DBI is in the midst of moving to 49 South Van Ness Avenue. Curbside services will not be offered on the following dates: July 30 and 31 and August 3.

Drop-in services for OTC without plans permit applications will be offered Monday, July 27 through Wednesday, July 29 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. You must register in advance to drop in for OTC without plans permit services, see the Eventbrite link here.

Drop-in appointments for OTC with plans permit applications will be available only on Monday, July 27. We apologize for any inconvenience this may pose. We continue to serve our customers remotely from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Note: Interagency routing will not occur from now through August 3 for permits that have been submitted to DBI and are currently under review as we prepare and move to our new building. We will resume interagency routing of these permits on August 4.  

The Department of Building Inspection, in coordination with its permitting agency partners (Public Works, Planning Department, Fire and the Public Utilities Commission) is providing curbside Over-the-Counter permit services.

Curbside services are available from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Customers will enter the side yard south of our building from Otis Street. The following services are available daily:

• 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.  - OTC without Plans drop-In service 
• 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. - OTC with Plans by appointment

7:30 to 9:30 a.m. - Over-the-Counter without plans drop off service 

You will need to pre-register via Eventbrite to drop-in within this two-hour window. Limited to 30 people per day. We are accepting a maximum of 2 permits per customer. Please remember to bring completed forms and/or supporting documents with you. A plan checker will confirm your filing qualifies as OTC without plans when you check-in. You will enter DBI’s ground floor to complete the permit issuance process. You will need to self-certify that you are not sick and will be required to wear a face covering.

Trade permits and street space permits will not be accepted during the curbside service. 

9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. - Over-the-Counter with plans by appointment

Update 7/15/20 – We are contacting applicants who submitted OTC with plans permit applications online between 6/1/2020 and 6/14/2020.

Permit Center staff will contact applicants that submitted permits online for curbside service appointments in the order of those longest in the queue. Please remember to bring completed forms and/or supporting documents with you. A plan checker will confirm that your filing qualifies as OTC with plans. You will drop off the plans for review and once review is completed, you will receive payment information prior to being contacted that your permit is ready for pick up.

If you have a new application for an OTC with plans permit, please submit your application online using this link. You will join the digital queue, and we will contact you to offer you an appointment when it’s your turn. We are offering appointments in the order applications are received.

Permit pick-up and issuance services available throughout the day

You can drop by to pick up your permit during this window after we’ve contacted you that your permit is ready for pick-up. To complete the permit issuance process, payment is required and can be done online or you can mail in a check to DBI. You will receive an email invoice with information on how to pay online from DBI.

Qualifying OTC with and without plans
Only OTC with and without plans will be accepted during curbside service hours. Found below is a listing of the permit types allowed under each category along with a listing of the supporting documents that may be required for OTC with plans submissions. 

Please note that projects associated with City Landmarks or properties that have Block Book Notification requests may not be eligible for over-the-counter service.

Over-the-Counter without Plans

• Re-roofing

• Repair decks and stairs (less than 50%)

• Replacement windows (same size and same locations)

• Replacement garage doors

• Minor dry rot repairs

• Exterior siding repairs or replacement

• In-kind Kitchen remodel (no changes to floor plan or walls)

• In-kind Bathroom Remodel (no change to floor plan or walls)

Over-the-Counter with Plans

• Kitchen remodel (changing floor plans / walls)

• Bathroom remodel (changing floor plans / walls)

• Residential Interior remodel (changing floor plans /walls)

• New windows and exterior doors

• Decks less than 10 feet above grade and meet planning setbacks

• Sign permits

• Commercial TI projects

• Office or other B occupancy remodels

• Power door operators

• Permits to comply with ABE program

• Voluntary Seismic Upgrades

• Disability Access Barrier Removal

• Projects that do not require Planning Department neighborhood notification

Additional documentation that may be required for OTC permits with plans include:

• Structural Calculations
• Special Inspection Checklist 
• Green Building Forms
• DA Checklist
• Seismic Slope and Hazard Checklist
• Green Halo
• Owner's Agent Authorization Form
• Permit Applicant and Authorized Agent Disclosure and Certification
• Material cut sheets/details for exterior changes

Completing the Necessary Forms 

You will need to complete permit application Form 3/8 to file an Over-the-Counter permit. You may need to bring other supporting documents found below. 

• Permit Application Form 3/8 
• Permit Application Form 4/7
• Permit Applicant Disclosure Form
• Contractor’s Statement Form
• Authorization Agent of Contractor (if personal permit being issued to is not the contractor)
• Property Owners Package

Visit here for a listing of the forms. 

What to expect when you are onsite:

• You will be required to wear a face-covering and stay 6-feet apart at all times 
• You are expected to have completed permit application forms (found here) and supporting documents with you for submission. We want to issue your permit as soon as we can so please make sure your submissions are complete. Incomplete submissions will result in delays and may require you to come back.
• Provide your contact information to DBI so we can contact you.

Accepting Online Permit Submittals
We accept all permit applications through the City’s website here. For Over-the-Counter projects, you can drop in to submit your OTC with no plans permit application or make an appointment to submit in paper for an OTC with plans application. Applications are processed and appointments for curbside service is offered in the order they are received.