Most owners opening an organization in Simi Valley will go through a procedure called a "occupant improvement." A renter enhancement (TI) involves an alteration to an existing building, either interior or outside, or both, in which case you will require to satisfy City requirements relating to architectural style, developing tenancy, building and construction, parking, organization signage, landscaping, and possible public right of way and sewage system improvements.

Please refer to the informative brochure "How to Open a Small Company in the City of Simi Valley," which also assists to guide and orientate you through the renter enhancement and the City's license procedure, consisting of any local firms that might be included with the opening of your business.

Initial steps

The very first point of contact is to consult the City's Planning Division to guarantee that the type of organization is permitted in the proposed area which the proposed company meets the City's parking requirements. In addition, please note that your service might require a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), which is a permit to guarantee your business is suitable with the surrounding usages.

Describe the City's Zoning Maps and Zoning Code Section 9-26.030 (use matrix) to ensure the proposed service is zoned for the proposed use and identify if the proposed use requires Conditional Use Permit (CUP). Please refer to Conditional Use Permit for additional info in using and processing a CUP.

In addition, relying on the extent of any outside enhancements, an adjustment permit from the Planning Division may be required. Please refer to Modification of Existing Commercial and Industrial Developments for information concerning the level of review required.

Signs

If you have an interest in putting a sign( s) at your store or considering a monolith indication, you will require to obtain an Irreversible Sign Permit. The Planning Division will issue an Irreversible Sign Permit after making sure compliance with the Zoning Code and Citywide Design Guidelines for location, size, and design of the sign.

Your indication professional would prepare the needed elevation exhibits and photo simulation( s) revealing how the sign looks on the building. Please refer to the Temporary and Permanent Signs page to find out more regarding the City's indication regulation and requirements.

City and County Involvement

Depending upon the kind of service and the extent of your improvements, the following City departments and County agencies may be included.

Public Works Environmental Compliance Division

If your organization is a restaurant, food, manufacturing, or automobile facility, or offers medical, oral, veterinary, or photo-processing services, the Environmental Compliance Division of Public Works will likewise be associated with business project.

The Environmental Compliance personnel enforces the City's Sewer Use, Stormwater, and Water Conservation Ordinances. By keeping track of, checking, and assessing business's practices and operations, the Division secures the public health and the environment from hazardous, hazardous, and other pollutants.

New services are required to finish an Ecological Compliance Discharge Permit Application. The candidate might also be needed to send a layout and plumbing strategies. Depending upon the kind of organization, you may be needed to install a pretreatment gadget, such as a grease interceptor, prior to obtaining building licenses.

To find out more, please contact the Environmental Compliance Technical Assistance at (805) 583-6420.

Ventura County Fire Protection District

The City's Building and Safety Division will identify whether the Ventura County Fire Department will require to approve your tenant enhancement construction strategies. Approval from this Agency is usually required for most building and construction tasks.

While based in Camarillo, the Ventura County Fire Protection District is at the Building and Safety Division in City Hall (Map) to answer concerns on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

For jobs needing the District's approval, construction plans will need to be sent to the following address: Ventura County Fire Protection District, 165 Durley Avenue, Camarillo, CA 93010-8586.

For more details, please contact Ventura County Fire Protection District at (805) 389-9710.

Ventura County Environmental Health Division

The City's Building and Safety Division will also identify whether the Ventura County Environmental Health Division will require to approve your plans. Food-handling establishments, companies that produce dangerous products and waste, medical waste, and other contaminants will require approval from this Agency.

For additional information, please contact Ventura County Environmental Health at (805) 654-2813.

Building and Safety Division

Most enhancements need construction plans and a building license from Building and Safety. Construction plans revealing the proposed work are needed so City staff can release suitable authorizations after guaranteeing the plans are safe, structurally sound, and in compliance with all applicable Building Codes.

Please describe Tenant Improvement Process for Company Owner for the Building and Safety Tenant Improvement Guide to assist you through the procedure and a number of documents to assist your design expert prepare strategies quickly and precisely. There are 4 parts to the occupant enhancement process:

1. Construction Plan Preparation 2. Construction Plan Submittal/Review 3. Permit Issuance and Construction 4. Occupancy

Construction Plan Preparation

The initial step to ensuring a successful building task involves retaining a licensed designer and/or engineer to draw your building strategies. Typically, strategies prepared by a licensed architect and/or engineer will result in both time and expense savings during the building and construction phase and will help with a smoother occupant improvement process.

As a courtesy, a walkthrough of the suggested website can be organized with the City's Building and Safety personnel, entrepreneur, and architect to address any questions or concerns relating to basic code requirements prior to prepare submittal.

Plans consisting of all proposed architectural, handicapped gain access to, energy, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical modifications will require to be sent to the City for strategy review and license processing. Although not required, it is recommended that all strategies be submitted at the very same time.

Plan Requirements

To help the style expert in drawing plans for the proposed scope of work, please describe the following links for reference product describing the numerous code and State requirements for the designer's review:

Planning Division - Over-the-Counter (OTC) Plan Review Criteria Building and Safety Non-Residential Plan Check Correction List, Including Accessibility Requirements Building and Safety - Tenant Improvement Guide - OTC Projects Less 3,000 Square Feet Building and Safety - Tenant Improvement Guide - Projects Exceeding 3,000 Square Feet

To help familiarize business owner with the tenant enhancement procedure and acquire a much better understanding of the City's departments, external agencies, and steps included, please describe the Flow diagram of the Tenant Improvement Process.

If the tenant enhancement includes a basic modification, an unlicensed designer or licensed professional carrying out the work might be allowed to send the proposed strategies. Building and Safety will make this decision once the Scope of Work has actually been defined.

Construction Plan Submittal/Review

Once your designer and/or engineer have finished the building and construction strategies, City engineers will require to guarantee that the drawings abide by California Building regulations. This is the second component of the occupant improvement procedure and is often called "Plan Check."

It is not unusual for plans to be gone back to the designer and or engineer with corrections. For this factor, plans generally reenter the "strategy check" procedure for a 2nd evaluation. Building and Safety staff will identify the appropriate strategy check costs at the time of strategy submittal. Plan check costs are based upon the scope of work of the task, which is figured out by the size and kind of construction.

Over-the-counter strategy review for non-structural enhancements is available for existing structures when the total location is less than 3,000 square feet.

Service by appointment is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM and can be organized by calling (805) 583-6723. Plan check is also available by consultation with the respective plan checker.

Standard strategy evaluation for occupant enhancements on existing structures surpassing 3,000 square feet or "A" type occupancies such as dining establishments will need a 10- to 15-business day reverse. Building permits are not issued till all City personnel and appropriate agencies have approved the proposed strategies.

Permit Issuance and Construction

Once construction strategies have been approved and prior to beginning building, a building license is released to the owner of the residential or commercial property or a certified specialist.

When an authorization is provided to the residential or commercial property owner, the regard to 'Owner/Builder' is referenced on the permit. Building and Safety personnel will supply the 'Owner/Builder' with paperwork notifying them of their duties and possible danger of having the authorization provided in the Owner/Builder name.

If the license is released to a licensed professional, the specialist will be required to provide evidence of Worker's Compensation insurance. The specialist must have a Business Tax Certificate in order to obtain the authorization. In addition, insurance coverage must be kept throughout the building duration per policies of the California Labor Code.

Larger projects will need a pre-construction meeting. A pre-construction meeting typically includes Building and Safety examination and engineering staff along with the job's superintendent. The conference supplies a chance to examine amount of time, building and construction requirements, and the City examination process.

Please note that it is very important to set up all of the needed structure assessments in order to review each phase of building and construction. It is the City inspector's task to guarantee all work follows the approved strategies and all suitable State codes. The City inspector will not carry out assessments unless it is scheduled by the contractor or job manager.

Inspections can be set up for the next organization day by calling (805) 583-6723 no later than 3:00 PM on the day preceding the assessment.

Occupancy

The last phase of the renter enhancement process includes obtaining last approvals from City departments and external firms involved with the job. Depending upon the kind of service and scope of the job, you might need to obtain sign-off from the City's Planning Division and Public Works Department, in addition to the Ventura County Fire Department and Environmental Health Division.

During the building procedure, the structure inspector will supply correction notifications, informing the professional or superintendent of products that do not fulfill building code requirements. All outstanding code requirements must be resolved prior to requesting the final evaluation.

Once building is complete, final evaluations and sign-offs are obtained from both City departments and external agencies, the City's Building Official will provide a Certificate of Occupancy. This legal file allows you to inhabit your new company area.

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