Need Quick Help? Planning & Building Services - Quick Reference Guide
In accordance with the Alameda County Office Health Officer’s orders, the Planning & Building Department's onsite Permit Center counters remain closed, though online permitting for residential and commercial construction, in-person inspections and code enforcement services have resumed.
As per the latest Alameda County Order, each project must comply with the State’s Industry Guidance, which requires a work-site specific protection plan (Appendix A), as well as CalOSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (see resource links below).
To comply with the Order, the Planning & Building Department shall ask all project representatives requesting inspections to confirm that they:
If any project representative cannot confirm that is the case, then the Planning and Building Department shall hold off on that project inspection until the project representative can confirm adherence to the Order for site operations and working conditions.
Please find the relevant resources here:
Our onsite Permit Center counters are currently closed. The City will continue to process applications across all categories of projects for permit approval consistent with the City’s development regulations. Please read the following information to understand our current procedures and protocols.
ONLINE PERMITTING OPERATIONS
Apply via Online Permit Center:
Ready to get started? First, make sure you are registered and activated at our Online Permit Center.
Homeowners, business owners and developers, please visit our Get Started on Your Project directory for step-by-step permit application guidance for common project types. Answers to frequently asked questions are also available on our online Permit Questions Portal.
Need some personalized guidance? We've added a new Permit Questions Portal with answers to some of the most common questions concerning permits and the application process. For the selected permits listed above, we also offer an online Permit Wizard to walk you through the process of scoping your project and directing you to all the applications and forms you'll need.
Processing Turnaround Times:
Since the onsite Permit Center is currently closed, things are working a little differently than when applications were submitted in person over the counter. Electronic requests, which are now our means of receiving information, are reviewed for processing and issuance during normal business hours, Monday – Friday 8am – 4pm. As an example, if you submit an application after 4pm, it will be screened for processing the next day in the order it was received.
Please wait 48 hours for our response. Please do not submit the same request multiple times as this can cause duplicate records, ultimately slowing down the process and our ability to respond accurately.
EXPEDITED REQUESTS: We are not accepting expedited requests on application intake processing at this time. However, we are accepting expedited requests for Plan Review and issuance processing, depending on staff availability for overtime work. To make a request for expedited review, please fill out this Overtime Plan Check Request Form.
We understand this unprecedented time has been challenging for many of our customers. It is our ultimate intention to return to the response times established prior to the Alameda County Shelter-In-Place Orders going into effect, as they are updated.
IMPORTANT NOTE: To assist in getting your application started AND moving, please note that your application is considered to be completely submitted for processing ONLY after application materials are received and all application fees have been paid.
⇒ Average Permit Processing Turnaround Times (Estimates Only)
Due to the volume of plan submittals under our automated system, we no longer accept submittals via fax.
How to Obtain Status on Your Submittals:
Via Online Permit Center:
In anticipation of the need to implement Oakland's Administrative Instruction 604 due to wildfire smoke, please note that our procedures have been updated as follows:
Requesting Inspections:
Permit Inspectors are NOT able to schedule inspections.
Please use our City of Oakland Building Inspection Request app for your mobile device:
To schedule by phone please call: (510) 238-3444
Remote Inspections:
Permit Inspectors may offer remote inspection based on project type. For information about remote inspections, please visit: City of Oakland | Remote Building Permit Inspections (oaklandca.gov)
During extremely poor air quality events, all inspections will be conducted remotely until further notice.
We can perform remote inspections using Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Facetime.
Please visit our Remote Building Permit Inspections page for more information.
Inspection Procedures:
To prepare your digital plans for the job site prior to an inspection, please read our Issuance Guidelines for Plans Required from Digital Sources for City Project Site Inspections.
Permit Inspectors will call the inspection request contact to provide their estimated time of arrival (ETA) during their morning call (8:00-9:30A). Permit Inspector will NOT be calling from a 238 prefix, they will be calling from City issued mobile devices.
Permit Inspectors are required to wear Face Coverings as per City of Oakland City Administration's face-covering requirements.
Upon arrival at the project site, each City Inspector will request that the site superintendent provide a copy of the County Order's site operations and work condition requirements. If compliance cannot be verified, the inspection will need to be rescheduled.
The City Inspector also reserves the right to cancel any inspection at the project site if the Inspector observes any violation of Best Management Practices, the presence of Hazardous Conditions, or other safety concerns.
The project representative may request an inspection once the violation has been addressed.
With the Oct. 6, 2021 Oakland Planning Commission Resolution, the Planning Commission will continue to meet on a virtual platform only (see full schedule here). The Planning Bureau has resumed making administrative decisions on projects appealable to the Planning Commission and scheduling entitlement cases to come before that body.
→ Planning & Building Services - Quick Reference Guide
Covid-19 Updates:
Conditions and information continue to change rapidly. Please check back regularly for City updates relating to COVID-19.