San Jose Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

The City of San José Development Services Permit Center is the building-permit authority for property inside San José. The City coordinates building, planning, fire, and public-works permit services through the Permit Center. A Santa Clara County address outside San José city limits may be handled by another municipality or by the County, so verify the parcel’s jurisdiction before applying.

San José building permits and plan review

Use the City’s permit center to determine whether the project can be issued online or needs staff and plan review. San José’s building guidance says structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and other covered work may require permits and inspections. Planning staff review development for consistency with the General Plan, land-use policies, and zoning regulations; some projects require planning approval before building-permit submission.

Inspections, permit search, and occupancy records

The public SJPermits search can look up property information, application and permit status, permit history, inspection records, plans, and certificates of occupancy by address, APN, permit number, or project reference. After issuance, request inspections through the City’s current permit-service workflow and keep the approved plans and permit information available at the site. Work that changes a building’s configuration or use may require additional planning or occupancy review.

Official contact information

The San José Permit Center is at 200 E. Santa Clara Street, 1st Floor, San José, California 95113. The building-permit phone number is (408) 535-3555, with published phone hours Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Use SJPermits for public record searches and the City’s ePlan portal only when the project requires electronic plan review.