Building Safety

Responsibilities

The Building Safety program regulates the building construction process by conducting field inspections, coordinating the plan check process by logging and reviewing plan submittals for compliance with local and state codes, and issuing certificates of occupancy.

Permit Issuance & Plan Check Submittal

Applications for basic building permits and planchecks can now be submitted online.  Click here to access the main portal page.  

Inspection Requests

Requests for inspection can be submitted online. Click here to access existing permits. Enter the permit number or project address and click the Request An Inspection link.

Project Development

An overview of the development process in Signal Hill can be found in our Project Development Guide (PDF). This document contains detailed information regarding the city’s review process. It also provides contacts for outside agencies that may have oversight authority and highlights typical development constraints, such as oil wells and seismic hazards. Applicants are responsible for submitting plans to the County of Los Angeles Fire Department for plan check approval.

DigAlert 811

Southern California’s free and easy solution for protecting underground utilities. By law, it is your responsibility to contact DigAlert before beginning work. Visit the DigAlert website for more information.

Standard Urban Stormwater Mitigation Plan (SUSMP)

All new commercial and residential developments need to do their part to help protect the quality of our rivers, wetlands and ocean. To help accomplish this, the State Regional Board requires the preparation of a Standard Urban Stormwater Mitigation Plan (PDF) (SUSMP).

Water Meter Plan Check

To assure the correct sizing of water meters the City requires a water plan for new development projects. Projects must be sized in conformance with the California Plumbing Code. A plan showing the fixture count and estimated domestic, fire and irrigation systems demand may be required.

Residential inspections of properties for sale

Building inspections of properties for sale are required only for properties with 4 or more dwelling units and which is over 10 years old from the date of completion of the original construction.

This does not include condominiums but does include apartment buildings or parcels with 4 or more residential units. For additional information, please refer to SHMC Section 8.40.020.

Please submit a Residential Inspection Report (PDF) request form to comdev@cityofsignalhill.org.

"Balcony Law" Information

Please read the information below carefully.

If you are submitting for balcony repairs, you must include the following:

1.    Report from architect or engineer per senate Bill 721 or 326.

2.    Full set of plans of proposed solutions, due to findings in report.

Senate Bill 721

SB 721 became effective on January 1, 2019, and requires owners of residential buildings containing three or more multifamily dwelling units to hire a licensed professional to complete an inspection of their building’s “exterior elevated elements.” 

“Exterior elevated elements” is defined to include decks, balconies stairways, porches, walkways and entry structures beyond the exterior walls of the building and which have a walking surface that is more than six feet above ground level, and rely in whole or in substantial part on wood or wood based products for structural support or stability. 

The purpose of the inspection is to determine whether these elements and their associated “waterproofing elements” are generally safe for human use and occupancy. Among other things, the inspection must include a written report of the evaluation signed by the inspector presented to the owner of the building within 45 days of completing the inspection. A copy of any report that recommends immediate repairs, advises that any building assembly poses an immediate threat to the safety of the occupants, or that preventing occupant access or emergency repairs, including shoring, are necessary, must be provided by the inspector to the owner of the building and to the City within 15 days of completion of the report.

For existing covered buildings, the owner must have the inspection completed by January 1, 2026, and by January 1 every six years thereafter. (See AB 2759 (2024).) Of those existing buildings that submitted a building permit application on or after January 1, 2019, the owner must have the inspection completed no later than six years after the issuance of their certificates of occupancy. However, if the building was inspected three years before January 1, 2019, by a licensed professional, as defined by Health and Safety Code section 17973(a), and the inspection report by that professional stated the structure was in proper working condition and does not pose a threat to the health and safety of the public, no new inspection is required until January 1, 2026.  

It is the owner’s responsibility to comply by these deadlines, not the City’s. In fact, SB 721 explicitly states in relevant part as follows:

  • “The person or business performing the inspection shall be hired by the owner of the building.”
  • “An exterior elevated element found by the inspector that is in need of repair or replacement shall be corrected by the owner of the building.”
  • “The owner of the building shall be responsible for complying with the requirements of this section.”

If necessary repairs are not performed within 180 days, the inspector shall notify the City and the owner of the building. If the owner fails to perform such repairs within 30 days of the date of the notice, the owner of the building shall be assessed a civil penalty based on the fee schedule set by the City of not less than one hundred dollars ($100), nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) per day until the repairs are completed, unless an extension of time is granted by the City.

SB 721 does not require the City to alert an owner of a building(s) containing an exterior elevated element that requires repair.

Read the full text of Senate Bill 721 here. 

Senate Bill 326

SB 326 became effective on January 1, 2020, and requires condominium homeowner associations with buildings that have three or more multifamily dwelling units to cause a licensed professional to inspect “exterior elevated elements” of the building to determine whether they are in a generally safe condition and performing in compliance with applicable standards at least once every nine years.  

“Exterior elevated elements” is similarly defined to include decks, balconies stairways, porches, walkways and entry structures beyond the exterior walls of the building and which have a walking surface that is more than six feet above ground level, and rely in whole or in substantial part on wood or wood based products for structural support or stability and further includes their associated waterproofing system. 

The first inspection must occur by January 1, 2025, and at least every nine years thereafter. Inspectors must also issue a written report containing the information set forth in Civil Code Section 5551(e). 

If the inspector determines that the “exterior elevated element” poses an immediate safety threat to occupants, the inspector must immediately provide the inspection report to the association and to the City within 15 days. Once the association receives the inspection report, it must take immediate preventive measures. This includes preventing access to the at-risk element until repairs are made and have been inspected and approved by the City.  

Inspection of buildings for which a building permit application has been submitted on or after January 1, 2020, shall occur no later than six years following the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. It is the association’s responsibility to comply by these deadlines, not the City’s.

SB 326 does not require the City to alert the association of an exterior elevated element to perform inspections, nor does it require to perform the repairs.

Read the full text of Senate Bill 326 here.