Orange County permits & inspections: the four corridor cities, from their official pages

Irvine — everything is electronic; two portals by permit type

The City of Irvine states that the permitting process has been digitized and all permit applications must now be submitted electronically. The route splits by whether your project needs plan check:

• Plan-check permits: submit the application and plans through the IrvineReady! Online Permit Submittal Portal (account required; the City notes it works best in Google Chrome). Plans are reviewed by City plan-check staff; the outcome is approval or a plan-check correction list. Contractors must be able to provide their City of Irvine business license, CSLB pocket card and workers’ compensation certificate (or exemption claim). Permits information line: 949-724-6313
• Minor / no-plan-check permits: since September 14, 2026 these are issued through PermitsDIRECT!, powered by Symbium (at symbium.com), which the City describes as issuing eligible minor permits in real time — listed eligible types include HVAC changeouts, electrical panel upgrades, residential reroofs, water heaters and rooftop solar or battery storage. The legacy permit site no longer accepts new online permit applications
• Inspections: scheduled at permits.cityofirvine.org, which stays active for this purpose — via the Online Scheduling System (search by permit number, choose date and type), SelecTXT (by text), or the Automated Phone System. A City grading checklist states inspections must be arranged no later than 4:00 p.m. the working day before the desired inspection day; we did not find that deadline stated on a general inspection web page, so confirm the timing that applies to your permit

Tustin — one portal (CSS), inspections by 3:00 p.m. for next workday

• Applying: the City’s process is: submit plans for compliance review, obtain the permit after review and fee payment (a permit is valid 180 days unless work is active and progressing), then schedule inspections. The Permits Process page states a first plan check takes approximately 10 working days and subsequent submittals about five. Applications — building permits and inspection requests — go online through the Citizen Self Service (CSS) Portal; hard-copy plan submittals at City Hall are by appointment. Building Division questions: 714-573-3130
• Plan Check by Appointment: for minor projects (patio covers, fences, pools and spas, kitchen/bath remodels and similar), plans are emailed at least 24 hours ahead to planpermitsubmittals@tustinca.org with the subject “Plan Check by Appointment”, per the Building Division page
• Inspections: the Inspection Requests page states requests are submitted through the CSS Portal 24 hours a day, and requests received by 3:00 p.m. are performed the following workday; call the inspector on the day of inspection between 7:30–8:00 a.m. for a timeframe. Note: the City’s Permits Process page also lists a phone inspection-request line (714-573-3141, one day in advance) — the city’s pages do not reconcile the two, so follow the dedicated Inspection Requests page or confirm by phone

Santa Ana — Building Safety Division; portal in transition to Accela

• Applying: the Building Safety Division issues building, plumbing, heating/cooling and electrical permits, reviews plans and conducts inspections. Applications may be made at the public counter (20 Civic Center Plaza, Ross Annex M-20; counter hours as posted on the Division page: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–3 p.m., Wednesdays 8 a.m.–2 p.m., alternating Fridays 8 a.m.–3 p.m.), with construction drawings submitted for plan check where required. Projects that do not require plan check are issued as Same Day Express Permits, at the counter and online. Division phone: (714) 647-5800
• Portal transition: the city’s permit portal page states the permit and property-search portals are “currently unavailable as we transition to our new Land Management System”, and names the new system Accela. Older official pages point online applicants to permit.santa-ana.org; check the portal page for the current state before starting an online application — we verified the new system’s name from the city page, but no direct new-portal URL was published on the pages we checked
• Inspections: the City’s Online Inspection System (permit.santa-ana.org/bldgInspections) lets permit holders schedule, re-schedule, cancel and view building inspections online once the permit is issued — you need the permit number and the PIN printed on the permit form. Inspections can also be scheduled by phone at (714) 667-2738. Certain interior work in occupied units (e.g. water heaters, HVAC change-outs) can use remote video inspection, scheduled via the same phone number; the assigned inspector calls for a pre-screen on the scheduled morning, approximately 7–8 a.m.

Anaheim — Building Division; its own pages disagree on online scheduling

• Applying: the Building Division (714-765-5153) reviews plans for compliance with the California Building Standards Codes and issues permits; per the Permit Processing Info page, submittal uses the “Plans Required for Submittal” handout plus a completed Plan Check Application, and smaller projects needing no more than about 30 minutes of review can typically be handled over the counter. The Building Permit Application form is available at the counter and online via anaheim.net/building. We did not find a named online portal for general building-permit applications on the city pages we checked — the GoPost portal the city describes is for Planning discretionary and administrative permits, not general building permits
• Inspections — read this carefully: Anaheim’s own official pages currently state different things. One Inspection page says the online inspection request is “temporarily unavailable” and to call 714-765-5153 to schedule. A second Inspection page offers online scheduling links and states inspections must be scheduled by 5:00 p.m. the prior business day. An official Building Division handout gives a Building Inspection Request Line — (714) 765-4626 — with requests by 11:59 p.m. scheduled for the following work day, while a 2024 bulletin states a 4:00 p.m. cutoff. We report the conflict rather than choose: check the Inspection pages linked below and the instructions on your job card for the rule that applies to your permit
• Help: the City’s Permit Assistance Center page collects permit and license information for residential, commercial and industrial projects

What Buildzz does — and does not do — with permits

Buildzz is not a city, a plan checker or an expediter: it does not adjudicate, approve or issue permits, and specialized permit workflows are outside the platform (the app says so, in those words). What Buildzz does is coordination around the official process — a project record that names the jurisdiction, links the official portals above, and keeps permit and inspection status visible next to the requirements, quotes and orders they gate.