Santa Clarita to Offer Commercial Construction Permit Guide Online

The city of Santa Clarita will soon offer a guide to assist small business owners obtain a permit for commercial construction. Last year, the city launched the Permit Guide, a user-friendly website designed to guide those planning residential construction projects through the entire permit process. According to a Santa Clarita Signal report, a version of the software will be tailored for small businesses by late 2019. According to city building official John Caprarelli — who said he has noticed many small business owners in the past caught off-guard by aspects of the permit process — the city wants to positively impact the commercial sector by providing a clear window into the process. The upcoming guide will focus on a breadth of commercial projects, from retail, office and food service to fitness, education, medical, manufacturing and daycare. The software will also allow businesses to customize permit requirements to their specific professional needs — for example, anyone planning to open a medical or dental practice with X-ray equipment will be shown how to navigate the proper agencies, such as the Los Angeles County Fire Department, to obtain clearance and permissions. The city of Santa Clarita says it has already seen success with its nearly five-month-old residential permit guide, which Caprarelli noted about 1,035 people have utilized.