ADU PERMITS AND THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO: An Adventure Down the Rabbit Hole

By John Stewart McGaughy, John Stewart Studios

"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 the day, designers and developers hauled reams and reams of paper documents (commonly known as kindling) in and out of the building department. Recently, the DSD has implemented a "one side makes you small" approach where all applications, forms, and construction documents are reduced to digital files and submitted to a platform called ACCELA. Digital submittals are certainly better environmentally. They should also be more efficient, right? The fairy tale begins.

"Read the directions, and you will be directed in the right direction." said the doorknob to Alice. Welcome to ACCELA. Not only is the City of San Diego's website difficult to navigate, but the digital applications are also as confounding to staff as it is to applicants. You may choose to hire a professional to submit your application or DIY. Either way, it's worth a basic understanding of the process. "You must be mad or you wouldn't have come here." said the Cheshire Cat to Alice. Search the city website long enough, and you'll find the ACCELA User Guide, a riveting 40-page read. You will also find the login to ACCELA to upload documents for your permit. Digital submittal is relatively new to DSD, and even with experience, it can be stressful. Applications, agreements, environmental worksheets, photo surveys, construction documents, etc., will need to be uploaded to ACCELA for a completeness review. That review takes several weeks. You may receive requests for additional information. Once deemed complete, the files will be distributed to more than a half dozen disciplines for review. Some are backed up as much as six weeks before reviewing new applications. Expect to wait weeks for each discipline to respond, requesting revisions and additions, known as Cycle Issues. Once all Cycle Issues have trickled in, you can upload your revisions after you've received a prompt from DSD to do so, assuming they remember you're out there.

"If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster." said the Duchess. This is when it gets increasingly frustrating. Your corrections will go into a queue and may not return to the original plan checker. A new plan checker may send a whole new set of questions your way. Expect two- to threecycle issues from every discipline, taking as much time as the initial reviews.

"Who are you?" asked the caterpillar. Often emails or phone calls are not returned because a plan checker may no longer be assigned to your project. This is where the DSD Directory comes in handy. The directory lists staff supervisors. If needed, it's a good idea to copy the supervisor when you email plan checkers. As the Red Queen said, "It is better to be feared than loved."

"I wanna go home!" cried Alice. After slogging through the process for an eternity, eventually, all disciplines will sign off (often by a supervisor you had copied). You're not done yet. Your documents will now be routed to the issuance team who double-check for completeness of applications, environmental forms, agreements, fees paid, construction documents, water meter data cards, etc., before the "stamped" set is issued. That can take weeks.

"Be patient, is very good advice." sang Alice. Wait, what was that last item, water meter data card? This required form assigns units of value for everything from bidets to water bibbs. If your ADU adds too many units, you will now need to upgrade your 3/4" water meter to a 1" water meter. What does that require? Another permit, which will hold up your previous permit. Back into the rabbit hole.

"Round and round and round we go."

John Stewart McGaughy is the owner of John Stewart Studios, an architectural design consulting firm assisting owners and investors with property development and improvements. John can be reached at: john@ johnstewartstudios.com