Planning & Building's Response to Alameda County Shelter in Place Orders

Our onsite Permit Center counters are currently closed. Please read the following information on “Online Permitting Operations” to understand our current procedures and protocols.

ONLINE PERMITTING OPERATIONS

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.

Please note that our permitinfo@oaklandca.gov account and our Digital Inbox (for larger application submissions with files totaling more than 20MB) are monitored Monday-Friday, 8am to 4pm. The permitinfo@oaklandca.gov account receives hundreds of emails daily. Due to the impacts of COVID-19 on City services, we are experiencing a severe backlog. We are aware of the importance of your requests; please know that our team is working diligently to screen and properly route all emails received.

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.

NO EXPEDITED REQUESTS: During this unprecedented time, we are not accepting expedited requests.

Due to the volume of plan submittals under our automated system, we can no longer accept submittals via fax. Please be advised:

1. We do provide several alternatives (see permitinfo@oaklandca.gov; Digital Inbox [for applications over 20MB]; and our Accela Citizen Access portal) that will allow you to submit your applications, questions, and supplemental information where they may be reliably tracked and processed. The use of these options is explained more fully in the "Applications" paragraphs above.
2. Please do not send any planning or building applications, revisions to applications, or any other information pertaining to building permits that have been issued or are in progress by fax.
3. Staff is not monitoring information submitted by fax, and so we ask that you use the methods described on this page (permitinfo@oaklandca.gov; Digital Inbox [for applications over 20MB]; and our Accela Citizen Access portal) to submit your documents.

Projected Response and Service Times:

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: In order 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 Backlog Timelines:

Please note that each of the following durations from permit application submittal to permit issuance presumes complete information in the permit application.

• If your application only requires Planning & Zoning approval, these reviews take 2 weeks. This does not apply to applications that require a public hearing. Examples include Zoning Clearance and approval of projects exempt from Design Review.
• Permits ​without plans take 9-12 weeks
• Permits requiring Plan Check take 10-13 weeks

How to Obtain Status on Your Submittals:

• Please write your subject line in the following format to enable a faster response:
  • “Status Request for Planning or Building (address of property and permit number if you have one)”
• If you are submitting a revision to your plans, please write the following in your subject line to enable a faster response:
  • “Revisions for Planning or Building (address of property and permit number)"

Status requests are also placed into a queue for clerical staff to respond. The goal is to respond within 48 hours; however, there may be a delay for status request updates as we prioritize routing submissions for processing.

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.