San Bernardino | Permits and fees

San Bernardino, California Permits and Fees: Who Decides, Hearings, Appeals, Deadlines, Planning Fees, Building Fees and Impact Fees

A housing project in the City of San Bernardino passes through up to four bodies: City staff, a staff committee, the Planning Commission and the City Council. Article IV of the Development Code says which body decides each application, how hearings are noticed, how long an approval lasts and how to appeal. The fees are in four schedules the City posts, dated from 2020 to 2024. This page covers the steps and every posted fee a small housing project meets. The San Bernardino overview has the summary.

Who Decides Each Application

Sources: San Bernardino Development Code 19.02.040, Table 31.01, 19.44.030, 19.52.090 and 19.66.150; Ordinance MC-1659, Exhibit A, subsection 4.c.

Section 19.02.040 names the review authorities. The code uses older titles in places, such as "Mayor and Common Council" for the City Council.

• The Director. The Director of Community Development has "Final approval authority for and enforcement of: Building Permits, Certificates of Occupancy, Specified Development Permits, Lot Line or Boundary Adjustments, Home Occupation Permits, Minor Exceptions, Minor Modifications, Sign Permits, Similar Use Determinations, Temporary Use Permits."
• The staff committee. The Development Review Committee is made up of representatives of Community Development, "Integrated Waste Management, Fire, and Water." It has "Final approval authority for: specified Development Permits, Tentative Parcel Maps, design review and adoption of Negative Declarations, subject to appeal to the Planning Commission." The same staff sit as the Environmental Review Committee, and the code calls the two together the D/ERC.
• The Planning Commission. "The Planning Commission shall consist of nine members." It gives "Final approval for Variances, Specified Development Permits, Conditional Use Permits, Tentative Tract Maps, Reversions to Acreage, and Vesting Tentative Tract Maps subject to appeal," and recommends on specific plans and amendments to the General Plan and the Development Code.
• The City Council. The Council has "final decision authority for appeals, final maps, Specific Plans, General Plan Amendments, Development Code Amendments," and development agreements.
• The City Engineer. The City Engineer handles final maps, improvement plans, "certificates of compliance, mergers/unmergers and correction and amendment of maps."
• More than one permit. When a project needs several permits, "the final decision on the project shall be made by the highest level of review authority." The code's example: "a project requiring a Variance and Development Permit applications shall be determined by the Commission."

Filing an Application

• Before filing. Section 19.31.030: "A prospective applicant or agent may request a pre-application conference with the Department prior to formal submittal." It "should take place prior to any substantial investment (i.e., land acquisition, site, engineering and construction plans)."
• Who may apply. Section 19.32.020: "the owner(s) or lessee(s) of property, or their agent(s), or person(s) who have contracted to purchase property contingent upon their ability to acquire the necessary permits."
• Fees first. "Until all applicable fees have been paid in full, review shall not commence on any application."
• Completeness. "No later than 30 days of the filing date of the application, the City shall determine in writing whether the application is complete." If the Director does not answer within 30 days, that "shall be deemed a determination that the application is complete."
• Disputing an incomplete notice. The applicant may appeal to the Commission "within 15 days of the notice of incompleteness," and then to the Council.
• Applications left incomplete. If the applicant does not supply the missing items "within 90 days after the date of the letter requesting the additional information, the Director may consider the application withdrawn."
• Design review. Under Chapter 19.38 the committee reviews "New structure(s)/development and related site plans subject to a review authority other than the Director" before the final decision.
• Environmental review. For an application that is decided by judgment, which the code calls discretionary, the Environmental Review Committee decides whether a negative declaration or an environmental impact report is needed under the California Environmental Quality Act. The state rules are on the CEQA and permit streamlining page.

Hearings, Notice and Appeals

• Notice period. Section 19.52.020: "Not less than 10 days before the date of a hearing, public notice shall be given."
• Who receives it. Notice is mailed "to the owners and tenants (residential and business) of a property within a radius of 1,000 feet of the exterior boundaries of the property involved in the application," and published once in a newspaper of general circulation.
• Two languages. "the notice shall be prepared in English and Spanish."
• The mailing list. "The list shall be prepared and certified by the applicant or a title insurance company." Above 1,000 recipients, a newspaper display advertisement of at least 1/8 page may replace the mailing.
• When an approval takes effect. "Director approved Development Permits shall become effective upon approval, unless appealed. Minor Exceptions, Variances, all other Development Permits, and Conditional Use Permits, shall become effective 15 days following the final date of action."
• Where an appeal goes. "Any determination or action taken by the Director or the DRC may only be appealed to the Commission," a Commission action "may be appealed to the Council," and an action of the City Engineer "may only be appealed directly to the Council."
• The deadline. An appeal "shall be filed with the Department within 15 days following the final date of action for which an appeal is made," on a City form that states the basis of the appeal.
• Final decision. "The decision of the Council shall be final."
• Trying again. After a denial, "no application for the same or substantially same permit or amendment shall be filed in whole, or in part, for the ensuing 12 months except as otherwise specified at the time of denial."
• Reconsideration. A request based on new facts must be filed "within 15 days following the final date of action." The fee schedule lists reconsideration by the Planning Commission at $2,776.80.

How Long Approvals Last

• Administrative and Development Permits. Section 19.44.050: "Within two years of Administrative or Development Permit approval, commencement of construction shall have occurred or the permit shall become null and void. In addition, if after commencement of construction, work is discontinued for a period of one year, then the Administrative or Development Permit shall become null and void."
• Extension. "The review authority may, upon an application being filed 30 days prior to expiration and for good cause, grant a time extension not to exceed 12 months." The fee schedule lists an Extension of Time at $1,934.40.
• Phases. In a project approved in phases, each phase has one year from the start of the one before it.
• Conditional Use Permits. Two years to start construction, under Section 19.36.070.
• Minor Exceptions. One year, with one extension of up to 12 months.
• Tentative maps. 24 months, with extensions by the Commission of up to 3 years in total.
• Urban lot split maps. "The tentative parcel map expires three months after approval."
• Security. "The developer may be required to provide performance security" for the conditions of approval.

State Deadlines for Housing Without a Hearing

Four kinds of small housing application are decided by staff against fixed rules, with no hearing, and state law sets the deadline.

• ADUs. Ordinance MC-1659 gives the City 15 business days to rule on completeness and 60 days to decide, after which the application "is deemed approved." See the ADUs and SB 9 page.
• SB 9 two-unit projects. Government Code 65852.21: "If the local agency has not approved or denied the completed application within 60 days, the application shall be deemed approved."
• SB 9 urban lot splits. Government Code 66411.7 sets the same 60 days.
• Small-lot maps of up to 10 lots. Government Code 66499.41: "If the local agency does not approve or deny a completed application within 60 days, the application shall be deemed approved."

The City's SB 9 sections, written in January 2022, have no 60-day line. The statutes control.

Planning Division Fees

Source: City of San Bernardino, Fee Schedule, Planning Division, headed "Fees Effective: July 20, 2020," pages dated February 2024.

• What is inside each total. "All Planning Division fees include assessment of a 2% Technology Fee and 2% General Plan Maintenance Fee."
• Larger sites. A Development Permit for a site over 5 acres is $12,381.20 with committee review and $16,073.20 with Planning Commission review.
• Actual cost items. Environmental review, vesting tentative maps, specific plans and development agreements are billed at 'Actual Cost.' "The applicant shall pay an initial deposit of $1,500 (or the deposit listed in the fee schedule) at the time of filing."
• Hearing notices. "All applications which require action at a public hearing (D/ERC and Planning Commission) shall be assessed a fee to cover the cost of noticing and publication." A project that goes on to the City Council pays "an additional fee in an equal amount."
• Several applications. "If a project involves multiple applications, the full amount of fees for each type of application shall be paid."
• What the schedule leaves out. It has no line that names an ADU permit, an urban lot split or a two-unit project. The code lets the Council set those fees by resolution.

The City's Applications & Fees page labels this file "Fee Schedule (Planning Division) 2024." Section 19.32.030 says "The schedule of fees may be changed or modified only by resolution of the Council." This guide did not read the resolution, so confirm each amount at the counter.

Building and Engineering Fees

• Plan review of a house or duplex. The Building & Safety schedule, dated 07/2020: "The hourly rate for in-house plan review is $122.37," and "The plan review fee for new 1 & 2 family dwellings and for each model of a tract is equal to 5 hours." That is $611.85 (VanPlex arithmetic).
• Permit for an in-fill home. Table 1B lists $1,461 for a home up to 1,200 square feet, $1,745 at 2,000 square feet and $2,100 at 3,000 square feet.
• Permit for a tract home. Table 1A, for "tract homes built in phases of 5 or more," lists $564 up to 1,200 square feet and $725 at 2,000 square feet.
• Additions. "$1.74 per sq. ft." without a bath or kitchen and "$1.92 per sq. ft." with one, with a minimum of $375.00.
• Apartments. Plan review and permit fees are based on a valuation the City computes from cost factors by building type. The schedule notes that the valuation "may or may not have a resemblance to actual square foot cost of a project."
• What these leave out. "These fees do not include Development Impact Fees, School Fees, Engineering Division Fees, Planning Division Fees, Water Department Fees, Health Department Fees, or other fees."
• Engineering. The Public Works schedule, effective July 19, 2020, lists grading plan check above 50 cubic yards at $397.80, hydrology study review at $841.50, and final map or parcel map review at $5,298.90 plus $280.50 per lot.
• Street dedication. Section 19.20.030(18) says new construction "of 2,500 square feet or more of the structure floor area of the primary structure shall require the dedication of public right-of-way for public street purposes," and the owner must agree to join any future assessment district for street improvements.

Impact Fees per Home

An impact fee is a charge on new building that pays for public facilities such as roads, drains and parks. The City's Land Development page posts one schedule, titled "Land Development - Impact Fees 2022."

Source: City of San Bernardino, Land Development Division, Impact Fees, "Update Effective: February 15, 2022." Amounts are per unit. The total row is VanPlex arithmetic and leaves out the fees listed below the table.

• The schedule is old. It says the local circulation fee "is updated each July 15th based on the ENR (Engineering News Record) Construction Cost Index," that "All Drainage Fees are updated each July 15th," and that the regional circulation fee "is updated annually by Resolution of the Mayor and Council." The amounts in force in 2026 will differ from the table. Ask the Land Development Division, which the schedule lists at (909) 384-5140.
• Law enforcement fee. The schedule has a Law Enforcement Fee for homes. Its amounts are printed on different lines from its use labels, so this guide does not give a figure.
• Sewer capacity. "Paid to the Water Department." The schedule lists an application fee of $180.00 and a residential fee of "$ 3,500.00/dwelling unit," and says "These fees are not applicable to development within the East Valley Water District service area."
• Area fees. A storm drain fee of "$13,075.50/gross acre" applies to all projects in the Pepper/Randall area, and the Verdemont area has a Chestnut Drainage Fee and a Palm Box Culvert/Signal Fee by the square foot.
• When they are paid. The circulation fees "are due prior to Issuance of a Building Permit," and the drainage fees "at the time of application for Building Permits."
• ADUs. The schedule's note says an ADU "that is 750 square feet or larger" pays in proportion to the main house. Government Code 66311.5 exempts an ADU of "750 square feet of interior livable space or less," so an ADU of exactly 750 square feet pays nothing.
• The park fee in the code. Section 19.30.320 separately sets a "park and recreation construction fee" of "One percent of the cost of the improvements for each single-family dwelling constructed, as determined by the building permit," and the same for each home in a multi-family building. Ask whether the City still collects it beside the parkland fee in the schedule.
• School fees. The City's ADU page names three districts, San Bernardino City Unified, Redlands Unified and Rialto Unified, and says "The school district makes the determination if a fee is required."

An example by VanPlex arithmetic from the 2022 schedule: a fourplex of attached homes on an infill lot pays 4 times $11,393.91, or $45,575.64, before the law enforcement, sewer and school fees. The statewide rules on these charges are on the California impact fees page.

Where City Documents and the Code Differ

• Dates on the fee schedule. The Planning schedule is headed "Fees Effective: July 20, 2020," its pages are dated February 2024, and the City page calls it the 2024 schedule. The amounts may predate 2024.
• Notice distance. The code mails notice within 1,000 feet. The City's Subdivisions handout says 500 feet. The code controls.
• Office addresses. The Planning fee schedule gives the office as "201 North E Street, 3rd Floor," and the City's ADU page lists Land Development at "201B North E Street 2nd Floor." The City's ADU page gives the Planning number as 909-998-2300, and the fee schedule prints (909) 384-5567.
• Committee names. The code uses Development Review Committee, DRC and D/ERC for the same staff body, and the City's agenda system lists it as the Development and Environmental Review Committee.
• A cross-reference. Section 19.44.090 refers to "the findings contained in Section 19.44.060." The findings are in Section 19.44.040.

Limits of This Page

Every fee here comes from a schedule the City posts, and each schedule is two to six years old: Planning (2020 fees on 2024 pages), Building and Safety (07/2020), Public Works (July 19, 2020) and impact fees (February 15, 2022). The Council resolutions that set the current fees were not read, and neither were the schedules of the Water Department, East Valley Water District, the school districts or San Bernardino County Fire. Planning Commission and City Council agendas from January 2025 to October 7, 2026 list no ordinance amending Chapters 19.31, 19.32, 19.44 or 19.52. This page gives no construction cost. Land outside the city limits follows San Bernardino County's permit process and fees.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the San Bernardino overview, the California impact fees page and the CEQA and permit streamlining page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)