City Hall walk-in services are currently closed.
Staff is working remotely and are available to answer questions via email: planning@cityofsanrafael.org
Planning Division
The Planning Division provides information on land use, zoning, site development standards and processes applications for land use permits and land divisions. Most projects submitted fall into two categories, Design Review or Use Permit. If you are constructing a structure of any kind, you may need design review. If you are modifying a land use, you may need a use permit. The information below is taken from the San Rafael Zoning Ordinance.
The planning division regularly prepares a list of all Planning application under review. Information can also be found by searching under projects on our ePermits site. The link below will take you to information on some of the major projects/zoning issues that are either under review or recently approved.
The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for General Plan 2040 and the Downtown San Rafael Precise Plan is now available for public review and comment. The City is providing a 62-day comment period on the document, extending from January 7 to March 9, 2021. The Planning Commission will hold a hearing on the DEIR on...
In response to the new State housing laws regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) that became effective on January 1, 2020, the City of San Rafael has prepared a Draft ADU ordinance. The Draft ADU ordinance will make it easier to develop an ADU and will streamline the permit review process, which will further encourage and...
Community Development is piloting a couple hours a week of virtual counter hours. This is part of our efforts to improve our ability to serve the public while our public counter is closed. We recognize that some projects can benefit from more than a series of emails and phone calls. Appointments can be scheduled online...
