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AB 671: Accelerated Restaurant Building Plan Approval

Assembly Bill (AB) 671 (Wicks 2025) allows applicants for internal tenant improvements (TIs) related to restaurants to use a qualified professional to certify compliance with applicable building, health, and safety codes, in order to receive a shortened permit review.


This webpage describes the process by which an applicant may utilize the provisions of AB 671

Project Eligibility

Projects meeting all of the following criteria may be eligible for private plan certification:

  1. The project is a change to the interior of an existing building;
  2. The project is related to a retail food establishment that prepares, serves, and vends food directly to the consumer;
  3. The project is not a fast-food restaurant, as defined in Section 1474 of the California Labor Code (i.e., part of a national chain of limited-service restaurants with more than 60 establishments nationwide where patrons order items and pay before consuming, and with limited or no table service, subject to certain exceptions); and
  4. The project is not subject to plan review requirements under the California Retail Food Code (i.e., the project does not require review by the County of San Diego Health Department).

Processing Guidelines

Projects seeking to utilize the program will proceed as follows:

 

 

Step 1

Pre-Submittal Meeting

Applicants must meet with a representative from the Small Business and Restaurant Express Program to discuss their project scope and inform DSD that they will be using a qualified professional certifier pursuant to AB 671.

Step 2

Application Submittal

Applicants must submit a building permit application in accordance with the standard submittal procedures. Please see the Building Permit webpage for more details.

When filling out the application in Accela, do both of the following:

  • Identify that this is an AB 671 project in the Scope of Work
  • Select "Actively Managed" and “Restaurant Pro Cert Review”

In addition to the standard application package, applicants must provide the following materials:

  1. Plan set certified by the qualified professional certifier for compliance with all building, health, and safety codes, including stamps from the certifier on each plan sheet.
    • Building, health, and safety codes include the California Building Standards Code and local amendments to the California Building Code, California Electrical Code, California Mechanical Code, California Plumbing Code, California Fire Code, California Green Building Standards Code, California Energy Code, and the California Existing Building Code, as amended in Chapters 12 and 14 of the Land Development Code.
  2. Qualified Professional Certifier Affidavit. This affidavit will attest to the following:
    • The plans and specifications comply with all building, health, and safety codes;
    • The restaurant meets the criteria necessary for entry into the program pursuant to state law;
    • Whether County of San Diego Health Department Review is required;
    • Information regarding existing and proposed fixtures; and
    • Proof of the Professional Certifier’s Qualifications, including license, experience, and insurance.
  3. Indemnification Agreement.

Step 3

Project Management and Fees

If the project meets the eligibility criteria, it will be assigned an Active Development Project Manager. The Project Manager will add an administrative fee to the project for processing, based on the Express Fee schedule. Please see Information Bulletin 501 for more details.

Step 4

Project Review

Once the complete application is submitted, DSD reviews for compliance with building, health, and safety codes will be completed within 20 business days. These review disciplines include Combined, Electrical, Fire Alarm, Fire Suppression, HazMat, Mechanical, Smoke Control, and Structural.

All other review disciplines will proceed in accordance with normal review procedures.

Step 5

Resumbittal

If applicable DSD divisions provide comments, the applicant must resubmit its materials with corrections. Any resubmittals addressing those comments will be reviewed within 10 business days, with the review limited to issues identified in the first review cycle.

Step 6

Issuance

Once all review disciplines have signed off, the application will proceed pursuant to standard issuance procedures. Please see Information Bulletin 153 for more details.

Step 7

Inspection

Even when a qualified professional certifier is used, all inspections will continue to be performed by the City. The use of a qualified professional certifier does not exempt the project from required inspections or from any modifications identified during the inspection process. Please see the Inspections webpage for more details.

Audits

State law requires local building departments to audit at least 20% of all tenant improvements submitted per week for certification under this program. Audits shall be initiated within 5 business days following permit issuance and shall include a review of the submitted plans for compliance with all applicable building, health, and safety codes. If an audit reveals material noncompliance, DSD shall provide a plan check correction notice within 10 business days of the audit’s initiation.

Qualified Professional Certifier Eligibility

In order to qualify as a professional certifier pursuant to AB 671, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Licensing. The professional certifier must be licensed as one of the following pursuant to the Business and Professions Code:
    • A professional engineer, or
    • An architect.
  2. Experience. The professional certifier must have at least five years of experience in commercial building design or plan review.
  3. Liability Insurance. The professional certifier must maintain professional liability insurance in an amount not less than two million dollars ($2,000,000) per occurrence.

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