Viewing plans and permits

Building plans and permits are public records available for viewing during regular working hours at the Development Services counter of the Faraday Center. In addition, many permits are available for viewing online.

Please note: Most plans retained by the City are for new construction permitted after 1980. Plans for residential remodels or additions are not typically retained. Plans for structures built prior to the city of Carlsbad date of incorporation (July 16, 1952) may be available at the County of San Diego Planning & Development Services Department”.

 Distribution of plans to the public

All structures start as architectural drawings created and designed by an architect or engineer. These design professionals own copyrights and approval rights on any duplicates made. To protect the design professional's rights against misuse of the plans, Health and Safety Code Section 19851 requires that the City follow specific procedures when processing requests for duplication of plans.

Specifically, the law reads “The official copy of the plans maintained by the building department of the city or county provided for under Section 19850 shall be open for inspection only on the premises of the building department as a public record. The copy may not be duplicated in whole or in part except (1) with the written permission…of the certified, licensed or registered professional [architect, engineer, etc.]…who signed the original documents and the written permission of the original or current owner of the building…or (2) by order of a proper court or upon the request of any state agency.”

Additionally, pursuant to Section 19853 of the California Health and Safety Code, plans for “any building containing a bank, other financial institution, or public utility” may not be made available to the public, either for viewing or for copying.

The “official copy of the plans maintained by the building department” (§19851 H&S) relates only to the construction documents, i.e., those plans submitted to the Building Division in order to issue a building permit. Building permit construction documents (which generally include structural drawings, engineering calculations, utility schematics, etc.) are far different from the types of plans submitted to the Planning Division for Design Review and Conditional Use Permit applications (such as site plans, elevations, landscape plans, basic floor plans, etc.). 

Obtaining a copy of a building plan

The following steps explain how to request a copy of building plans:

1. Email building@carlsbadca.gov with site address requesting if the city has building plans available.  If the city has plans, proceed to the next step.

2. Complete the Affidavit Request for Duplication of Copyrighted Plans (B-43) as follows

a. If you are the Property Owner and the Requestor, complete the upper section of the Affidavit Request for Duplication of Copyrighted Plans (B-43) and proceed to next step.

b. For new/recent property owners - provide a copy of the recorded grant deed as County records may not reflect you yet.  For property owners requesting a copy of plans, go to Step 3.  If requestor is not the property owner, proceed to Step 2c.

c. If requestor is NOT the Property Owner, you must contact the Property Owner and have them fill out the lower section of the Authorization of Agent to Act on Property Owner's Behalf B-43), called 'Authorization of Agent Act on Property Owner's Behalf', which must be notarized.  In lieu of this, the city will also accept a signed letter from the property owner giving you permission to request the plans, and for city to release them to you on their behalf.

3. Once all forms are completed, submit your request via our Online Permit Portal. Scroll down and select ‘BLDG Miscellaneous Services’.Be ready to upload all documents. Following submission, we will provide further updates via email including when fees are due per the Master Fee Schedule. To learn more about the online portal including how to register for access, visit Online Permit Services page.

NOTE: Once your request is processed and the city will send correspondence via certified mail to the design professional(s) of record. They have up to 30 days from the date the certified letter was mailed to respond to the request.

The city will release the building plans, once the above process is complete, and design professional(s) respond authorizing release or, if no response, when the 30 days are up. If the design professional declines release, additional processing time may be required.

If you have additional questions, please email at building@carlsbadca.gov.