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Preliminary Review

A Preliminary Review is a flat fee-based service offered before formal submittal to the City for required permits and reviews. It is limited and has a fixed number of hours to answer your questions. This service helps you determine project feasibility by obtaining responses to project-specific questions and documenting staff responses.

Preliminary Review is not a comprehensive plan review. It is not intended to replace services provided by design professionals (architects, engineers, land use attorneys, code consultants, etc.). It is designed to answer specific project questions only. Staff responses to your specific questions will be documented and provided to you at the completion of the review. This webpage is a summary; for complete details on the Preliminary Review process, including the contents of a Preliminary Review application and advice on how to phrase Preliminary Review questions, please see Information Bulletin 513.

Plan Your Project

What You Should Know

  1. Single Discipline Preliminary Review

    • Reviews that a single discipline can best answer.
    • A single-discipline review takes 20 business days from the time the application is deemed complete, and the fees are paid.

  2. Multiple Discipline Preliminary Review

    • When questions and the information requested involve more than one review discipline, the project is considered a multiple-discipline Preliminary Review.
    • These projects receive a Development Project Manager who will help facilitate the project and provide coordination between all the review disciplines.
    • The Development Project Manager will coordinate the reviewer’s written responses to your specific issues and forward them to the applicant.
    • After the initial review, applicants may meet with staff for an additional hourly charge.
    • A multiple discipline Preliminary Review is expected to be completed 20 days from the application deemed complete date when all fees are paid.

  3. Review Option for SB-330 Eligible Projects: Single and Multiple Discipline

    Effective as of Jan. 1, 2020, and expiring on Jan. 1, 2030, California Senate Bill (SB) 330, otherwise referred to as “The Housing Crisis Act of 2019,” allows for eligible housing development projects seeking approval enhanced streamlining and vesting opportunities, such that the project is only subject to the ordinances, development regulations, policies, standards, and fees at the time the Preliminary Review application is deemed submitted. If applying under SB-330, this option must be selected.

    Check DSD’s Zoning & Parcel Information Portal to learn more about the zoning and other land use regulations that may apply to your property.

    Your project may require a historical review to determine conformance with the historic resources regulations if your project is located:

    1. On a site with a designated historic resource.
    2. Within a designated historic district.
    3. On a site containing a structure of 45 years or more.
    4. Please review Information Bulletin 581 for additional information. 

  4. Focused Preliminary Review for Complete Communities Now

    To apply for the focused preliminary required by the Complete Communities Now program, follow the Complete Communities Now—Focused Preliminary Review Instructions. For additional information, please review Information Bulletin 411 and the Complete Communities Now webpage.

Preliminary review responses may support a future project application for up to one year from the deemed complete date when all the fees were paid.

Fees

Preliminary Review fees are based either on a single discipline or multiple disciplines. Depending on your project scope, you can add more than one discipline to your Preliminary Review request. Learn more.

The Preliminary Review fee does not include meetings with DSD staff. You may request a Preliminary Review meeting with the reviewer(s) to discuss the Preliminary Review results. An additional fee is required for this meeting, based upon an hourly rate for each staff person requested to attend the meeting.

Inspections

  • No inspections are required.

Exemptions

  • No exemptions apply.

Compliant Outdoor Expansion

Apply for a Permit

Step 1

Review the User Guide for Preliminary Review Applications.

Step 2

Read the PDF icon requirements for PDF file uploads.

Not following the PDF requirements will delay project review and approval.

Step 3

Complete the following document:

  1. Preliminary Review Questionnaire

Step 4

Your PDF documents MUST meet our upload requirements. See Step 2 for more info.

Validate your PDF documents with Scout™

Step 5

Apply for the permit

You will be required to upload the completed documents from Step 3.

Permits & Inspections