Permit guides
Search the published guide library. Check the conditions, confirm the jurisdiction, then follow the official application path.
Every San Diego ADU or JADU requires a building permit, with zoning, coastal, utility, energy, fire and trade requirements determined by the site and project type.
A residential panel, breaker or service upgrade requires an electrical permit; qualifying breaker work from 15 through 400 amps can use San Diego's Simple MEP path.
A fence up to seven feet tall is generally exempt from a building permit in San Diego, but height, location, zoning and structural conditions still apply.
Installed HVAC replacement requires a mechanical permit in San Diego; qualifying residential equipment can use the Simple No-Plan combination permit.
A like-for-like roof-covering renewal can be permit-exempt, but San Diego requires a permit when the work changes structural framing, sheathing, supports, lateral elements or foundations.
Residential rooftop solar requires a San Diego permit; qualifying systems at 38.4 kW AC or less can be self-issued without plan review when every published condition is met.
A standard residential water-heater replacement requires a permit and normally uses San Diego's Simple No-Plan combination permit; tankless and plan-required scopes follow a different path.