Building Department

Questions related to plan review, permit, inspection, and project close-out requirements.

Campus Design Standards

Purpose: The University of California Berkeley Real Estate Division created the Campus Design Standards to guide design and construction professionals to complete lasting, high-quality additions to the campus built environment. These Standards, along with applicable codes, ensure that new construction and renovation projects at UC Berkeley integrate industry best practices and experience with existing campus buildings, infrastructure, grounds, and maintenance issues.

Administration: The Campus Design Standards are administered by Inspection Services and...

Codes and Resources

Applicable codes and requirements

California Building Code(link is external) (online)
Division of the State Architect California Access Compliance Reference Materials(link is external) (online)
...

Campus Building Department

The Campus Building Department reviews and inspects all construction and renovation at UC Berkeley. In addition to theCalifornia Building Codeand theUCOP Facilities Manual, we also work to ensure that projects follow theCampus Design Standardsand contribute to a safe, efficient and long-lasting built environment in keeping with Berkeley's standing as a world-class...

Building Department Team

Building Department Team

Sean McNamara
Director and Campus Building Official
sean.mcnamara@berkeley.edu
510.847.2312 (C)

Bob Fox
Sr. Construction Inspector
redrider@berkeley.edu
510.529.5682 (C)

tim guichard
Sr. Construction Inspector
tguichar@berkeley.edu
510.213....

Permits and Plan Reviews

All construction and renovation projects at UC Berkeley must adhere to the California Building Code and the UCOP Facilities Manual. Additionally, projects in university-owned and university-operated spaces must adhere to the Campus Design Standards

Projects must submit plans for review and...

Does my project require review for accessibility compliance?

Yes. All projects are reviewed for compliance with Chapter 11b - Accessibility to Public Buildings, Public Accommodations, Commercial Buildings and Public Housing.

Generally, large projects are reviewed by the Division of the State Architect. Small projects are reviewed in-house by Certified Access Specialist (CASp) certified plan reviewers.

Inspections

If you don't know your project number, find it from the list of active permitted projectshere You must provide contact information for the person who will be onsite and is responsible for the work. You must request inspection before 5PM the day prior to inspection. Note that you may select AM (7-11AM) or PM (11AM-3PM) time slots. You may request a specific time in the description field, but due to workload, these requests are never guaranteed. If you...

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

I heard I need to submit a permit for painting. Is that true?

When we first instituted the permit process, we did require permits for paint in order to collect data on who was doing such work on campus. We have since changed our business process, and as such, permits for paint are no longer required.

How do I share documents with the Building Department?

Email is easy! Send your documents as attachments to: building@berkeley.edu. Make sure your email denotes your project details (Permit number if one has been issued, client reference number if not) so we know what the documents pertain to.

If your files are too big for email, you can use either of Berkeley's file sharing tools. We've created handy tutorials forcreating a download link...