Development Services

The City will need to approve of all mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural improvements to a property, as well as any new structures on a property over 36 inches in height. Additionally, any exterior modifications on a commercial site or Home Owners Association common property will need to be reviewed by the City’s Planning Division for consistency with the original development plans. For additional questions, please email the Building Department. 

You may find your property zoning through the City’s GIS Mapping system by inserting your address into the search bar. Additionally, you may reference the City’s colored Zoning Map (PDF).

The Planning and Building Counters at San Juan Capistrano City Hall are open by appointment to accept all applications from 7:30 am to 5 pm, Monday through Thursday. Please schedule an appointment online.   

Time limit of building permit application:

• An application for a permit for any proposed work shall expire one calendar year after the date of filing unless a permit is issued or a request to extend this one-year period is submitted prior to the expiration date and approved by the Building Official, and further provided that the adopted codes have not changed from the date of initial application submittal.
• The Building Official is authorized, but is not required, to grant one or more extensions of time not exceeding 180 calendar days per extension.
• An extension request shall be in writing with justifiable cause demonstrated by the applicant.

To request an extension, please fill out an extension request (PDF) and email the completed form to the Building Department.

If the plan check expires, the applicant shall submit new plans compliant with the technical codes and other applicable city, county, and state regulations in effect at the time and pay new plan review fees. 

Issued Permit Expiration:

Every permit issued shall become invalid unless the work on the site authorized by such permit is commenced within 12 months after its issuance, or if the work authorized on the site by such permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of 180 days after the time the work commenced. 

Before work can reconvene after a permit expires, a new permit shall first be obtained to do so, and the fee shall be one half the amount required for a new permit for such work, provided no changes have been made or will be made in the original plans and specifications for such work, and provided further that such suspension or abandonment has not exceeded one year. In order to renew action on a permit, after having expired one year or longer, if there are changes to the original design or if the original permit was issued under a previous code cycle, the  permittee shall pay all new fees and submit plans for review under the latest adopted codes

• The Building Official is authorized, but is not required, to grant one or more extensions of time not exceeding 180 calendar days per extension.
• Any permittee holding an unexpired permit may apply for an extension of the time within which work may commence under that permit when the permittee is unable to commence work within the time required.
•  The extension shall be requested in writing prior to the permit expiring and show justifiable cause demonstrating that circumstances beyond the control of the permittee have prevented action from being taken.

To request an extension, please fill out an extension request (PDF) and email the completed form to the Building Department.

To determine if a proposed project requires OCFA review, applicants will need to complete an OCFA Residential Screen Check form or OCFA Commerical/Multifamily/Tract Screen Check form. 

New Outdoor Non-Cooking, Gas and Wood Burning Fireplaces, Fire Pits, Fire Rings, and Similar Devices, Exterior to Residential Occupancies or Un-Enclosed Accessory Structures that are located on the perimeter of a community containing, or adjacent to slopes or hills, or adjacent to an open space or wildland area containing non-irrigated vegetation, or in a State Responsibility Area or Local Responsibility Area “Fire Hazard Severity Zone”, as defined by the State, or (D) near an area that could be affected by a wildfire in the open space may also require OCFA review. 

Any projects that are determined to require OCFA review will need to be submitted directly to OCFA Headquarters located at 1 Fire Authority Rd., Irvine, CA 92602.

For OCFA submittal information, please visit www.OCFA.org. For questions regarding OCFA lplan review, please call OCFA at (714)573-6100 or email fireprevclerk@ocfa.org.

Please see table below for plan review target dates. Applicants will be notified via email when all departments have completed their plan check review. 

All approvals/corrections must be picked up in person.

• Target Dates are an estimate. Time review may vary depending on complexity of project. 
• The City does not offer expedited review. 
• Target Dates do not include administrative processing time including department re-stamps, fee calculations and permit processing. 

Planning & Building Review

Public Works & Engineering

To check Plan Check/Permit Status, please click on the button below to access the E-Trakit Citizen Portal:

E-TRAKIT CITIZEN PORTAL

Once in the E-Trakit Portal, follow the steps below:

1. Enter the permit number. Alternatively, you may use the drop down box to select and enter the site address.
2. Click on the permit to view permit information.
3. Click on the 'REVIEWS' tab to view the current status of each department's review.

Applicants may contact their plans examiner directly by telephone or email. Plans examiner contact information can be found on the correction letter.  Please include the plan check number and address in your communication. For plan routing, all plans shall be routed through the City of San Juan Capistrano to ensure review by all necessary departments. 

See information on how to file a Code Enforcement Complaint.