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San Luis Obispo County

County of San Luis Obispo Department of Planning & Building

In short

County of San Luis Obispo Department of Planning & Building issues 2 permits we publish for San Luis Obispo County, last verified 2026-10-24. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Business License Zoning ClearanceCounty of San Luis Obispo Department of Planning & BuildingBusiness License Review (L01) $469; Business License Review - Home Occupancy (L01HO) $76.one-time per application (new business, change of use or name change)2026-10-24
Building Permit (unincorporated area, commercial)only if it applies to youCounty of San Luis Obispo Department of Planning & BuildingPlan check plus inspection, per square foot: Tenant Improvement - No Change of Occupancy / Non-Structural $1.18 + $1.06 (1,000 min sf, 15,000 max sf); Tenant Improvement - Change of Occupancy / Structural $1.55 + $1.30 (1,000 min sf, 15,000 max sf); new construction, Assembly (A) - Theater, Church, Sports Arena, Bar/Restaurant over 750 sf, $1.72 + $1.09 (1,000 min sf, 12,250 max sf); new construction, Mercantile (M) $1.18 + $0.64 (1,000 min sf, 12,500 max sf). Plan Check - Hourly Fee $180; Inspection - Hourly Fee $180.per project (one-time)2026-10-24

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Business License Zoning Clearance

A County Business License in the unincorporated area needs a zoning clearance from the Department of Planning & Building. The Commercial Business Clearance Application page applies it to anyone applying for a County business license who 'Proposes a new commercial business', whose application 'Involves a change of use in an existing structure', or who changes the name of an existing commercial business, and lists restaurants and commercial retail or service uses among the clearance types. The applicant starts the Tax Collector's license application, applies for the clearance and pays the emailed invoice; the page warns that 'after 15 days of non-payment of invoice, the application will be voided'. It adds: 'Once Planning staff approves the Zoning Clearance, Planning will notify the Tax Collector, and the Tax Collector will mail the business license to the applicant.' The fee is $469 for a Business License Review (L01) and $76 for a home-occupancy review (L01HO), per Schedule B fund center 142, adopted in Ordinance No. 3596 on May 5, 2026 and in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

Building Permit (unincorporated area, commercial)

Building a new commercial structure or doing a tenant improvement in the unincorporated area needs a building permit from the Department of Planning & Building. Schedule B fund center 142, Section V (Construction Permits), prices commercial work per square foot, as a plan check rate plus an inspection rate, within the minimum and maximum square footage printed for each line: a tenant improvement with no change of occupancy is $1.18 plus $1.06, and one with a change of occupancy or structural work is $1.55 plus $1.30; new assembly space, including a bar or restaurant over 750 sf, is $1.72 plus $1.09, and new mercantile space is $1.18 plus $0.64. Hourly plan check and inspection are $180. The schedule was adopted in Ordinance No. 3596 on May 5, 2026 and is in effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Planning & Building's permit page says 'Express Permits are available to be submitted online by a California Licensed Contractor' for smaller jobs such as water heater or electrical panel replacement. Inside a city, the city's building department issues the permit.

Contact

Jurisdiction
San Luis Obispo County
Phone
(805) 781-5600

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Commercial Business Clearance ApplicationCounty of San Luis Obispo Department of Planning & Building · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
  2. Commercial Business Zoning ClearanceCounty of San Luis Obispo Department of Planning & Building · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
  3. County Business LicensesCounty of San Luis Obispo Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
  4. How to Apply for a Permit in Unincorporated SLO CountyCounty of San Luis Obispo Department of Planning & Building · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
  5. Ordinance No. 3596 — Ordinance Amending County Fee Schedule BCounty of San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
  6. Schedule B FY 2026-27 Fee Schedule — Fund Center 142, Planning and BuildingCounty of San Luis Obispo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24

Other offices serving San Luis Obispo County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

California jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.