How to Obtain Copies of Building Plans

The City of Irvine follows California Health and Safety Code Section 19851 for all requests to duplicate official copies of building plans maintained by the City.

The Office of Records and Information acts as an intermediary between the public and certified, licensed, or registered professionals ("Licensed Professional") to ensure compliance with federal and state copyright protection laws (17 U.S.C. §§ 102(A)(8), 106).  

Pursuant to the requirements of Health and Safety Code Section 19851, the City must obtain the written permission of both the Licensed Professional who signed the plans and the current property owner, prior to plans being copied and released.

Below are the required steps to obtain copies of building plans in the City of Irvine:

  • Determine the address of the desired building plans.
  • Call or visit the Office of Records to confirm plans are available and verify specifications related to the appropriate plans.
  • Obtain the current Property Owner's Authorization to duplicate plans of their property, if you are not the owner (HSC § 19851(b)(1)). This form is available for electronic submittal using the following link. The requestor must complete their designated fields and digitally route the form to the property owner for their authorization.
  • Complete an Affidavit of Intent with your notarized signature (HSC § 19851(c)). There is a Notary Public available in the Office of Records for a fee, or you may use a Notary of your choice. Click here to download the Affidavit. 
  • Submit the Property Owner’s Authorization (if needed) and notarized Affidavit of Intent to begin processing your request. Please note, all required forms must be submitted to the Office of Records before requests are processed.

The Office of Records will send a certified letter, including all completed forms, to each Licensed Professional on the building plans, requesting permission to duplicate them. California law states the City must allow the Licensed Professional 30 days to respond to said requests for copyrighted plans. The Office of Records will contact you as soon as the plans become available.

All fees are based on the City’s current fee resolution (City Council Resolution 13-51).