When Is a Permit Required?

Demolition/Removal Permits are required for the complete demolition and/or removal of any structure (see SDMC §129.0503 for Demolition/Removal Permit Exemptions), including the dismantling of telecommunication facilities. All open plumbing and sewer lines must be capped in an approved manner, whether a demolition permit is required or not. A separate permit is not required to cap the sewer.

Exemptions from a permit do not apply if the site contains a designated Historical Resource structure(s) or is located in a designated historical district, in accordance with SDMC §143.0210(d) and §143.0211 or when a discretionary permit has been previously issued requiring implementation of a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for Historical Resources.

Demolition permits will not be issued on a property where a development permit (Neighborhood Use Permit, Neighborhood Development Permit, Conditional Use Permit, Variance, Coastal Development Permit, Site Development Permit or Planned Development Permit) is also being processed by the City until a decision has been made by the appropriate authority in accordance with the Land Development Code.

A Demolition/Removal Permit is not required to demolish part of a structure except when dismantling telecommunication facilities. Partial demolition will require a Building Permit in accordance with SDMC Chapter 12, Article 9, Division 2.

Section I, Table 1 – Submittal and Issuance Requirements

¹ Required for residential buildings when there is more than one building on the property (excluding garages and small outbuildings) and residential buildings with more than four dwelling units. 
² Required for Downtown Community Plan Area, Historic Potential and/or Historic Designated, project sites greater than one acre and Wireless Communication Sites. 
³ Construction Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) must be applied at all construction sites. Further stormwater review is required for sites containing one acre or more. See Section II.H.
⁴ Required for demolition of structure(s) only, not required for transfer of structures to a temporary or new permanent site. See Information Bulletin 711 for Relocation of Structures.
⁵ Soils Compaction Report only required for final inspection.

Submittal and Issuance Requirements

The Submittal & Issuance Matrix and Minimum Submittal Requirements Checklist found in Section II, Table 1 above identifies the forms, documents and plans that are required for all Demolition/Removal Permits.

Section II, Table 1 - Historical Resource Information

¹ Call the County of San Diego Assessor’s Office at 858-505-6262 to verify the location of the Building Record. If the Building Record is inconclusive or unclear, the project will need to be submitted for Potential Historic Review.

• Waste Management Form 
  Not required for demolition of pools. A refundable Construction and Demolition (C&D) Debris Recycling Deposit may be required at permit issuance and is collected on behalf of the City's Environmental Services Department. The deposit encourages the diversion of construction and demolition debris from local landfills and ensures materials are recycled, re-used or donated. The Deposit Schedule is listed in the C&D Debris Recycling Fact Sheet. If a C&D Deposit is required, a completed Waste Management Form must be provided.
• San Diego Regional Hazardous Materials Questionnaire
  Required for all demolition/removal, except as noted below. A San Diego Regional Hazardous Materials Questionnaire (HM-9171) is required for all Demolition/Removal Permits; however, most residences and swimming pools accessory to these residences are exempt and do not require an HM-9171. Residences that require an HM-9171 include more than one residential building on the property (excluding garages and small outbuildings) and residential single buildings with more than four dwelling units.

A notification form can be obtained from the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District or by calling 858-586-2660.

• Certificate of Discontinuance 
  Not required for all demolition/removal of pools or structures that do not have a meter. A Certificate of Discontinuance of Service for each building to be demolished is required from San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). Please call SDG&E at 619-230-7800.
• Site Plan
  Projects proposing demolition of structures on a site greater than one acre, containing any structure 45 years or older (See Information Bulletin 580), containing a designated historic resource or located within a historic district (See Information Bulletin 581), wireless communication sites, and/or within the Downtown Community Plan area require a demolition site plan. Demolition permits within the Downtown Community Plan are reviewed for compliance with the Downtown Community Plan FEIR Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP). 

The site plan must be drawn to scale, include the property lines, legal description, location and the dimension of all buildings and site features to be removed/remain (e.g., parking lot, fence, or any other structures) and limit of work demarcation.

• Soils Compaction Report
  Not required for demolition/removal of buildings. For the demolition of a swimming pool greater than five feet deep, a final soils compaction report is required. 

A final soils compaction report prepared by a licensed geotechnical or civil engineer must be submitted to the Building Inspector before completion of the Demolition Permit. 

• Stormwater Requirements
  Demolition/Removal projects are required to implement effective Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) to eliminate discharge of pollutants to the storm drain conveyance system and to receiving water bodies. 

If the demolition involves excavation or grading that results in ground disturbance (defined as an area where vegetation, topsoil or overburden has been removed or where topsoil, spoil, and processed waste has been placed, including landscaping) associated with a project of one acre or greater, the project is subject to the State Construction General Permit, the property owner is required to prepare a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan and obtain a Notice of Intent from the State Water Board prior to issuance of a Demolition Permit. 

It is the responsibility of the property owner or his/her designee (contractor) to select, install and maintain appropriate BMPs during the demolition process and after all work is completed. A list of construction BMPs is provided for reference in Part 2, Chapter 5 of the City of San Diego Stormwater Standards Manual. Best Management Practices must be installed in accordance with an industry-recommended standard or in accordance with the requirements of the Construction General Permit (CGP). Statewide stormwater BMP manuals provide more information about BMPs (the California Stormwater Quality Association Construction BMP Online Handbook and the Caltrans Construction Site BMP Manual).

Required Notifications and Approvals

In addition to the submittal requirements above, you may need the following items to obtain your Demolition Permit: 

• Coastal Approval 
  For structures located in the Coastal Zone, approval from the City of San Diego Development Services Department or from the State of California Coastal Commission is required. To determine the coastal jurisdiction and research zoning and property information, visit the Zoning and Parcel Information Portal (ZAPP). This online service helps users access real-time information from a computer or mobile device 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• San Diego Unified Port District 
  A Project Approval from the Port District is required to demolish or remove structures within the Port District's jurisdiction. The project approval must include the Port District and Coastal Development Permit numbers. Contact the Port District at 619-686-6291. 
• Buildings with Underground Fuel Tanks
  A Demolition Permit is not required to remove underground fuel tanks; however, a permit is required from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, which you can reach at 619-533-4477. Additionally, a permit is required from the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality, reachable at 858-505-6700. A separate Grading Permit issued by the City of San Diego may also be required (see below).
  Note: If new tanks will replace the existing ones, a grading permit is not required. 
• Grading Permit 
  A separate Grading Permit will be required prior to the issuance of a Demolition Permit when the demolition of buildings or structures results in a slope of five feet or greater, fill exceeding five feet in depth (except for the filling of swimming pools), ground disturbance of one acre or greater or if the demolition of buildings or structures meets any of the conditions listed in SDMC §129.0602. 
• Buildings with Wells or Septic Tanks
  An inspection is required from the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality for demolishing any building on the property with a well or septic tank. Contact the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health at 858-505-6700. 
• Traffic Control Permit
  Pedestrian protection may be required before demolition can begin. The protection shall be in accordance with section 3306 of the California Building Code. A traffic control permit is required when erecting barricades and pedestrian protection in the public right of way. See Information Bulletin 177 “How to Obtain a Right-of-Way Permit for Traffic Control.” 
• Electrical or Gas Welding or Gas Cutting 
  All electrical or gas welding or gas cutting requires a permit issued by the City of San Diego Fire Marshall and shall comply with Chapter 26 of the California Fire Code. 
• Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Hotel Regulations
  The San Diego Housing Commission or successor agency, as the agency responsible for administering the SRO hotel regulations,  reviews each application for a permit to demolish or convert a hotel to identify any SRO hotel or SRO hotel room that is not exempt from regulations under SDMC §143.0520. Contact the San Diego Housing Commission at 619-231-9400.

Fees

Certain fees are charged to cover the costs of reviewing a building demolition/removal and to ensure compliance with applicable City of San Diego regulations. Fees also cover pre-demolition inspections when required and inspections to ensure the lot cleanup, sewer cap and utility disconnects after the building/structure is demolished or removed. The following Plan Check Fees are required to be paid prior to review unless indicated below.

Plan Check and Inspection Fee

Mapping Fee
This fee is collected to fund automation efforts and online GIS data and mapping for Development Services. It is charged when there are plans, drawings, maps or other geographical documents utilized for project review.

Construction and Demolition (C&D) Debris Recycling Deposit
A refundable C&D Debris Recycling Deposit may be required at permit issuance and is collected on behalf of the Environmental Services Department (ESD). The deposit encourages the diversion of construction and demolition debris from our local landfills and ensures it gets recycled by recycling, reusing or donating usable materials. View the deposit schedule. If a C&D Deposit is required, a completed Waste Management Form Part 1 must be provided. Learn more about C&D recycling. 

Lead Hazard Prevention Fee
This fee is collected on behalf of the Environmental Services Department for the demolition of any structure built before 1979. The fee is meant to meet operational expenses associated with education, outreach and enforcement of the Lead Hazard Prevention and Control Ordinance (City Council Resolution R-303490). 

Renovation or demolition work impacting lead-based painted surfaces can generate dangerous lead dust and soil contamination levels. Children are most at risk for lead poisoning and can be exposed to dust and soil contamination long after the work has been completed. Workers risk exposing their children to lead hazards by tracking contaminated dust and soil from the worksite into their own cars and homes. Studies have shown that even low levels of lead can cause damage to the brain, the central nervous system, and the kidneys and cause behavioral problems and loss of IQ. There is no medical treatment to reverse the damaging health effects of lead.

San Diego Municipal Code Sections 54.1005 through 54.1006 describe the lead-safe work practices that must be followed by anyone disturbing painted surfaces in pre-1979 structures or steel structures of any age. For more information, visit the Lead-Safety and Healthy Homes Program webpage at sdhealthyhomes.org. 

Fee Collection - Other Agencies / Departments
This fee is collected by the Development Services Department when fees are collected on behalf of other departments/agencies (e.g., water/sewer fees, Affordable Housing In-lieu, construction debris recycling, State fees, lead hazard fee). The fee is charged at permit issuance, and once per project.

Fire Permits

Submittal Instructions

All forms, documents and applications are now submitted electronically. Visit sandiego.gov/DSD to create an account and begin the submittal process.

Permit Expiration 

The permit will become void if the work authorized and required has not begun within 60 calendar days of the permit issuance and has not been validated by an inspection (SMDC §129.0508). Also, the permit will expire if the work authorized is not completed within 120 days (SDMC §129.0509). One 60-day extension may be granted if work is delayed for reasons beyond the permittee’s control (SDMC §129.0510).

To apply for an extension, complete and send a Request for Building & Demolition/Removal Permit Extension (DS-117) to DSDPermitExtend@sandiego.gov

Inspections