Step-by-Step Fire Recovery

Debris removal has been completed throughout the CZU burn area. 

Take advantage of the County’s Pre-Application Screening Service (PAS). PAS provides information and resources to help you determine what will be required and what are all the options available in the property. A complete permit application package will streamline the issuance of your permit. PAS can help you verify your parcel data, setbacks, planning requirements, geological and technical requirements, permit history, septic system information, access for fire protection and more.

All you need is an address or Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN).

Recovery Permit Center Appointment Booking – Please schedule appointments as often as you need.

Once you have complete your Pre-Application Consultation (Step 2), you will have the information you need to begin assemblying your team of consultants. Nearly 1,000 structures were damaged by the CZU Fire, so consultants that will be necessary to help you prepare plans are reports are going to be very busy. It’s best to engage with consultants early to get on their schedule.

Required consultants in order to obtain a building permit are listed below:

Architect or Building Designer
A licensed architect or unlicensed building designer can be used to design your house plans. They typically take the lead in overseeing the project and help you through the rebuilding process.

Energy (Title -24) Consultant
Energy Consultants are required to show that your house meets required energy standards per the building code. Talk to your architect or building designer to see if they work closely with a certain energy consultant.

Geotechnical (Soils) Engineer
The building code requires a geotechnical (soils) report to be submitted with your building permit application. Note that a geotechnical (soils) engineer is not the same as a geologist. A list of local geotechnical (soils) engineers is available here.

OWTS (Septic) Consultant
If your property treats wastewater on-site, you will be required to repair, upgrade, or install an Onsite Wastewater Treatment System. Resources for finding appropriate consultants are available here.

Structural Engineer
A structural engineer will be required to prepare structural calculations for your structure. Talk to your architect or building designer to see if they work closely with a certain structural engineer.

Sometimes, the following consultants may be required in addition to those listed above:

Geologist
Potential geologic hazards will be evaluated during Step 4 (Pre-Clearance). Once the geologic pre-clearance is completed by the County, you will know if further geologic investigation by a consultant geologist will be needed. Please note that even if the County does not require a geologic report, your geotechnical (soils) engineer may require input from a geologist, so ask your geotechnical (soils) engineer early in the process if they will require a geologist’s input. A list of local engineering geologic consultants is available on the County's website here. 

Civil Engineer
Civil Engineers are usually needed when your site involves grading, new driveways or complicated drainage facilities. Check with your architect or building designer to see if they think a civil engineer will be required and if they work close with a certain civil engineer. A list of local civil engineering consultants is available here.

 

Various health and safety regulations can raise complicated issues when rebuilding structures constructed before current regulations were in place. The Recovery Permit Center team is here to help you work through such issues prior to preparing full plans and making a permit application.

There are four Pre-Clearances that must be obtained prior to submittal of a building permit application. This will help you and the Recovery Permit Center (RPC) team identify and work through any technical issues with septic systems, water, fire access, and geologic hazards, as well as zoning-related issues early in the design process. A site plan will be required as part of the Pre-Clearance application. The four required Pre-Clearances are Environmental Health, Fire, Geologic Hazards, and Zoning.

• Environmental Health: The Environmental Health pre-clearance will verify permitted septic system and water source for the property. The clearance will determine the specific water and septic requirements for your proposed project.
• Fire Access: The RPC will set up a site visit to determine if the property has site access that meets standards for emergency services access, and if driveways and bridges meet applicable codes..
• Geologic Hazards*: The Geologic Hazard pre-clearance is a pre-application evaluation of potential geologic hazards that may affect a rebuild proposal. Any reports required by the pre-clearance must be reviewed and accepted by County staff prior to issuance of the Geologic Hazard clearance to apply for a building permit.
• Zoning: The Zoning pre-clearance reviews the permit history of the property, evaluates site standards, and determines whether a discretionary permit such as a Coastal Permit will be required. 
  NOTE: Infrequently, in addition to a building permit, a discretionary planning permit is required in order to rebuild. For example, this may happen if there is substantial new grading, new retaining walls, or homes or outbuildings are enlarged beyond the threshold sizes given in the County Code or are replacing structures in the Coastal Zone that did not have the necessary approvals when they were originally built. Planning permits are unlikely to be needed if the rebuild is replacing the same or similar structure in the same or similar location on the lot. Speak with the RPC about any planning permits that might be needed.

*There are 4 possible outcomes / paths that can result from a Geologic Hazards Clearance: .

 

Geologic pre-clearances are also required for temporary housing. Click here for more information regarding temporary housing.

Please see this link for more information regarding Geologic pre-clearances. For more information on Geologic Reports and Geotechnical (Soils) Reports, see this link.

Schedule Your Consultation

Click here to self-schedule a consultation and specify “Pre-Clearances” when booking your appointment. You can also email rpc@santacruzcountyca.gov or call 831-454-5323. Please note: The start date for your clearance application is the day the application fee is paid, not necessarily the day you submit your materials.

***Please note that additional information required as part of the pre-clearance process must be addressed prior to moving on to Step 5 (Building Permit Application Package submittal).

IN ORDER TO SUMBIT YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE FOR REBUILDING PERMITS, YOU MUST COMPLETE THE STEPS BELOW.

Once you have completed the Pre-Clearances, the next step will be to submit your Rebuild Application. You can find the required forms here.

Heads up! An incomplete package will not be accepted and will require you to come back at a later time with the missing information. Please complete the entire package before applying to ensure timely processing of your rebuilding permits.

The Recovery Permit Center has been established to provide a streamlined building permit process for property owners rebuilding after the CZU Lightning Complex Fires. Once you have submitted a complete application you can expect to hear the result of the review in 10 business days. If plan corrections are required, those are reviewed more quickly. You may check the progress of your permit application by emailing or calling the RPC.

1. Are your pre-clearances completed?
   A complete package includes all issues identified in your four completed pre-clearances: Environmental Health Clearance, which addresses water systems and septic systems; Fire Clearance, which addresses access and fire protection requirements; Geologic Hazards Clearance, which addresses potential geologic hazards; and Zoning Clearance, which addresses permit history and zoning-related issues. See Step 4 above for more information on the pre-clearance process.
2. Is the project that you are applying for the same as the one for which you received your Pre-clearances?
3. If there have been any changes to square footage, bedroom count, structure count (detached or attached), or project location, you will be required to go through the pre-clearance process again. The reason for this is that projects that change between the pre-clearance and permit application have encountered Environmental Health, Fire, Geologic Hazards and/or Zoning roadblocks. To minimize these obstacles, RPC staff ensures there are no changes between the approved pre-clearance proposals and the building submittals.

As part of our effort to provide the best support for those rebuilding due to the CZU Lightning Complex Fires, a streamlined building permit application review process has been created. You can expect to hear the result of your building permit application review in 10 business days. If corrections are required, those are reviewed more quickly. You may check the progress of your application review by emailing or calling the RPC.

Have you consulted with your design team?
Consult with the members of the design team you assembled in Step 3 to ensure that they have reviewed the plan set for consistency with their recommendations. Some consultants, such as the geotechnical and civil engineers of record, will need to submit plan review forms approving the project design as part of the building permit process.

While your permit is being reviewed there are some things you can be doing to prepare for construction. Some suggestions are outlined below:

• Confirm Contractor with a written contract
• Only pay 10% down or $1,000, whichever is less as suggestion per CSLB
• Avoid paying in cash
• Confirm your supplier of materials with written contracts
• If working with other neighbors, inform them of your possible timeline to rebuild
• Enjoy community events, other fire survivor resources, and support groups

For more information visit the CSLB (California State License Board)

Nice work! You have done your due diligence and your new home plans are now with the Recovery Permit Center pending approval. To check in on your review process call the RPC at (831) 454-5323. The expected time for first review is ten business days. The expected time for review of re-submitted plans is five business days.

PROCESS RPC staff will review your plans for compliance with all local, state, and federal codes.

• Heads up! Some requirements, including residential fire sprinklers and truss calculations, may be listed as a deferred submittal and will be reviewed later. However, we encourage complete submittals instead of deferred submittals as deferred submittals may slow down the permitting process. In other words, it’s recommended to submit ALL requirements at once, if possible, to increase the speed of a permit being issued.
• Heads up! Solar is currently required by the California Energy Code. The solar information can be a deferred submittal. The energy calculations will need to account for solar credit.
• Heads up! There is something called a green-line comments process. This allows plan examiners to insert conventional or minor comments on the plans to expedite the review process. Some comments may require correction or clarification by the design professional before permits can be issued. Some items will be able to be resolved at the counter or specified on the plan as a deferred submittal. Be sure to follow through on these comments with your design professional.
• Heads up! The California Building Code (CBC) requires special inspections for certain structural components and foundation installation. A certified special inspector (typically a civil engineer) hired by the applicant is required to perform these inspections. Consult with your design professional to identify your needs and retain special inspection services early to avoid construction delays.

After the plan review is completed, RPC staff will reach out to assist you with the issuance of the rebuild permit.

Heads Up! Permit fees are due at this time.

Your building permit has been issued and all required conditions for your project are approved.

During construction, the building inspection staff will require access for various inspections per the State of California Building Code. You can find a list of required inspections below. These are designed to ensure the structural integrity and safety of your home. During construction, all construction and work must remain accessible and exposed for inspection purposes until you have received RPC approval. Not complying will delay the completion of your home.

• It is the responsibility of you, the property owner or the property owner’s contractor/agent to call for required inspections through each phase of the construction process. The building inspector will make the requested inspection and will either approve that portion of the construction as completed or issue a notice indicating corrections for that portion of work. The work shall not be covered or concealed until all corrections have been completed and that portion of the work approved.
• The inspection record card and approved construction plans must be kept on the job site at all times and available for the building inspector. The building inspector will record approved inspections on the field inspection record card.

*Required inspections:

Required Inspections: The following is a list of required inspections for most building projects. Inspection requests should be grouped into these categories whenever possible. Other/special inspections may also be required to ascertain compliance with the building code.

• Utility underground inspection - shall be made when all underground utilities, gas, electric, plumbing, and septic leach lines are complete. These are to remain open to verify proper depth and protection of each utility.
• Foundation inspection - This is conducted when footings are excavated, forms, reinforcing steel, hold-downs, and the UFER ground are in place.
• Slab inspection - Conducted after all in-slab reinforce, drain/waste plumbing, water lines, mechanical ducts, hydronic systems, and other ancillary equipment items are installed and before any concrete is poured.
• Under-floor framing - Request when there is a raised wood floor over a crawl space or uninhabited area. This is done when all under-floor framing is in place including cripple walls and floor joists.
• Under-floor plumbing - No plumbing or drainage system shall be covered or concealed until it has been tested, inspected and approved. All required tests shall be conducted in the presence of the building inspector.
• Under-floor mechanical - This inspection includes all rough ductwork.
• Under-floor insulation inspection - To be scheduled when insulation is securely fastened in place.

NOTE: The floor sheathing is not to be installed until the four under-floor inspections are approved:

NOTE: The under-floor insulation is not to be installed until inspections listed under number 2 above are approved

• Sheeting and shear inspection - Request when shear walls and roof sheeting are complete and when fasteners and hold-downs are in place.
• Fire sprinkler inspection - To be requested from the Fire Prevention officer when the fire sprinkler piping is in place. This inspection is only needed if a fire suppression system is being installed or modified.
• Close in inspections:

Heads up! The following inspections are to be scheduled together when possible.

Keep in mind: Insulation is not to be installed until these inspections have been approved.

Keep in mind: The framing will not be signed off until the fire sprinkler inspection has been approved.

• Electrical rough inspection - Required when wiring is complete. Boxes must be open for inspection and splices made up in boxes.
• Mechanical rough inspection - When ductwork, fireplace, appliance flues, and bathroom vents are in place.
• Plumbing rough inspection - When drain, waste, vent and water supply piping is in place. Water and drain piping must have either a water or air pressure test. Gas piping must be pressure tested to 15 pounds per square inch (psi) for 10 minutes.
• Frame inspection - To be requested when framing, exterior wall sheathing and electrical, plumbing and mechanical rough work are in place.
• Insulation inspection - To be requested when thermal insulation is in place and penetrations in the exterior thermal membrane have been sealed.

Keep in mind: The interior wall covering materials are not to be installed until after the insulation has been approved.

• Sheetrock or interior lath inspection - To be requested when these elements are properly fastened in place, before plastering or joint compound is installed.

NOTE: Gas piping test will be required at this time prior to any appliance connections.

• Stucco lath (paper & wire) inspection - To be requested when lath is in place before stucco is applied
• Final fire sprinkler inspection – all sprinklers and fire apparatus are installed and in working order.
• The Final Inspection: This inspection is to be made after finish grading and the building is completed and ready for occupancy. All fixtures must be installed.
  • Electrical final inspection - Includes the installation of all fixtures, switches, and receptacles. All of the Electrical systems must be operational at the time of final inspection.
  • Plumbing final - When all plumbing fixtures are installed and are operational.
  • Mechanical final inspection - When all connections to fuel lines are made and appliances are operational.