Electronic Plan Review

Permit Process Overview

Applicants seeking Building Permits or Encroachment Permits on Port property must submit an application through the Building Permit Desk.

Upon receiving an application, Port staff will check to make sure the application is complete. It may take up to 48 hours to confirm your application. If your application is complete, staff will send your document for review. The review period can take up to 30 days.

• Building Permit Process (95.30KB)
• Encroachment Permit Process (95.49KB)

Submission Procedures for Electronic Plan Review

The Port uses Bluebeam to review plan sets for building permits. Bluebeam allows plan reviewers to navigate easily through your digital PDF plan set. PDF plans are easier to submit, manage, and track than paper plans.

Applicants seeking building and encroachment permits must ensure that submitted PDF plans adhere to the CCSF EPR Applicant Procedure. Additional resources to help assist you in navigating the process may be found on the

• City’s Electronic Plan Review website has additional resources to help you navigate the electronic plan review process
• How to format PDFs for Bluebeam

If your plans do not follow these guidelines, you may be asked to revise or resubmit your application, which will delay the permit approval timeline.

Resources and FAQ

• Instructions for Uploading Files to the Port Permit Desk Using Microsoft SharePoint.
• Port Permit Desk FAQ 

Exceptions to the City Guidelines for Port Projects

There are two areas where the Port’s EPR standards diverge from those of the City’s process which is managed by the Department of Building Inspection:

Document Management

The Port uses Microsoft SharePoint as its document management system. Applicants will use SharePoint to submit and retrieve documents throughout the permit process. Refer to the Port’s EPR Procedure: Instructions for Uploading Files to the Port Permit Desk Using Microsoft SharePoint.

Naming Conventions

The Port uses a different naming convention than the standard used by other City agencies.  Refer to Appendix 2 of the CCSF EPR Applicant Procedure to ensure that your applications are following the Port procedures.

Resources for Consultants Working on Internally Managed Port Projects

Consultants to the Port working on Port-led infrastructure or capital improvement projects are required to use the Port’s standard cover sheet and title block when preparing construction drawing sets for the Port to review.

The Port’s standard title block must be consistently applied to all sheets of drawing sets submitted to the Port. Consultants to the Port are also required to use a standard drawing sheet size of 34 inches x 22 inches (ANSI D).

• SF Port Standard Cover Sheet (DWG) (PDF)
• SF Port Standard Title Block (DWG) (PDF)

This requirement only applies to capital improvement projects managed by the Port. Privately led projects seeking permits through the Port are not required to incorporate the Port’s standard cover sheet and title block into their plan sets.

Both consultants to the Port working on Port-led capital improvement projects and Privately-sponsored projects seeking permits through the Port Permit Desk are required to adhere to the CCSF Guidelines on Formatting PDFs for Electronic Plan Review.This document summarizes practices for working with CAD and PDF software to support a nimble electronic plan review process by the Port.

For detailed instructions for optimizing PDF drawings for review by the Port, please refer to the CCSF EPR Applicant Procedure.