California permit review deadlines
How long does it take to get a building permit in California?
California's clock covers housing. Under AB 2234, a city has 15 business days to say whether a housing permit application is complete, then 30 or 60 business days to approve it or return a full set of comments.
A 2025 law added a second lever: if a residential plan check will take more than 30 business days, the applicant can hire a private professional to do it.
See the deadlines ↓Current California state-level guidelines
The short answer
For housing projects, California cities and counties have 15 business days to decide whether a permit application is complete. They then have 30 business days for projects of 25 homes or fewer, or 60 business days for 26 or more, to approve the permit or return a complete set of comments. Missing a deadline is a violation of the state's Housing Accountability Act. The rule covers building, grading, demolition, and similar permits for projects that are at least two-thirds residential. It does not cover commercial projects.
By project type
California permit review deadlines.
These deadlines come from AB 2234 (Government Code 65913.3), as described in the legal summaries linked below. They apply to permits a housing project needs after its land-use approval.
| Project type | Deadline | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Completeness check | 15 business days | If the city says nothing, the application is treated as complete. The city can only ask for items on its published list. |
| Housing project, 25 homes or fewer | 30 business days | To approve the permit or return a full set of comments. |
| Housing project, 26 homes or more | 60 business days | Same requirement, longer window. |
| Appeal of a city's finding, 25 homes or fewer | 60 business days | For a final written decision on the appeal. |
| Appeal of a city's finding, 26 homes or more | 90 business days | |
| Private plan check report | 10 business days | Under AB 253, the city must issue the permit or say what needs revision. |
The clock can pause while an outside agency reviews the application. A city can also take more time if it makes written findings that a permit could have a specific, serious effect on public health or safety.
Step by step
How California's review clock works.
Each city must post a list of required materials and sample applications for at least five kinds of housing projects.
The city must name anything missing and say how to fix it. Resubmittals get the same 15 business days.
By the deadline the city must either approve the permit or send every comment it has in one comprehensive request.
Each new round gets the same review window, so one complete set of comments the first time saves the most days.
What this means for a review team
- Comments have to arrive together. The law asks for one full set, which means every discipline needs to finish inside the same window.
- Silence at intake counts as complete.
- The published checklist is binding on the city too.
When the clock runs out
What happens when a California department misses the deadline.
A city that misses the deadline can be sued. A court can order compliance and award attorney's fees and fines.
Under AB 253, if the city estimates a residential plan check will take more than 30 business days, or 30 business days pass without a decision, the applicant can retain a licensed private professional at their own cost.
Once the private plan check report arrives, the city must issue the permit or say what needs to be revised.
California's remedy is the courts and the private plan check option. A late permit is not deemed approved.
Faster permit approvals start with more efficient plan review.
See how your team can spend less time chasing comments, waiting on other disciplines, and tracking down the status of a review, without changing your permitting system or CDP.
Recent changes
What changed, and when.
January 1, 2024
AB 2234 deadlines take effect for most jurisdictionsCompleteness in 15 business days, review in 30 or 60 business days for housing permits.
October 10, 2025
AB 253 takes effect immediatelyCities must give a plan check time estimate when an application is complete. Applicants can use a private plan checker when the estimate or the actual review runs past 30 business days. The law runs until 2036.
City by city
How California cities handle review times.
California's big cities layer their own targets on top of the state clock. Two use mayoral orders. One publishes a weekly estimate.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles sets permit clocks through mayoral directives. The April 2026 directive says fully affordable apartment projects must get all city approvals within 60 days. For most ordinary projects, the building department does not publish a hard deadline of its own.
Read the source →San Francisco
The PermitSF effort, launched in February 2025, set public clocks: 21 days to check that an application is complete, 30 days for the first plan review, and 14 days for each re-review. The city posts how often it hits them, with a goal of 75%.
Read the source →San Diego
San Diego posts a weekly estimate of how many business days each step of a permit is taking, plus a dashboard on permit speed. The city calls these estimates, not promises.
Read the source →City details come from each city's public pages as of November 12, 2026. Cities change their targets and processes often, so check the linked source for the current version.
Common questions
California building permit deadlines, answered.
How long does it take to get a building permit in California?
For housing, the city has 15 business days to check the application and then 30 or 60 business days to approve it or return all comments, depending on the size of the project. We found no comparable statewide deadline for commercial projects, so the time depends on the city.
What is AB 2234?
AB 2234 is the 2022 California law that set deadlines for the permits a housing project needs after its land-use approval. It is in Government Code section 65913.3. It covers building, grading, demolition, and similar permits for projects that are at least two-thirds residential.
What happens if a California city misses the deadline?
Missing an AB 2234 deadline violates the Housing Accountability Act, which lets the applicant go to court. Separately, AB 253 lets a residential applicant hire a private plan checker when the city's review runs past 30 business days.
Does California's Permit Streamlining Act cover building permits?
No. The Permit Streamlining Act covers land-use decisions like subdivisions and use permits. AB 2234 was passed to cover the building-permit stage that the older law left out.
How do California building departments keep up with these deadlines?
Three habits show up in the departments that hit the clock. They check applications for missing items in the first few days. They let building, fire, planning, and engineering review the same plans at the same time. And they track the days left on every review, so a manager can step in before a deadline passes.
Read it for yourself
Sources.
State law
Keep exploring
Deadlines in other states.
If you review plans in California
Working under California's review clock? See how e-PlanSoft can help you hit it consistently.
Meeting a review deadline starts with a good intake process, disciplines that work together, and a clear view of every review in progress.
Book a demoSee how collaborative review works →This page summarizes public laws, rules, and city review practices in California as of November 12, 2026. Deadlines vary by location and permit type. These summaries are for reference, not legal advice. Check the linked sources and local requirements for the rules that apply to your project.