Permit Submittal Process

Electronic Permit Submittal Requirements 

Applications may be submitted by emailing the Building Permit Application and required submittal documents to bldpermit@losaltosca.gov. Please note that applications are processed during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, between 7:30 AM-5 PM.

Review the electronic format requirements listed below. Hard copy submittals will not be accepted at City Hall. Staff will confirm via email when your application and submittal documents has been accepted or if your submittal is incomplete. Please allow up to 5 business days for verification of completeness and processing. After receipt and payment, your project will be routed to the appropriate departments for review.

Electronic Format Requirements

Follow the formatting requirements outlined below:

1. PDF - Digital plans and documents must be PDF, with a 250 MB max. For larger projects, plans shall be sent via a dropbox link.
2. Unsecured Settings - Choose "unsecured" on your security settings so that plan reviewers may mark up the documents or create notes.
3. File Naming Conventions - All PDF's should use the same file naming conventions.  All drawing files must be named as follow: PROJECT ADDRESS SUBMISSION CYCLE FILE DESCRIPTION Do not include “‐“(dashes) or special characters in the file name. For Example:  123 Main St SUB1 Application; 123 Main St SUB1 Civil Plans; 123 Main St SUB1 Struct Calcs
4. Separate PDF's - Submit COMPLETE set of plans (including Architectural, Structural, Civil, etc) in (1) PDF, Submit supplemental documents (Structural Calcs, T24 energy, Truss Calcs, Specs sheets etc...) in a separate PDF from the plans. 
5. Scale - PDF exhibits must be generated at a prescribed scale (i.e. 1/4" = 1'-0", or 1/8" = 1'-0") in order for staff to verify dimensions and areas within the file, using the built-in Acrobat measuring tool. Graphic scales may also be included, but are not required.
6. Orientation - All drawings/plan must uniformly use landscape orientation (except for technical reports or documents). Maintain a uniform page positions and page size for all plans (architectural, landscape, civil, etc.).

Re-Submittal Requirements

After your initial submittal, you will receive a comment letter outlining the corrections needed or your project may be approved. If you receive comments, you will need to address each plan check comment and resubmit adhering to the original submittal requirements. Additional instructions for resubmittals:

A. Include a response letter with a detailed explanation how you addressed the plan check comment, from all Departments/Divisions.

B. Submit the revised plans which incorporate the changes.

C. Cloud and delta all changes and note delta number next to on the title block.

D. Use the same format, plan size and scale as the original submittal.

E. Resubmit a complete set of plans to bldpermit@losaltosca.gov unless instructed otherwise by the permit technician responsible for your project.

Permit Issuance Process

Once approved, all permits, plans, and associated documents will be emailed to the responsible party. All documents emailed should be printed and made available to the Building Inspector at the time of inspection. Inspections will not be performed if the approved documents are not onsite. 

Revision Requirements

Revisions must contain the following:

A.  A PDF file containing newly revised sheets, changes clearly highlighted, clouded and delineated with date of revision (i.e., cloud all changes and note delta number on the title block).

B. Completed Revision form with a clear and concise description of work summarizing the revision.

Questions

For questions related to the electronic submittal process, code questions, or general building questions, please email bldpermit@losaltosca.gov.