Remodel permit drawings in San Jose, CA
Your permit goes to the City of San Jose Development Services Permit Center. Here is what that department publishes about remodel permits and plan submission, and what we can and cannot do for you there.
What the city says
- For an addition, or a remodel that entails structural changes, the city says you must submit project plans, and staff review them for zoning, building and fire code compliance before a permit is issued. Kitchen and bathroom minor remodels with no structural changes have their own path. Source, read 2026-10-10.
- The faster Over-the-Counter service takes remodels of 750 sq ft or less at a 1-story single-family house that follow the prescriptive wall framing and bracing rules of CRC Chapter R602, with no engineered designs or calculations. Source, read 2026-10-10.
- Citing Business and Professions Code Section 5537, the city says anyone may prepare plans for wood frame 1 or 2 story single-family dwellings, but any portion that deviates from conventional wood frame construction must be prepared by a licensed architect or registered engineer, and the Building Official may require a registered design professional for any project. Source, read 2026-10-10.
- Projects in Standard Plan Review start at SJPermits.org and the plans are uploaded to SJePlans; after approval the permit is issued only to the property owner or a licensed contractor. Source, read 2026-10-10.
Rules change. Check the linked pages, or call the department, before you submit.
What we do in San Jose
In California many cities let a designer or the owner draw plans for simple interior work on a detached house. We draft an unstamped permit set for non-structural remodels of detached 1 to 2 family houses: existing and proposed floor plans, demo plan, partitions, electrical, plumbing and finishes, plus a quantity takeoff for your bid. Anything structural, an ADU, a condo or multifamily goes to a licensed architect or engineer, and we say so at intake.
Pilot price: $1.00 per sq ft, minimum $990, for the first 10 orders. See pricing, a sample set and how it works.