This section is responsible for inspection of County permitted private development projects in the unincorporated areas of the County. PDCI ensures projects are completed in accordance with approved plans as well as state and County requirements.
Inspection of permitted private development projects include:
- Major and minor subdivisions
- Curb grades
- Excavation permits
- Encroachment permits
- Construction permits
- Grading Permits
- Sewer construction permits
Another function PDCI is to enforce Right-Of-Way Encroachments and the Watercourse Ordinance. If there is a report of an illegal encroachment in the County ROW or a watercourse violation, we will investigate and obtain compliance.
In addition, PDCI also inspects projects to ensure they meet the County's minimum stormwater requirements. The developer is responsible to ensure their site is in compliance at all times. The developer is also responsible to immediately report any discharges to this section on Land Development projects. The following links provide guidance on the County's stormwater requirements:
Director's Letter of Instruction for Stormwater Management on Land Development Projects (DLI-LD-I)
Grading Ordinance
Watershed Protection Ordinance (WPO)
Inspection Requirements: The following is additional information about the inspection process
Supervised Grading Report Deadline
Supervised Grading Report Form -- MS Word document
Supervised Grading Report Form -- Acrobat version
Do you need a construction plan change or can you record plan it?
Rough Grade Process and Information FAQs
Preliminary and Final Punchlists: As a developer is exceeding 80% permit completion, a developer should request the DPW Inspector to prepare a preliminary punchlist so the developer can start working on final items. Once the record plans have been submitted, the DPW Inspector will review the field conditions and generate a final punchlist for the permit. These punchlists will be inclusive of remaining field work required and paperwork needed. For public improvements, additional DPW sections will be asked to participate in the punchlist generation process.
PDCI has modified its process as a result of a recent Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) event. PDCI will now allow approval of record plans before all punchlist items are completed as outlined by the "Line and Grade" thresholds. In addition, PDCI will restructure punchlists so that it is clear to the developers which items fall into the two different stages. A revised template punchlist is available as an example. The list of "Line and Grade" thresholds are available so a developer is aware of which deficient items would be allowed to be completed after record plan approval but before project closure.
PDCI Plist Template Line and Grade Thresholds
Major Subdivision | 
Excavation Permit |
Encroachment Violation | 
Watercourse Violation |
PDCI Lead Staff
Derek Gade
DPW Public Works Manager
John Thomas
Senior Civil Engineer
Responsible for the North and Central
sections of the County
Glen Gundert
Senior Civil Engineer
Responsible for the South and East
sections of the County
Private Development Construction Inspection
5201 Ruffin Road, Suite D
San Diego, CA 92123-4310 (MS-0336)
(858) 694-3165
(858) 694-2354 (fax)
Comments
grading@sdcounty.ca.gov
Land Development | Private Development
