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Development Services
The City of San Jose’s Development Services Center is located at 200 East Santa Clara Street (City Hall tower) in downtown San Jose. The first floor of the Development Services Center houses the main reception area for the entire Center. The reception area is strategically located close to the main entrance of the City Hall tower and is the place where customers should go for all their development services needs. Here, all development customers (with or without appointments) are welcomed and directed to the appropriate station on the first floor for the requested service.
The Development Services Center assists all customers (with or without appointments) requiring Planning, Public Works, Building and Fire services. Staff provides general development information, takes in permit applications and plans for all projects (residential, commercial, and industrial), issues building and development permits, and receives payment of development fees and associated taxes and charges. Self-service computer stations are also available in the Development Services Center for customer use. Building and other development projects information, and on-line permits, can be obtained using these self-help computer stations.
General business hours for the Permit Center are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, with specific times identified for the following customers and functions:
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Walk-in customers for Planning Services (i.e., without appointments): 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- All other Walk-in customers (i.e., without appointments): 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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Live Planning Phone Service (408-535-3555): 10:00 a.m. to noon; 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Customers can also obtain development information and schedule appointments, in real-time, by contacting the Development Services Call Center at (408) 535-3555 during general business hours.
The City offers public information services to individuals and business seeking information on the General Plan, zoning code, and other land use processes and entitlements. These services and others such as live tree removal permit applications, legal non conforming letters, and comprehensive research requests typically do not require an appointment. However, several other Planning services require appointments for application intake and the payment of application processing fees. This latter category includes Dead Tree removal permits, Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC) letters, Department of Motor Vehicle letters, Massage letters, Re-Construction letters, Development Permit Adjustments, Parking Analysis, and Sign Permit Adjustments.
The co-location of Planners with other services partners within the Development Services Center allows for real-time coordination of certain types of projects. The Single-Family Site Review process offers an example of Planners and Building Permit Specialists working together in the review of single-family building permits in order to expedite the project review (i.e. of review of setbacks, height, and other development regulations for zoning conformance), streamline the permitting process, and optimize the overall review time. The time and specific location to submit your application will be scheduled upon contacting the Development Services Call Center at (408) 535-3555.
All Planning applications are available through our website at www.sanjoseca.gov/planning. Additionally, property information can be obtained online at:http://www.sjpermits.org/permits/permits/ or by calling the Call Center at (408) 535-3555.
Public Works services rendered in the Development Services Center include public information, clearance for Building permits, minor Public Works permits for commercial and industrial projects not requiring Planning approval, Flood Zone and Geologic Hazard Zone information and clearances, sewage fee calculations for Building permits, issuance of Sewer Lateral connection permits; and issuance of Encroachment permits for private work in the public right-of-way.
Other Public Works services, including permits required for new development, are processed in the Department of Public Works, on the 3rd floor of the City Hall tower, by a Public Works Project Engineer. The Project Engineer is typically assigned during the Planning land use entitlement process as the single point of contact for all Public Works permits and issues during the life of the project. All Public Works permits and clearances (e.g. Grading Permits, Subdivision Maps, Public Improvement Plans, Private Street Plans, Utility Permits, and Street Vacations) needed to implement the project are identified in the Planning land use permit, and reviewed and approved prior to the issuance of Building permits.
 Building Plan Review is required for most construction projects as a condition of permit issuance. However, some projects do not require a building permit or can be issued Building Permits without plan review. Projects that do not require a building permit are addressed in the Building Division's informational Handout No. 1-1, Work That Is Exempt from Permits, while the latter, which can normally be obtained over the counter (i.e. without an appointment) or online at www.sjpermits.org, include re-roofs and minor single-family plumbing, mechanical or electrical permits, water heater replacements, electrical service upgrades, exhaust fan installations, etc. The aforementioned handout, as well as other building services information, is available at www.sanjoseca.gov/building.
Projects requiring substantive review are subject to a Plan Review service with intake, re-submittals and revisions, and issuance appointments in the Development Services Center. Plan Review services include regular Plan Review and the following premium services at an additional fee: Express Plan Review, Expedited Plan Review, and Coordinated Plan Review.
Regular Plan Review service is typically requested for projects that do not qualify for any of the premium review services. Express Plan Review is provided in pre-scheduled one-hour appointments. Tenant improvements and minor alterations that do not require engineering calculations and involve less than 10,000 sq. ft. of office or retail uses may qualify. Other small uses may qualify as well. Expedited Plan Check, typically processed in half the regular review time, is for projects that do not qualify for Express Plan Review but are of sufficient quality and completeness to qualify for the expedited review process given the availability of adequate staffing. Customers may request this option when submitting for Plan Review. Another premium service is the Coordinated Plan Review which brings together staff from Building, Planning, Fire, Public Works, Office of Economic Development and Redevelopment Agency in a seamless review process. This process ensures consistency of review and saves a significant amount of time. For complete details and project eligibility criteria see Handouts No. 2-5 for building and No. 2-6 for sub-trade work at www.sanjoseca.gov/building. Residential projects must meet Residential Express requirements identified in Handout No. 2-4, Express Plan Check Requirements – Residential Additions & Alterations.
Fire services include plan review for all new buildings, tenant improvements, and building expansions. Fire plan review addresses building/life safety, fire protection systems, and hazardous materials safety requirements. For new buildings, Fire apparatus access, fire flow, and hydrant locations will be verified for compliance. For building/life safety plan review, regular and premium services are offered in conjunction with the Building Services. For fire protection and hazardous materials systems, regular and express plan review services are offered. Express plan review is conducted by appointment only.
Other services provided by Fire include architectural plan review for commercial, industrial and multi-family projects, and plan review and permit issuance of automatic fire suppression and fire alarm systems.
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