20,000 square miles. From the Cajon Pass to the Nevada border. From the Inland Empire to the Mojave.
San Bernardino County is enormous, and building in unincorporated parts of it—Big Bear, Apple Valley, Yucca Valley, Hesperia, Adelanto—means working with Land Use Services (LUS), not your local city hall. The good news: unlike some California counties that require three plan sets, LUS requires only one. The trade-off: a county this large has significant flood hazards and fire hazards, and those require extra approvals.
Do You Need a Site Plan for a Small Permit in San Bernardino County?
Yes. Land Use Services requires a fully dimensioned plot plan for all residential building permit applications.
The plot plan must include:
- All property lines with accurate dimensions.
- Setbacks (all required distances from structures to property lines).
- All structures — existing and proposed, with dimensions.
- Easements shown on the plot plan.
- Off-street parking spaces shown and dimensioned.
- Streets and driveways.
- Flood zone boundaries (if the property is in a flood hazard area).
- A North arrow.
- A scale indicator.
- A title block with address, owner name, project description, and date.
- The legal description of the property (from deed/title).
- Owner or authorized agent signature.
One complete set of plans is required for residential permits.
Who Runs Into This in San Bernardino County
- Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga homeowners who submit to the county LUS portal, only to be redirected to their city's building department.
- Big Bear Lake cabin owners who discover that Big Bear Lake is an incorporated city with its own building department—while properties outside the city limits go to the county.
- High desert homeowners in Apple Valley who are in an unincorporated area and correctly file with the county, but then are surprised to discover their parcel is in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, requiring Fire Department approval before LUS will proceed.
- Rural homeowners near a river or wash who need a floodplain permit approved before their building permit can be issued.
What Needs a Site Plan in San Bernardino County
- Fence permit site plan — Required where a fence requires a building permit.
- Shed permit site plan — Required for permitted accessory structures.
- Deck / Patio permit site plan — Required for decks and patio covers.
- Pool permit site plan — Required. Must show pool, equipment, barriers, and flood zone notation.
- Garage permit site plan — Required. Garages with front-facing openings require a minimum 18-foot front setback.
- Addition permit site plan — Required. Must show expanded footprint, all setbacks, and lot coverage.
- ADU — Required. The county offers pre-approved standard ADU plan templates. Max 1,200 sq ft for detached ADUs.
Why This Trips People Up in San Bernardino County
The 24-City Jurisdiction Split. San Bernardino, Fontana, Ontario, Chino, Redlands, Rialto, Hesperia, Victorville, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, Barstow, and 13 other incorporated cities all run their own building departments. Verifying your parcel's jurisdiction using the county GIS at gis.sbcounty.gov is mandatory before applying.
Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Much of the mountain and desert fringe territory of unincorporated San Bernardino County is in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ). Projects in these zones require Fire Department approval before LUS will issue a building permit. This approval must be obtained first—it is not a simultaneous review.
Floodplain Permits. San Bernardino County's rivers, washes, and desert flood channels affect many residential parcels. If your property is in a FEMA-mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, a floodplain permit is required before the building permit can be issued.
Legal Description Required. Unlike some jurisdictions that accept an address and APN, San Bernardino County requires the legal description of the property (as shown on the deed or title) to appear on the plot plan. This catches homeowners who copy their APN from a tax bill without pulling the actual legal description.
Zoning and Setbacks in San Bernardino County
Setbacks are governed by the County Zoning Ordinance (Title 8).
Common Residential Zone Setbacks:
- R-1 (Single-Family): Front 25 ft / Side 5 ft / Rear 20 ft / Max height 35 ft / Max coverage 50%.
- R-2 (Two-Family): Front 20 ft / Side 5 ft / Rear 20 ft / Max height 35 ft / Max coverage 60%.
- R-R (Rural Residential): Front 50 ft / Side 10 ft / Rear 25 ft.
- R-E (Estate Residential): Front 50 ft / Side 10 ft / Rear 25 ft.
- A-1 (Agricultural): Front 50 ft / Side 10 ft / Rear 25 ft.
ADU Setbacks:
- Detached ADUs: Minimum 4 feet from rear and side property lines.
- Front setback: Complies with base zone.
- No minimum lot size required.
- Maximum 1,200 sq ft for detached ADUs.
How the Tool Handles This — 5 Steps
SitePlans.AI loads San Bernardino County parcel data so you can generate the fully dimensioned plot plan required by LUS:
- Enter your address — Lot lines load from the county Assessor-Recorder and GIS records.
- Place your project — Add your ADU, garage, or addition to the lot.
- Add the legal description — Enter the official legal description from your deed for inclusion in the title block.
- Label setbacksand flood/fire annotations — Note FEMA flood zone and fire hazard zone designation if applicable.
- Export a clean PDF — Download the fully dimensioned plot plan for LUS Online Portal upload.
Where This Tool Fits — and Where It Doesn't
| Situation | Best path |
|---|---|
| Shed, deck, pool, or ADU in unincorporated San Bernardino County | SitePlans.ai for the required plot plan |
| Property in a fire hazard zone | SitePlans.ai for layout + Fire Department pre-approval required |
| Property in a flood zone | SitePlans.ai for layout + floodplain permit required |
| Mountain or hillside lot with slope constraints | Licensed CA Engineer may be required for grading plan |
| Disputed property lines | Licensed CA Land Surveyor required |
What This Doesn't Replace
our site plan creator webtool helps create preliminary, conceptual site plans for standard residential projects in unincorporated San Bernardino County. It is not a licensed land survey, a floodplain permit, or a fire department approval. For properties in fire hazard severity zones or flood hazard areas, additional agency approvals must be obtained before LUS will issue a building permit.
Comparison: Your Options for a San Bernardino County Site Plan
| Method | Cost | Time | Stamp | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-prepared plot plan | Free | 1–3 hrs | ✗ | CA law allows owner-prepared plans; one set required with legal description |
| SitePlans.ai | Free first plan | Minutes | ✗ | Generates fully dimensioned plot plan with legal description block |
| CAD drafter | $300–$800+ | 1–2 weeks | Sometimes | Useful for ADU or complex setback situations |
| Licensed CA Engineer/Architect | $800–$3,000+ | 2–6 weeks | ✅ | Required for commercial work, graded hillside lots, structural engineering |
| SitePlans.us (done-for-you) | Custom | 1–3 days | ✗ | Best if your LUS Online plan check returned corrections |
Common Mistakes That Delay San Bernardino County Permits
- Applying to the county for a city property — Submitting to LUS for a property inside Fontana, Ontario, or Rancho Cucamonga.
- Missing the legal description — Omitting the property's legal description from the plot plan title block.
- Skipping Fire Department pre-approval — Submitting a building permit application for a VHFHSZ property without first getting Fire Department sign-off.
- No floodplain permit — Attempting to get a building permit for a flood zone property without the required floodplain permit.
- Missing owner signature — Plans must be signed by the owner or authorized agent—an unsigned plan is incomplete.
Support and Local Resources
- San Bernardino County LUS — Building and Safety — sbcounty.gov/lus | Call (909) 387-8311.
- LUS Online Portal — aca.sbcounty.gov/citizen/ — submit and track permits.
- County GIS — gis.sbcounty.gov — verify jurisdiction and check hazard zones.
- FEMA Flood Maps — msc.fema.gov
Nearby Counties
- Riverside County site plan guide — South
- Orange County site plan guide — Southwest
- Los Angeles County site plan guide — West
- San Diego County site plan guide — South
- California permit site plan requirements
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many plan sets does San Bernardino County require?
One complete set of plans for residential building permits through the LUS Online Portal.
2. Can I prepare my own plot plan?
Yes. California law allows property owners to prepare their own plans for their own residential property.
3. What is required on the title block of a San Bernardino County plot plan?
Address, owner name, project description, date, and importantly—the legal description of the property (subdivision name, section, block, and lot number, or metes and bounds description).
4. What is the ADU setback?
Detached ADUs must maintain a minimum 4-foot setback from rear and side property lines. Maximum detached ADU size is 1,200 square feet.
5. Does my fire hazard zone property need special approval?
Yes. Properties in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone require Fire Department approval before LUS will issue a building permit.
6. Can I use SitePlans.ai for a San Bernardino County permit?
Yes. SitePlans.ai generates a fully dimensioned plot plan with all required elements including the legal description title block, hazard zone annotations, and setbacks—ready for LUS Online Portal upload.
---
Start Your San Bernardino County Site Plan
Verify your jurisdiction on the County GIS first. Then enter your address below to pull your property lines, place your project, label your setbacks, and download the fully dimensioned plot plan you need for the LUS Online Portal.
Build My San Bernardino County Site Plan →
Got a plan check correction from LUS Building and Safety? Send the comments to SitePlans.us and we'll draft the revision.
---