The Tenant Improvement Process for Business Owners

Print Feedback

Font Size: + -

Whether you are planning to relocate a business to Simi Valley or are expanding an existing business through a construction remodel, the City is here to assist you, your design professional, and general contractor through the tenant improvement process. A tenant improvement involves an alteration to an existing building and can range from adding new electrical, plumbing, fixtures, moving or adding walls to an extensive construction remodel.

Reference Guides

The first step to ensuring a successful tenant improvement involves hiring an experienced design professional familiar with your type of project.

To assist the design professional in drawing the proposed scope of work, the City is providing the following reference guides outlining the various code and State requirements for the designer's review:

Plan Submittal

Plans consisting of all proposed architectural, disabled access, energy, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical changes will need to be submitted to the City for plan review and permit processing.

Although not required, it is recommended that all plans be submitted at the same time. A complete submittal will result in significant time and cost savings to the business owner. As a convenience to the business owner, over the counter plan review for nonstructural improvements is available for existing buildings when total area is less than 3,000 square feet.

Navigating the Process

Navigating through the tenant improvement process can be arduous due to the various departmental and external agencies that regulate the process. To help the business owner familiarize himself with the tenant improvement process and gain a better understanding of the City's departments, external agencies, and steps involved, a flowchart of the process is provided. Staff will identify which agencies must review and approve your construction project.

City Services

As a courtesy, a walk through of the proposed site can be arranged with the City's Building Official, business owner, and architect to address any concerns regarding code requirements prior to plan submittal.

The City also offers a preliminary plan check service that will provide the architect with written responses identifying corrections prior to submitting plan check. This can facilitate a quicker turn around time for the business owner who is under a time constraint to begin construction. The fee for this service is $350.

In addition, a less formal plan review can be arranged among the City's Building Official, the business owner, and his or her design professional in the City's Building and Safety Division. If you are interested in any of these services, please contact the Building and Safety Division at (805) 583-6723.

Once the City's Building and Safety Division staff has reviewed and approved the plans for compliance with all state and local codes, the business owner and/or the general contractor managing the project may obtain the applicable building permits. Staff will then notify the business owner of the primary building inspector assigned to their construction project. The City's Building and Safety Division will provide the highest level of inspection service possible to ensure the project is completed in the most expedient matter possible.

Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.
They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.

Acrobat Reader