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ADU PERMITS AND THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO An Adventure
Down the Rabbit Hole
"I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!" Anyone who has run a permit can certainly relate. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU's), aka granny flats, are a hot topic that has many property owners and investors racing to take advantage of their income potential while helping to solve the housing shortage. Perhaps you are curious about jumping on that path. You may have the perfect site, a great design, and a trustworthy contractor. Now all you need is a permit. For the uninitiated, obtaining a construction permit in San Diego can be as confusing as a trip through the classic tale of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Just as the story of Alice isn't linear or logical, neither is the process of obtaining a permit. Allow me to be your guide as we dive into the rabbit hole known as the City of San Diego Development Services Department (DSD).
By John Stewart McGaughy, John Stewart Studios "One side makes you bigger." Back in "You must be mad or you wouldn't the day, designers and developers have come here." said the Cheshire hauled reams and reams of paper Cat to Alice. Search the city documents (commonly known website long enough, and you'll as kindling) in and out of the find the ACCELA User Guide, a building department. Recently, riveting 40-page read. You will the DSD has implemented a "one also find the login to ACCELA to side makes you small" approach upload documents for your permit. where all applications, forms, Digital submittal is relatively new and construction documents to DSD, and even with experience, are reduced to digital files and it can be stressful. Applications, submitted to a platform called agreements, environmental ACCELA. Digital submittals are worksheets, photo surveys, certainly better environmentally. construction documents, etc., will They should also be more efficient, need to be uploaded to ACCELA right? The fairy tale begins. for a completeness review. That review takes several weeks. "Read the directions, and you will You may receive requests for be directed in the right direction." additional information. Once said the doorknob to Alice. deemed complete, the files will Welcome to ACCELA. Not only is be distributed to more than a the City of San Diego's website half dozen disciplines for review. difficult to navigate, but the Some are backed up as much digital applications are also as as six weeks before reviewing confounding to staff as it is to new applications. Expect to wait applicants. You may choose to hire weeks for each discipline to a professional to submit your respond, requesting revisions and application or DIY. Either way, it's additions, known as Cycle Issues. worth a basic understanding of the Once all Cycle Issues have trickled process. in, you can upload your revisions November 2021 socalrha.org | 7
