Welcome to the Palm Desert Permit Center!

The Palm Desert Permit Center is a division of the Development Services Department, and it is an efficient and convenient one-stop shop for residential and commercial permit needs. Permit Center staff are dedicated to providing high levels of excellent customer service to everyone who resides or works within our community. Permit applications for Building & Safety, Planning, Land Development, and Public Works are all accepted at the Permit Center. If you need help with a permit, please contact our team at permitcenter@palmdesert.gov.

Contact Information

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 Permit Center, we encourage you to do so by calling (760) 776-6435 or emailing permitcenter@palmdesert.gov. Please note that while the City is open for in-person business, digital submittals are more efficient and expeditious.

The Building & Safety Division of the Development Services Department is responsible for building plan review and inspections. Once your application has been submitted, you should receive an email within 1-5 business days requesting the plan check fee. Please be sure to check your SPAM folder. Once the plan review fee has been paid, please allow 5-15 business days for review. Please note that final approval times vary depending on the request for plan revisions and resubmittal.

Statistical Reports

Every month the City of Palm Desert generates a Building Activity Report that summarizes building permits issued in the City's Building and Safety Division. These reports also include a comparison of valuations for the current and past calendar and fiscal years. The year-to-date report can be found here: 2022 Report. More statistical information can be found on the Building and Safety Department's webpage, which can be accessed by clicking here.