San Diego, CA

San Diego building permit cost

A City of San Diego building permit is priced as plan check plus inspection

and neither is a percentage of anything: Table 501A prints a base rate that covers a stated number of square feet and an increment per square foot above it, once for plan check and once for inspection. A 5,000 square foot single dwelling unit pays $8,085.26 plus 2,000 × $4.10 of plan check and $8,401.90 plus 2,000 × $4.21 of inspection, and California adds its State/Seismic fee at 13¢ per $1,000 of valuation and its Building Standards fee at $4 per $100,000.

Official fee scheduleVerified Sep 2026City of San Diego Development Services Department

How this fee is calculated

These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.

Fee components for a building permit
Component	Formula	Applies when	Range
Attached Townhomes — plan checkPlan review	`$2.41 per sq ft above the first 6,000 sq ft + $14,100.60`	project type is attached townhomes	—
High Rise — plan checkPlan review	`$0.24 per sq ft above the first 50,000 sq ft + $11,567.82`	project type is high rise	—
New Commercial — plan checkPlan review	`$1.57 per sq ft above the first 3,000 sq ft + $4,566.31`	project type is new commercial	—
New Multi Dwelling Unit — plan checkPlan review	`$0.97 per sq ft above the first 5,000 sq ft + $4,627.13`	project type is new mdu	—
Standalone Parking Garage — plan checkPlan review	`$0.6 per sq ft above the first 10,000 sq ft + $6,331.87`	project type is parking garage	—
Residential MDU and Non-Residential Addition — plan checkPlan review	`$2.41 per sq ft above the first 500 sq ft + $1,199.36`	project type is res mdu and nonres addition	—
Single Dwelling Unit / Duplex (new, detached ADU over 500 sq ft) — plan checkPlan review	`$4.1 per sq ft above the first 3,000 sq ft + $8,085.26`	project type is sdu duplex	—
Residential Single Dwelling Unit / Duplex Addition or Remodel — plan checkPlan review	`$6.98 per sq ft above the first 500 sq ft + $3,512.92`	project type is sdu duplex add remodel	—
Tenant Improvement / Remodel (all occupancies excluding R-3) — plan checkPlan review	`$1.33 per sq ft above the first 2,000 sq ft + $2,532.77`	project type is tenant improvement	—
Warehouse / Self-Storage — plan checkPlan review	`$0.6 per sq ft above the first 20,000 sq ft + $11,202.53`	project type is warehouse	—
Attached Townhomes — inspectionInspection fee	`$2.05 per sq ft above the first 6,000 sq ft + $12,054.89`	project type is attached townhomes	—
High Rise — inspectionInspection fee	`$0.24 per sq ft above the first 50,000 sq ft + $10,350.16`	project type is high rise	—
New Commercial — inspectionInspection fee	`$0.48 per sq ft above the first 3,000 sq ft + $1,570.80`	project type is new commercial	—
New Multi Dwelling Unit — inspectionInspection fee	`$0.48 per sq ft above the first 5,000 sq ft + $2,130.97`	project type is new mdu	—
Standalone Parking Garage — inspectionInspection fee	`$0.24 per sq ft above the first 10,000 sq ft + $2,435.34`	project type is parking garage	—
Residential MDU and Non-Residential Addition — inspectionInspection fee	`$1.68 per sq ft above the first 500 sq ft + $858.50`	project type is res mdu and nonres addition	—
Single Dwelling Unit / Duplex (new, detached ADU over 500 sq ft) — inspectionInspection fee	`$4.21 per sq ft above the first 3,000 sq ft + $8,401.90`	project type is sdu duplex	—
Residential Single Dwelling Unit / Duplex Addition or Remodel — inspectionInspection fee	`$4.46 per sq ft above the first 500 sq ft + $2,228.29`	project type is sdu duplex add remodel	—
Tenant Improvement / Remodel (all occupancies excluding R-3) — inspectionInspection fee	`$0.6 per sq ft above the first 2,000 sq ft + $1,315.10`	project type is tenant improvement	—
Warehouse / Self-Storage — inspectionInspection fee	`$0.36 per sq ft above the first 20,000 sq ft + $7,062.47`	project type is warehouse	—
General Plan Maintenance FeeOther fee	`$737.00 flat fee`	Every permit of this type	—
Mapping FeeTechnology fee	`$12.16 flat fee`	Every permit of this type	—
Lead Hazard Prevention FeeOther fee	`$58.00 flat fee`	Every permit of this type	—
Fee collection for other agenciesOther fee	`$17.11 flat fee`	Every permit of this type	—
California State/Seismic fee, 13 cents per $1,000 (one or two storeys)State surcharge	`$0.13 per $1,000 of project valuation`	Occupancy is residential and not (stories at least 3)	—
California State/Seismic fee, 28 cents per $1,000 (three storeys or non-residential)State surcharge	`$0.28 per $1,000 of project valuation`	Occupancy is not residential or stories at least 3	—
California Building Standards fee, $4 per $100,000 of valuationState surcharge	`0.004% of project valuation (per $25,000 or fraction thereof)`	Every permit of this type	min $1.00

A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.

A worked example

Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.

A new 5,000 square foot detached single dwelling unit in the City of San Diego, two storeys high, valued by the applicant at $1,200,000 for the two state fees — permitted as a building permit.

Inputs used for this example
Input	Value
Project valuation	$1,200,000
Project area	5,000 sq ft
Occupancy class	Residential
Type of work	New construction
Number of stories	2
Project type	sdu_duplex

Example total

$34,135.43

An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.

Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 8Rules considered 27

Fee components
Component	How it is calculated	Amount
Single Dwelling Unit / Duplex (new, detached ADU over 500 sq ft) — plan checkPlan reviewTable 501A: "Single Dwelling Unit / Duplex (new, detached ADU over 500 sq ft)" plan check, base rate $8085.26 covering the first 3,000 square feet, plus $4.10 per square foot above it. Show the working Project area 2,000 sq ft Amount above the first 3,000 sq ft 2,000 sq ft Rate applied $4.1 per sq ft Add factor $8,085.26 Component total $16,285.26	`$4.1 per sq ft above the first 3,000 sq ft + $8,085.26`	$16,285.26
Single Dwelling Unit / Duplex (new, detached ADU over 500 sq ft) — inspectionInspection feeTable 501A: "Single Dwelling Unit / Duplex (new, detached ADU over 500 sq ft)" inspection, base rate $8401.90 covering the first 3,000 square feet, plus $4.21 per square foot above it. Show the working Project area 2,000 sq ft Amount above the first 3,000 sq ft 2,000 sq ft Rate applied $4.21 per sq ft Add factor $8,401.90 Component total $16,821.90	`$4.21 per sq ft above the first 3,000 sq ft + $8,401.90`	$16,821.90
General Plan Maintenance FeeOther fee"General Plan Maintenance Fee — This fee provides funding for the maintenance of the City's General Plan and is collected on behalf of the Planning Department. It is non-refundable and is collected once per project at the time of application. Projects that do not require plan review are not subject to the fee. General Plan Maintenance Fee $737.00." Show the working Flat fee $737.00	`$737.00 flat fee`	$737.00
Mapping FeeTechnology fee"Mapping Fee — This fee is collected to fund automation efforts and online GIS data and mapping for Development Services … Mapping Fee $12.16." Show the working Flat fee $12.16	`$12.16 flat fee`	$12.16
Lead Hazard Prevention FeeOther fee"Lead Hazard Prevention & Control — This fee is collected on behalf of the ESD for all Building Permits and Demolition Permits for structures built before 1978 … Lead Hazard Prevention Fee $58.00." Show the working Flat fee $58.00	`$58.00 flat fee`	$58.00
Fee collection for other agenciesOther fee"Fee Collection - Other Agencies / Departments — A $17.11 fee is charged for fees collected by DSD or other departments/agencies (e.g., water/sewer fees, Affordable Housing In-lieu, construction debris recycling, State fees, lead hazard fee). The fee is charged at permit issuance, and once per project." Show the working Flat fee $17.11	`$17.11 flat fee`	$17.11
California State/Seismic fee, 13 cents per $1,000 (one or two storeys)State surcharge"State of California State/Seismic Fee — Public Resources Code Section 2705 … The fee is assessed at 13 cents per $1,000 estimated valuation on all permits for construction of single or multifamily structures one or two stories high." Show the working Project valuation $1,200,000 At $0.13 per $1,000 $156.00 Component total $156.00	`$0.13 per $1,000 of project valuation`	$156.00
California Building Standards fee, $4 per $100,000 of valuationState surcharge"Building Standards Fee — Health & Safety Code Section 18931.6 … assessed at the rate of four dollars ($4) per one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in valuation, with appropriate fractions thereof, but not less than one dollar ($1.00). \"Appropriate fractions thereof\" is interpreted to be $1.00 per every twenty-five thousand ($25,000) in valuation." Show the working Project valuation $1,200,000 Rate applied 0.004% of project valuation Component total $48.00	`0.004% of project valuation, or fraction thereof, rounded up in $25,000 steps`	$48.00
Total		$34,135.43

Fees that do not apply here

Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.

Attached Townhomes — plan check — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
High Rise — plan check — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
New Commercial — plan check — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
New Multi Dwelling Unit — plan check — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Standalone Parking Garage — plan check — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Residential MDU and Non-Residential Addition — plan check — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Residential Single Dwelling Unit / Duplex Addition or Remodel — plan check — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Tenant Improvement / Remodel (all occupancies excluding R-3) — plan check — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Warehouse / Self-Storage — plan check — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Attached Townhomes — inspection — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
High Rise — inspection — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
New Commercial — inspection — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
New Multi Dwelling Unit — inspection — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Standalone Parking Garage — inspection — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Residential MDU and Non-Residential Addition — inspection — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Residential Single Dwelling Unit / Duplex Addition or Remodel — inspection — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Tenant Improvement / Remodel (all occupancies excluding R-3) — inspection — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Warehouse / Self-Storage — inspection — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
California State/Seismic fee, 28 cents per $1,000 (three storeys or non-residential) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.

Assumptions

Calculated from 8 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.

The plan check and the inspection are two charges on one table. Table 501A's Res-SDU/DUP row gives a plan-check base of $8,085.26 covering the first 3,000 square feet and a $4.10 increment above it, and an inspection base of $8,401.90 with a $4.21 increment: 2,000 square feet above the base is $8,200.00 of plan check and $8,420.00 of inspection, so the pair is $16,285.26 and $16,821.90. The State/Seismic fee is 13¢ per $1,000 because the structure is residential and two storeys high, which on $1,200,000 is $156.00, and the Building Standards fee is $4 per $100,000 — $48.00. The City's own four charges are the $737.00 General Plan Maintenance Fee, $12.16 of mapping, the $58.00 Lead Hazard fee and $17.11 for collecting other agencies' fees. Total: $34,135.43.

Two variations show what moves. As a 5,000 square foot new commercial building the row changes entirely: $4,566.31 plus 2,000 × $1.57 of plan check and $1,570.80 plus 2,000 × $0.48 of inspection, and the State/Seismic fee doubles to 28¢ per $1,000 because the work is non-residential. As a 1,000 square foot single dwelling unit, below the row's 3,000 square foot base, the increments do not apply at all and the permit is the two base rates plus the state and City charges — which is the clearest way to see that the base rate is a floor on the whole project type rather than a charge for the first few thousand feet.

One caution belongs with the number: the valuation is the applicant's own, taken as the basis for the two state fees, and the City's Building Valuation Schedule (IB-101) is the document it would be checked against.

What is different in San Diego

The table is read in one direction only, and that is the thing to know before comparing it to any other city on this site. The base rate is charged whatever the size of the building — a 1,500 square foot house pays the full $8,085.26 of plan check — and the increment applies only to the area above the row's base square footage. So a 2,500 square foot single dwelling unit pays the base rates alone, and a 6,000 square foot one pays them plus 3,000 square feet at $4.10 and $4.21. That is the opposite of a valuation band, where a bigger building pays a bigger rate on everything; here the rate on the first 3,000 square feet is effectively infinite and then drops to a few dollars a foot.

The project type decides which row applies, and the rows are built for very different buildings. A new commercial building's plan check base is $4,566.31 covering its first 3,000 square feet with a $1.57 increment; a high-rise's is $11,567.82 covering its first 50,000 square feet with a $0.24 increment; a tenant improvement's is $2,532.77 covering its first 2,000 square feet with a $1.33 increment. The same area can therefore produce three different fees, which is why the pages ask which project type applies rather than only how large it is.

The two state fees are the only place a valuation enters. The State/Seismic fee is charged at 13¢ per $1,000 for a single-family or multifamily structure one or two storeys high and 28¢ per $1,000 for multifamily work three storeys or higher and for non-residential work; on a $1,200,000 house that is $156.00. The Building Standards fee is $4 per $100,000 with a $1.00 floor, its "appropriate fractions" being $1.00 per $25,000, so the same house pays $48.00. Four City charges close the permit: the $737.00 General Plan Maintenance Fee at application, and the $12.16 Mapping, $58.00 Lead Hazard and $17.11 fee-collection charges. On the 5,000 square foot house above those come to $34,135.43 all in.

Two limits belong with the number. The mechanical permit is a separate application this site does not price, and a valuation for the two state fees is the applicant's own figure — the City publishes a Building Valuation Schedule in IB-101, and the site does not compute one from it.

What this figure does not include

Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.

Not included in these figures

This estimate is the Table 501A plan-check and inspection pair for the project type named, the two State of California fees, and the City's own flat charges. It excludes:

The electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits on the same project, which are separate applications with their own schedules. This site prices two of the three.
Table 501B partial permits — foundation, frame, shell and partial high-rise work.
Table 501C miscellaneous items: antennas, awnings and canopies, carports, decks, doors and windows, equipment pads, fences and retaining walls, fireplaces, garages, greenhouses, patio covers, pools and spas, roof structures and skirtings, siding, skylights, storage racks and sidewalks.
The address fee at $529.71, the traffic study fee at $2,473.03, the storm water inspection fee at $1,466.11, the Express Plan Check administration fee and the Development Project Manager's hourly rate.
Fees from other agencies and departments collected with the permit: water and sewer capacity and installation fees, the County Water Authority's meter capacity fee, school district fees, the City Planning Department's impact fees and in-lieu housing fees, and the refundable construction and demolition debris deposit.
Photovoltaic and electric-vehicle charging permits, which their own bulletins (IB-301 and IB-187) price separately.

What you need before applying

The building permit is priced as plan check plus inspection, not on a valuationRequired
Table 501A prints a base rate and an increment for plan check and again for inspection — "New Commercial … Base Sq. Ft. 3,000 … Plan Check Base Rate $4,566.31, Increment Rate $1.57 … Inspection Base Rate $1,570.80, Increment Rate $0.48". The base rate is charged whatever the size of the building and the increment only on area above the row's base square footage, so the area is the fact that decides the fee. A valuation is still needed, but only for the two state fees.
Two State of California fees are charged with every building permitRequired
"State of California State/Seismic Fee — Public Resources Code Section 2705 … assessed at 13 cents per $1,000 estimated valuation on all permits for construction of single or multifamily structures one or two stories high. The charge is 28 cents per $1,000 … for multifamily construction three stories or higher and for permits on nonresidential construction." And the Building Standards Fee, "assessed at the rate of four dollars ($4) per one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in valuation, with appropriate fractions thereof, but not less than one dollar ($1.00)", where "appropriate fractions thereof" is "$1.00 per every twenty-five thousand ($25,000) in valuation".

Common questions

Is the fee a percentage of my project's value?

Not for the permit itself. Table 501A builds the plan-check and inspection charges from the project's square footage — a base rate covering a stated area plus an increment above it — and a valuation is used only for the State/Seismic and Building Standards fees. A $1,200,000 house and a $2,400,000 house of the same size and type pay the same plan check and inspection, and differ only in the two state fees.

Information Bulletin 501, Table 501A and Section III

What does the base square footage mean?

It is the area the row's base rates already cover. For Res-SDU/DUP that is 3,000 square feet, so a 2,500 square foot house pays the base rates and no increment, and a 5,000 square foot house pays them plus 2,000 square feet at each of the two increments. The base rate is therefore charged at any size — it is a floor for the project type, not a charge for the first few thousand feet.

Information Bulletin 501, Table 501A

Why are there separate plan check and inspection charges?

Because the City prints them as two rates and collects them at different points. Table 501A gives each project type a plan-check base and increment and an inspection base and increment, and the bulletin describes when each is collected — plan check at review and inspection at issuance, with the inspection fee refundable in part and plan check not. A 5,000 square foot single dwelling unit pays $16,285.26 of plan check and $16,821.90 of inspection.

Information Bulletin 501, Sections I and III

What is the State/Seismic fee and why does the rate change?

"State of California State/Seismic Fee — Public Resources Code Section 2705 … assessed at 13 cents per $1,000 estimated valuation on all permits for construction of single or multifamily structures one or two stories high." The rate rises to 28 cents per $1,000 for "multifamily construction three stories or higher and for permits on nonresidential construction". So a two-storey house pays 13¢ and the same building as non-residential work pays 28¢, which is why the page asks both the occupancy and the height.

Information Bulletin 501, Section III

How is the Building Standards fee calculated?

"Assessed at the rate of four dollars ($4) per one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in valuation, with appropriate fractions thereof, but not less than one dollar ($1.00)." The bulletin interprets the fractions itself — "\"Appropriate fractions thereof\" is interpreted to be $1.00 per every twenty-five thousand ($25,000) in valuation" — so the charge is $1.00 for each $25,000 of value or part of one. A $1,200,000 project pays $48.00.

Information Bulletin 501, Section III

Are the electrical and plumbing permits included?

They are not. "Separate building and MEP permits are required for all non-residential and Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) construction. Each building must have its own MEP permit." The electrical and plumbing permits are priced from Information Bulletin 103 on their own pages, and the mechanical permit is a third application this site does not price.

Information Bulletin 103

Source and verification

The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.

City websiteCityPrimary source
Information Bulletin 501, “Fee Schedule for Construction Permits-Structures”
City of San Diego Development Services Department · Undated document · Effective August 7, 2026 · Retrieved September 24, 2026
Read 2026-09-24. The bulletin is a web page, and its own PDF (`/sites/default/files/2026-08/dsdib501.pdf`, 3,717,650 bytes, sha256 beginning 356a4dbda0bbe683) carries no text layer — `pdftotext` returns nothing because it is a rendered image — so the page's text is the source and this row is recorded as a website rather than a PDF. The header reads "INFORMATION BULLETIN 501 August 2026", and its Previous Versions list ends on 2026-08-06, which is why the schedule is effective from 2026-08-07. Table 501A prints the plan-check and inspection base rates and per-square-foot increments; Tables 501B, 501C and 501D the partial permits, miscellaneous items and water/sewer plan check.

Verification

Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.