Recently, the San Diego City Council took a unanimous decision to provide an additional 180-day extension for building permit applications. According to San Diego County, this move aims to facilitate developers by giving them more time between application submissions and expiration dates, in hopes of increasing the number of housing units built across the city.
Under the current San Diego County's Building Code, permits must commence work and demonstrate progress by certain dates, with all work required to be completed within three years. A permit will expire if the authorized work does not begin within two years from the issuance date. Before the recent amendment, San Diego's city code outlined that building permit applications would expire one year after being deemed complete. It also allowed the building official to extend the application period once, for up to 180 days, under certain conditions. However, city officials determined that the current extension period was insufficient to accommodate the needs of developers and homeowners seeking financing under challenging circumstances.
As an ordinance from July 31, 2023 explains, the additional extension serves two critical functions: it provides more time for staff reviews and applicant corrections necessary to comply with complex code provisions, and it allows developers, especially those working on affordable housing projects, to secure financing from various sources that may not align with the project application timeline. The extra measure was deemed essential since expired applications face the cumbersome task of reapplying and restarting the permit process, which often results in delays, increased costs, and potential project abandonment.
Earlier this year, the city had already approved an initial 180-day extension for all building permit applications that did not meet completion within the standard one-year period, but this was deemed insufficient according to the Times of San Diego. Developers and homeowners faced difficulties obtaining financing for their projects, even with the available extensions under the municipal code. As a result, the City Council took action to provide the second 180-day extension to address these concerns.
