City of San Diego · CA
Track San Diego building permits automatically from San Diego DSD. SignedOff auto-syncs status, inspections, and expiration dates from the official California permit portal — so you never miss a deadline on a San Diego project.
City of San Diego Development Services Department (DSD)
1222 First AvenueThe permit categories SignedOff tracks automatically across San Diego DSD.
Covers structural, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work for new homes, additions, and major remodels in the City of San Diego. Reviewed by DSD as a single submittal.
Timeline: Varies by project scope; simple projects can clear plan check in a few weeks, complex projects several months
Required for granny flats, junior ADUs, and attached/detached ADUs. San Diego must process ADU applications within the state-mandated 60-day review window.
Timeline: 60 days maximum by state law once the application is deemed complete
Required for rooftop and ground-mount solar installations. San Diego County has seen roughly 300% growth in solar permit volume and offers streamlined residential solar review.
Timeline: Often processed same-day or within a few business days for standard residential systems
Standalone trade permits for HVAC replacements, panel upgrades, water heaters, re-pipes, and similar work. Many are issued over the counter or online without plan check.
Timeline: Same-day to 1 week for straightforward scopes
Required for site work that moves soil beyond thresholds, typically for new construction, hillside projects, and larger additions. Reviewed alongside the building permit when applicable.
Timeline: Weeks to months depending on site sensitivity and geotechnical review
Required before removing structures or significant portions of a building. San Diego checks for utility disconnects, asbestos clearance, and historical review where applicable.
Timeline: Days to a few weeks once clearances are in hand
Example San Diego permit number:
PRJ-1234567
Automatic status checks — SignedOff monitors San Diego DSD for San Diego permits so you don't have to log in every week.
Email alerts before your San Diego permit expires or an inspection is scheduled, so you never miss a deadline.
Downloadable PDF reports with QR codes for easy San Diego job-site verification.
San Diego permits involve plan review through DSD, with timelines depending on project type and zoning requirements.
San Diego runs a one-stop-shop model: building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, grading, solar, and ADU permits are all issued by a single department (DSD), so one Accela account covers everything instead of juggling multiple agencies.
Permits submitted after January 16, 2018 live in the current Accela Citizen Access portal, while older permits remain in the legacy OpenDSD system — meaning some jobs require checking both when researching project history.
San Diego processes roughly 70,000 permit approvals and 140,000 inspections per year, and DSD publishes extensive YouTube tutorials and PDF guides to help applicants navigate the Accela portal — a signal that the portal's UX is challenging even for regular users.
California law caps San Diego ADU permit review at 60 days once the application is deemed complete, and the city's one-stop-shop model means all related trade reviews happen under the same DSD submittal instead of routing through separate agencies.
San Diego building permit status is tracked through the DSD Accela Citizen Access portal at aca-prod.accela.com/SANDIEGO, which covers building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, grading, and solar permits issued after January 16, 2018.
City of San Diego permits typically use a PRJ- prefix for projects and PMT- prefix for individual permits, followed by a numeric sequence — for example, PRJ-1234567 or PMT-1234567.
Yes, rooftop and ground-mount photovoltaic systems require a DSD solar permit, but standard residential installations are generally processed quickly and are part of the same one-stop DSD permit workflow as other trades.
Permits issued before January 16, 2018 remain in the legacy OpenDSD system rather than the current Accela portal, so historical research on older projects may require checking both systems.
SignedOff also monitors building permits in these neighboring jurisdictions.
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