires and circuit additions · EV charger installs →
Plumbing permits
Water heater replacement · Repipes · Sewer line repair →
HVAC permits
AC / furnace changeouts · Heat pump installs · Mini-split systems →
ADU permits
New detached ADU · Garage or accessory-structure conversion · Junior ADU (JADU) within the existing home →
Solar permits
Rooftop solar PV systems · Battery energy storage (ESS) · Solar + storage retrofits →
Roofing permits
Full roof replacement (tear-off) · Re-roof / overlay where allowed · Structural sheathing or deck repair →
Common jobs in San Diego
Each job below is combined with San Diego's verified permit data — portal, fee schedule, and adopted code edition.
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