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 from the Port are required to ensure that submitted PDF plans adhere to the CCSF EPR Applicant Procedure. This document and many additional resources to help assist you in navigating the EPR process can be found on the City’s Electronic Plan Review website.
The City has also created a quick guide on how to format PDFs for Bluebeam.
Please note, your submittal may be delayed, or you may be required to revise resubmit your plans if they do not follow these guidelines.
Permit Process Overview
Applicants seeking Building Permits or Encroachment Permits on Port property must submit an application through the Port Permit Desk.
Upon receiving an application, Permit Desk staff will check it for completeness. It typically takes the Permit Desk staff 24-48 hours to do their initial completeness check.
Once your application has been deemed complete, Permit Desk staff will circulate your document for review by Port staff. The review period can take up to 30 days.
Resources and FAQ
- For detailed instructions on how to apply for a permit with the Port Permit Desk, see: Instructions for Uploading Files to the Port Permit Desk Using Microsoft SharePoint.
- The permit application form can be found on the Permit Services page of the Port’s Website.
- Port Permit Desk FAQ answers commonly asked questions the permit process and working with the Port Permit Center
Exceptions to the City Guidelines for Por 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 (unlike the City which uses Bluebeam’s built-in document management system). Port applicants will interface with SharePoint to submit and retrieve documents throughout the permit process.
When reviewing the CCSF EPR Applicant Procedure, Port applicants should ignore Section 6.0 (which covers instructions for submitting documents using the City’s document management system), and instead, refer to the Port’s EPR Procedure: Instructions for Uploading Files to the Port Permit Desk Using Microsoft SharePoint.
- Naming Conventions. The Port Permit Desk uses a different naming convention than the standard used by other City agencies. Applicants for Port permits are required to adhere to the Port’s document naming standard which can be found in Appendix 2of the CCSF EPR Applicant Procedure.
Questions and Contacts
The Port is committed to working with and supporting our Permit Desk clients. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions that arise throughout the permit process.
- Questions related to the electronic plan review process or using Bluebeam Software should be directed to the CCSF Permit Center (permitcenter@sfgov.org).
- Questions related to the status of a specific permit or the process of submitting documents to the Port Permit Desk submitted to the Port, (permit-desk@sfport.com)
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).
Note that this requirement only applies to capital improvement projects managed by the Port. Privately led projects seeking permits through the Port Permit Desk 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.