How to Get Single Family Home Building Permits from DCRA?

Do you want a permit for a single-family home in DC? Well, you should have a clear overview of the permitting process. Obtaining a permit in the District encompasses various steps.  You are required to get approvals from agencies beside DCRA according to the projects.

Stages for Applying for Single Family Home Building Permits from DCRA include:

1. Pre-application

2. Environmental Review 

3. Preparing Permit Application

4. Submittal of Plan

5. Plan Review

6. Permit Issuance

1. Pre-application – It is the development standard delineated in Title 11 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (DCMR), regulating the use of land, the height & size of buildings, lots, yard facility, parking, etc.

Considerations  before Submitting Permit Application:

Now, the question is what should you do before submitting your permit application? You need to find out whether the development restrictions apply to your construction project. 

• Learn about Zoning District & Overlay: 

Learn about your zoning district and whether you are in a zoning overlay. Usually, overlay districts lay down added zoning guidelines together with the underlying zoning district. Added development restrictions are managed by agencies, like the National Capital Planning Commission, Historic Preservation, the US Commission of Fine Arts as well as other initial reviewing groups. For more info and a comprehensive list of overlays, you need to visit the DC Office of Zoning website.

• Check out whether you require Office of Surveyor Documents:

You also need to check whether you need to get the Office of the Surveyor documents for submitting your permit application. These often take into consideration plats, subdivisions, and alley closing forms. Plats are essential for all kinds of exterior work and must exhibit all prevailing structures drawn to scale. Plats are not a prerequisite for the jobs that merely involve interior work like bath remodeling. A construction plat is a scaled diagram of a lot, showing lot lines and record dimensions. The plat needs to be certified by the DC Surveyor and is typically used to get a building permit. To obtain a building plat, you are supposed to place the order individually at the Office of the Surveyor with  Square, Suffix, and Lot number for every property. The normal cost of a regular plat consists of $30.

• Find out whether you need issuance for a new address:

You also have to find out whether you need issuance for a new address or not. If you have a new address, you have to submit a completed application to the Permit Center.

• Setting Up Other Pre-application Meeting with DC:

You also have to set up other pre-application meetings with the DC Water, DDOT, and DOH. The meetings help to eradicate unforeseen complications during the review of permit applications, especially on large-scale projects.

2. Environmental Review 

• Consider the Environmental Influence of Projected Actions

According to the DC Public Law 8-36, the Environmental Policy Act of 1989 entails all agencies in the District of Columbia to consider the environmental influence of all projected activities before issuance of an approval. 

• Submit an Environmental Intake Form

Permit applicants also have to submit an Environmental Intake Form for gauging whether an Environmental Impact Screening is essential or not. If you need a screening, an interagency review team will inspect your Environmental Impact Screening Form to decide, which takes around 30 days.

• Take Time to Read & Understand Materials

You will find all the forms, regulations, and maps related to the Environmental Review Process on this website. Take time to read & understand these materials as no permit will be issued until the environmental review process has been completed.

3. Preparing Permit Application

While preparing the permit application, ensure that you have:

• Checked required information & applicable boxes 

• Included Square, Suffix & Lot numbers

• Identified Zoning District & Zoning Overlay

• Collected & submitted the required supporting documentation

• Viewed building application requirements to see supporting documents of a particular permit

4. Submittal of Plan

• Visit the Permit Center: While you have completed your permit application and plans, you should visit the Permit Center. If you are working as a property owner on small projects, you will be sent to the Homeowners Center. Or else, you will be provided a number and called in turn. Intake staff can help to review the application for all essential signatures and completeness.

5. Plan Review: Just the once an application has been reviewed for completeness, a building plan review coordinator will conduct a preliminary review to determine the type of job based on the complexity & work scope. After filing your building permit application, it should be viewed by the relevant disciplines, so that you can make amendments as per the comments. Final building permit approval will not be provided to any project until all disciplines and external agencies have approved and stamped the building plans.

Normal plans are routed  through:

• Zoning review

• Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing review

• Structural review

6. Permit Issuance:

As soon as all the disciplines and external agencies approve your permit application, a permit gets ready to be picked up. Normally, an invoice is received from the Issuance Counter, which you have to pay in the Cashier's Office. You need to show the cashier’s receipt for getting their permit.

To schedule a single-family home building permit from DCRA, call the expert permit service facilitators of Tejjy Inc. at 202-465-4830 or info@tejjy.com.