In compliance with Alameda County Office Health Officer’s April 29, 2020 Shelter in Place Order No 20-10 and its subsequent June 5, 2020 Order No 20-14 (revised June 18, 2020) the City of Oakland has resumed inspection services for all project types identified in the April 29 Order, which cites the State of California Executive Order N-33-20 as its source reference for this purpose.
This Order does not grant the City of Oakland authority to interpret project compliance on Alameda County’s behalf; therefore, if after reviewing Alameda County Office of Health Officer Order No 20-10, the project representative has any question concerning a project’s eligibility, it shall be the project representative’s responsibility to confirm the eligibility through the Alameda County Office of the Health Officer.
Compliance:
It is required that each project site comply with the protocols for operations that the County Orders cites under its Site Specific Protection Plan, Appendices B-1 and B-2. The Planning & Building Department shall ask all project representatives requesting inspections to confirm that they:
- have read the County Orders; and
- are adhering to the site work conditions mandated under the County Order.
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 appendices here (updated from the June 18, 2020 Order):
- Appendix A: Site Specific Protection Plan Template
- Appendix B-1: Small Construction Project Safety Protocol[Covers residential projects ≤ 10 units, commercial projects ≤ 20,000 sq. ft.]
- Appendix B-2: Large Construction Project Safety Protocol[Covers residential projects > 10 units, commercial projects > 20,000 sq. ft.]
- Appendix C: Additional Businesses Permitted to Open (Outdoor Dining, Retail, Etc.)
Inspection:
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 from the Appendices. If the relevant Appendices are not produced, the inspection will need to be rescheduled until the documents can be produced on site.
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.
The City Inspector also reserves the right to cancel any inspection at the project site if the Inspector observes any violation of the County Order pertaining to site operations.
The project representative may request an inspection once the violation has been addressed.
Applications:
The City will continue to process applications across all categories of project for permit approval consistent with the City’s development regulations. To submit your application through our online Digital Inbox, please read our Electronic Submission Guidelines and Digital Inbox Instruction Guide.
Planning Commission Meetings:
With the revised Emergency Order No. 3 of the City of Oakland, the City began reconvening Planning Commission meetings (online only) on June 3, 2020 at 3 pm (see full schedule here). As such, the Planning Bureau has resumed making administrative decisions on projects appealable to the Planning Commission and scheduling entitlement cases to come before that body.
Projected Response and Service Times:
We understand this unprecedented time has been challenging for many of our customers. We thank you for your support and understanding. Due to the County Orders to cease some work during Shelter In Place (SIP), we will inevitably have a considerable backlog of inspection needs to address. We ask for your continued patience in the coming weeks as we adapt our services and personnel to stay in compliance. It is our intention to return to the response times established prior to the Alameda County Shelter-In-Place Orders going into effect, as they are updated.
Conditions and information continue to change rapidly. Please check back regularly for City updates relating to COVID-19.