Community Development

Font Size: + -

Feedback Print

Welcome to the Community Development Department, also known as Com Dev or CDD. Our job is to make sure that buildings and land in San Luis Obispo are planned and built in a way that helps everyone in the community. We think about how it affects the economy, the environment, and the people who live here. We do things like make plans for the City's future and check new buildings to make sure they're safe.

New Walk-In Service Hours Coming April 13, 2026!

Beginning Monday, April 13, Community Development’s walk-in service hours will shift to: Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

This change will simplify the public counter schedule, align walk-in hours with SLO County Building and Planning walk-in hours, and provide dedicated time for appointments with members of the public each afternoon.

Location

Address
919 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo

Phone Number
(805) 781-7170

Hours

Phone Hours & Appointments
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Counter Walk-In Services
Monday through Thursday
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

We provide many services online, please take a look at the links below to see what is available. If you don't see what you are looking for or need further assistance please check out our contacts page or use the emails to the right to submit a question.

InfoSLO - Schedule Inspections, Permits, and Public Record Portal

You can now schedule your inspection, view your permits, pay invoices, and view public records online at our portal here.

FIRE or DEMO inspections must still be scheduled by phone at (805) 781-7180.

New to the Portal? Find registration instructions and the Portal How-To Guide here.
NOTE: After entering your email and name to register, the verification link email will come from:
Community Access Identity - noreply@identity.tylerportico.com

Once you have registered for an account, you can either click the "Apply" button on the portal home page, or follow this link.

If you use the portal to pay your invoice, please make sure to email either Building (building@slocity.org) or Planning (planning@slocity.org) depending on your permit to let them know you have paid so we can move forward with processing.

You do not need to create an account in order to make a payment in the Portal, just enter your invoice number here

Ask SLO - Ask Questions, Request Services, or Report an Issue

AskSLO is here to help people in San Luis Obispo, including residents, businesses, and visitors. It's like a Virtual City Hall that you can use any time, day or night, from your home. The tool linked here makes it easy to find City services and information quickly. We want to hear from you to make it even better!

If you have an emergency, please call 9-1-1. To request non-emergency police or fire department assistance, call our non-emergency dispatch center at (805) 781-7312.

Current Development Projects

The City of San Luis is an exciting and vibrant place to do business. The recently completed update to the general plan as well as the many specific plans that cover the major areas of the City help to define what development is expected in the area. The Community Development Department manages the development review process and is available to assist people looking to develop with in the City. The below link with take you to a map of the projects which are currently in the development review process.

Current Development Project Map (preview below):
Click here for full screen viewing of story map application.

Community Development Divisions and Programs

Our team has different areas, called divisions, that include Building Safety, Housing, Engineering, and Planning. Within the divisions there are programs to provide specialized support to our community. You can find our Divisions and Programs, with descriptions, below.

We are excited to have the Urban Forestry program join Community Development!

Urban forestry is important because it creates healthier and more enjoyable spaces in the City. Trees provide many benefits - wildlife habitats, stormwater control, and air and water quality improvements. Trees and the environments they create increase our well-being because they provide shade, beauty, and fun places to play. Our Urban Forestry program helps us achieve our Major City Goal by supporting the Climate Action Plan and making our community more resilient and beautiful. Please click here to learn more about urban forestry.

FAQ Box

What is covered in the Land Use Element?

The Land Use element designates the general location and intensity of housing, businesses, industry, open space, education, public buildings and grounds, waste disposal facilities, and other land uses. It helps guide future development and preserve environmental resources.
What is covered in the Circulation Element?

The Circulation Element includes goals and policies relating to how people, products and visitors move around San Luis Obispo. This includes cars, bicycles, pedestrians, air transportation, as well as public transportation such as buses and shuttles.
What is a General Plan?

A General Plan can be described as the "blueprint" for the City's Future. It represents the community's vision as goals and policies to direct decision-making. California state law requires that each city adopt a general plan addressing seven mandatory components or "elements": Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise and Safety. The City of San Luis Obispo also has a Water and Wastewater Element.
Will a traffic impact study be required and if so what is the process?
The determination for a traffic impact study will be made at the beginning of the application process. The following are example development sizes that would trigger a transportation impact study. These are just example scenarios, traffic impact studies may be required for smaller projects under special circumstances.
1. 100 Single Family Units
2. 150 Multi Family Units
3. 150 Room Hotel
4. 10,000 SQFT Restaurant
5. 25,000 SQFT Retail
6. 65,000 SQFT Office
7. 125,000 SQFT Manufacturing
The City only accepts traffic studies that are prepared independent of the applicant. Studies are administered by the City and paid for by the applicant via a reimbursement agreement. The applicant may hire their own traffic consultant to help develop their project and review the traffic study, however that consultant would be conflicted out of preparing the actual traffic study.

Once the applicant has finalized their project description the City will prepare a scope for the study and submit it to the applicant for review. Then the City will advertise the scope to a list of on-call traffic consultants and award based on the best proposal.

Below is an example time table for traffic impact studies, actual schedules will vary depending on the size of the project and scope of the study.
1. Draft Scope & Applicant Review: 1 Week
2. Advertise RFP & Select Consultant: 3 Weeks
3. Complete Applicant Reimbursement Agreement: 1 Week
4. Complete Traffic Study: 10 Weeks
What is affordable housing?

Affordable housing is housing available to extremely-low, very-low, low, and moderate income persons and households. The City maintains Below Market Rate Housing Standards which show the maximum income for each category to qualify based on household size, and maximum sales and rent prices based on the number of bedrooms in a unit for the various income groups.
What is inclusionary housing?

New development projects must contribute toward the production of affordable housing, as specified in the Housing Element. Inclusionary housing applies all new development projects.

More FAQs

City of San Luis Obispo, CA

FIND A SERVICE

I WANT TO...

Community Development

New Walk-In Service Hours Coming April 13, 2026!

Popular Department Links

Apply for a Permit

Download Forms

Report a Code Violation

Housing in SLO

Zoning Map

Cannabis

Community Development Divisions and Programs

We are excited to have the Urban Forestry program join Community Development!

Building & Safety

Code Enforcement

Planning

Housing

Homelessness Response

Historic Preservation

Cannabis Business Regulation

Engineering

Urban Forestry

CDD Advisory Bodies

FAQ Box