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 three 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 potential geologic hazards early in the design process. A site plan will be required as part of the Pre-Clearance application. The three required Pre-Clearances are Environmental Health, Fire, and Geologic Hazards.

  • 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.

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.

Click here to self-schedule a consultation and specify “Pre-Clearances” when booking your appointment. You can also email rpc@santacruzcounty.us 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).