Palm Desert City Hall is pleased to welcome people who wish to conduct business in person with City staff. City Hall is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Payments will be accepted until 4:30 p.m.

City services continue to be offered by phone, email, or online. If you prefer to continue to do business remotely with the Planning Department, we encourage you to do so by calling (760) 776-6483 or emailing the Planning Division. Please note that while the City is open for in-person business, digital submittals are more efficient and expeditious.

The Planning Division of the Development Services Department provides plan review and issuance of Planning permits to ensure that all projects meet the requirements of all City ordinances and the California Environmental Quality Act.

By clicking on the documents below, you can download our Planning permit applications and form and follow the instructions described within.

Signature Policy

Design professionals, such as Architects and Engineers, whose “wet” signature is required for submittal of hard copy plans will be required to obtain a “digital signature” key for signature of electronically submitted plans. Non-design professionals shall sign plans via electronic signature. 

• Click here for our Electronic Plan Submittal and Signature Policy

The Permit Center of the Development Services Department is now accepting pdf files for digital application, permit, and plan submittals for review. First, submit an application and a full set of plans for review through the link below. Staff will process your request and will provide an invoice for the application fees. Once fees are submitted, plan review will commence. You will receive a subsequent e-mail with either plan review comments, application approval, or a scheduled public hearing date.

Plan Naming Convention

All plans submitted for review must adhere to the City of Palm Desert naming convention. The plan name for review should be in this order:

• Planning Permit Number (If this is an initial submittal a permit number will be assigned)
• Application / Permit Address
• Plan Type
• Name of Engineering Company
• Date of Submittal
• Example File Name: 42500 Fred Waring Drive, Parcel Map Waiver, ABC Consulting, April 1, 2020 .pdf.