NEWS RELEASE: City Celebrates One Year of Pop-Up Permits, Helping Residents Get Permits with Ease

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Marika Krause, Public Information Manager, Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department
408-534-2946; [email protected]

City Celebrates One Year of Pop-Up Permits, Helping Residents Get Permits with Ease
Program brings permitting advice and plan review to neighborhoods across San José

SAN JOSE, Calif. (October 21, 2026) - The City of San José is celebrating a year of its popular program, Pop-Up Permits. The event series, organized by the Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department (PBCE), makes the permitting process easier and faster to navigate by offering weekend hours for advice on residential projects at community centers and libraries across the city. More than 800 residents have stopped by the events since the program began last October.

"Pop-Up Permits brings our experts directly into the neighborhoods we serve. By connecting residents and contractors with building inspectors and permitting specialists where they live, we are making the permitting process more accessible and efficient," said City Manager Jennifer Maguire.

Planning and Building Plan Reviewers and Building Inspectors have answered questions about everything from tree removal to kitchen renovations and issued permits on the spot for simple projects like heat pump water heaters. Property owners thinking about adding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) to their land can also talk to one of the City's ADU Allies. San José is a leader in ADU policy, becoming home to the first ADU condo in the state last summer.

"We're bringing permitting to the people, making it easier to get answers on everything from kitchen renovations to backyard ADUs," said Mayor Matt Mahan. "Improving your home is a big enough project without having to navigate City bureaucracy. We want residents spending less time on paperwork and more time getting the job done."

Every participant surveyed at Pop-Up Permits events ranked their experience as excellent or good and said they are very likely to return to another event or recommend the program to others.

"Seeing smiling faces return to our events tell us the program is working. It feels good to know we're building trust and respect with our community. Staff expertise and guidance help you build safely and confidently," said Lisa Joiner, Chief Building Official, City of San José.

PBCE has launched new tools to make it easier to build. Start Your Project pages launched on the City's website this spring to help walk applicants through what they'll need to get their projects properly permitted and built. There are also more than 50 permits available online through SJPermits.org that can be secured in minutes. The ability to upload project plans to SJePlans has also helped speed up plan review by delivering more complete applications. Applicants used online tools to apply for more than 80% of planning and building permits issued this year.

The next Pop-Up Permits is scheduled for December 5 at Evergreen Branch Library from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit bit.ly/SJpopuppermits and sign up for PBCE News for updates.

About the City of San José
With almost 1 million residents, San José is one of the most diverse large cities in the United States and is Northern California's largest city and the 13th largest city in the nation. San José's transformation into a global innovation center has resulted in one of the largest concentrations of technology companies and expertise in the world.

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