To determine whether your project requires review by OCFA please click on the button below and complete the Plan Criteria Form.

If submittal of a plan to OCFA is required, click on the link below for additional information regarding the type of project you're interested in:

Plans may be submitted and/or picked up at city hall or OCFA as determined by the location of the project. For most plan types, two hardcopies and one electronic copy of the plan in .pdf format are required for OCFA review.

The OCFA has a "90% within 10-days" turnaround goal for most new and resubmitted plan types.

The following plan types have a "90% within 5-days" turnaround goal:

• PR180 Gates
• PR335 Hood and Duct Extinguishing System
• PR402 Tenant Improvement, NFPA 13D Sprinklers, 1-25 heads, no calculation
• PR430 Sprinkler Tenant Improvement, NPFA 13/13R, 1-25 heads, no calculations
• PR480 Underground Repair
• PR500 Sprinkler Monitoring/Fire Alarm with up to 10 devices

The following plan type has a target turnaround of 30 days due to the requirement for a field run test with a fire engine:

• PR184 Speed Hump Review

Please do not call plan review staff to inquire about plan status. Use the following link to track the status of your plans; on-line information is updated at approximately 6 p.m. each working day.

The OCFA Board of Directors adopts plan review and inspection fees to offset the cost of services provided by Planning & Development. Each fee code includes the cost of two plan submittals and a set number of related inspections, which varies depending on the type of plan and size or complexity of the project. Where additional inspections are required, such as for projects where a single plan review covers multiple identical buildings, additional inspection fees, represented by the "PR###i" codes in the schedule, may be assessed.

OCFA construction inspectors will perform simultaneous plan review and inspection at the job site for the following types of projects without prior submittal of plans. Please click on the type of field plan review you are interested in for additional information, instructions, and an application form.

Not all types of field plan review are available in all jurisdictions. Please ensure that it is allowed for your project location by consulting the following table:

Assistance is available to address technical questions related to construction and development for projects located only within the jurisdictions served by OCFA:

• Intent or application of specific code sections by OCFA
• Clarification of local fire code amendments and ordinances
• Clarification of OCFA guidelines and standards
• Plan content for projects that will be submitted to OCFA for review

Assistance can be requested in any of the following formats:

  Phone: 714-573-6108

  Counter Hours: 8 to 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday

Pre-submittal Meeting: for-fee service by appointment only, call 714-573-6108

Plans currently under review: please contact your assigned plan reviewer directly

For questions related to plan submittal, routing, fees, turnaround times, hours, etc., please contact the Planning & Development counter staff at 714-573-6100 or eps@ocfa.org.

For questions related to existing buildings and permits and not related to development or construction, please access our Prevention Field Services page for further details.

For questions related to drowning prevention, fire safety education, and related services please access our Education & Outreach and Safety Programs page for further details.

A Knox box is a secure storage device that prevents unauthorized access to keys and allows emergency responders non-destructive access to property that is secured by a lock or a gate. "Knox" is the name of the company that makes these devices.

Knox devices are required where immediate access is required to a building or area for firefighting or life-safety purposes, such as pool enclosures, gates that obstruct fire vehicles or firefighters from reaching a building, storage yards for hazardous materials, or high-rise buildings. Refer to Guideline B-09 for information related to gates and barriers that may require a Knox device and/or a plan review.

For assistance in ordering a Knox device, call OCFA Planning and Development at 714-573-6100 or view this document. You may also refer to the Knox website for current prices.

Most plans reviewed by OCFA trigger a requirement for one or more field inspections to verify that the actual installation complies with the approved plan and adopted codes, standards, and best practices. In order to ensure that construction progresses in an orderly fashion, please refer to the following inspection roadmap to determine when each inspection should be completed.

Please contact the Inspection Scheduling Office at 714-573-6150 to set up an appointment for an inspector to visit your project. You will need the following information when you call:

• OCFA Service Request Number for the plan that the inspection is based on
• A contact name and number for the person who will be meeting the inspector at the job site
• The building or suite number that will be included in the inspection if the plan covers more than one building
• The scope of the inspection if it will not be the entire scope of the project shown on the approved plan
• The number of devices that will be inspected: for sprinkler plans, the number of sprinkler heads; for alarm plans, the number of pull stations, smoke detectors, and/or strobes
• If scheduling a reinspection because of a cancellation, failed inspection, or phased inspection, have a credit card available to pay the reinspection fee.

Inspections are scheduled on an a.m./p.m. basis. All overtime inspections will still be scheduled a specific time.

Final fire sprinkler inspections for plan types PR430 and PR435 will no longer require the contractor to be present during the inspection provided approved plans and job card are on site in a location readily accessible to the inspector. For all other plans types, the installing contractor or knowledgeable representative shall be present.

If you need to cancel an inspection, you must notify Inspection Scheduling at 714-573-6150 no later than 1 p.m. on an OCFA business day prior to your scheduled inspection.

If an inspection does not pass for any reason other than OCFA error, or if inspections are phased and additional inspections have not been paid for in advance, a reinspection fee may be applied to the project. Reinspection fees must be paid in full prior to scheduling the next inspection. Fees may be paid over the phone with a credit card or in person with a credit card, check, or cash at the Community Risk Reduction counter at OCFA headquarters at 1 Fire Authority Road, Irvine. If you know that a fee is due, you may contact OCFA Finance Division directly at 714-573-6342; if you need to request and pay for additional inspections for phased projects, please contact Inspection Scheduling first at 714-573-6150. Have the service request number for the plan that the reinspection fee applies to ready when making payment.

The OCFA Board of Directors adopts plan review and inspection fees to offset the cost of services provided by Planning & Development. Each fee code includes the cost of two plan submittals and a set number of related inspections, which varies depending on the type of plan and size or complexity of the project. Where additional inspections are required, such as for projects where a single plan review covers multiple identical buildings, additional inspection fees, represented by the "PR###i" codes in the schedule, may be assessed.

Code Amendments By Jurisdiction

Sprinkler Ordinances

The OCFA Board of Directors adopts plan review and inspection fees to offset the cost of services provided by Planning & Development. Each fee code includes the cost of two plan submittals and a set number of related inspections, which varies depending on the type of plan and size or complexity of the project. Where additional inspections are required, such as for projects where a single plan review covers multiple identical buildings, additional inspection fees, represented by the "PR###i" codes in the schedule, may be assessed.

Plan Review

Administrative

Fire Department Access and Water Supply

Site Development and Land Use

Fire Extinguishing Systems

Exiting and General Safety

Under Construction

Special Hazards / Uses

Special Occupancies and Buildings

Special Events

Plan Review

Construction Inspections

Other

Complete the appropriate Fillable Cover Sheet, then include it as the first page of your plan submission.