California DSA forms are the documents the Division of the State Architect requires for every phase of a public school, community college, or state essential services building project — from the DSA 1 application that opens a file through the verified reports that close it out. You download them free at dgs.ca.gov/dsa/forms, complete the ones that match your project phase, and submit them electronically or, for closeout, through DSA’s Certification Box. Getting through the cycle without stalls comes down to using the current version of each form, filling it in accurately, and filing it at the right moment.1Division of the State Architect. Division of the State Architect Forms
Where to Get the Forms and Where They Go
Every current DSA form lives on the forms page at dgs.ca.gov/dsa/forms, organized by number with a PDF download for each one. Always pull the form from that page on the day you file. DSA revises forms periodically, and an outdated version can bounce your submittal. The DSA 1 application, for example, was most recently revised in May 2026.
Your submittal goes to the regional office with jurisdiction over the project site:
- Sacramento — 1102 Q Street, Suite 5200, Sacramento, CA 95811
- Oakland — 1515 Clay Street, Suite 1201, Oakland, CA 94612
- Los Angeles — 355 South Grand Avenue, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, CA 90071
- San Diego — 10920 Via Frontera, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92127
Completing the DSA 1 Application
The DSA 1, Application for Approval of Plans and Specifications, is the starting point for any project that requires DSA oversight. Every later form in the project file ties back to the application number it generates.
The top of the form identifies the facility owner. You enter the school district or state agency name, the superintendent’s contact information, and the facilities director’s name, title, email, and phone. Then you check one of three purposes: initial registration for project submittal, revised registration, or the actual project submittal. If the project was previously registered, list its assigned DSA application number.
In the scope section, indicate the work type (new construction, addition, relocation, alteration, rehabilitation, or reconstruction) and which reviews you’re requesting: structural, access compliance, fire and life safety, and landscape irrigation. If you want Over-the-Counter or incremental review, check those boxes here. Enter the project street address, city, zip code, county, and estimated construction cost. That cost figure drives your fees, so keep it realistic.
The professional responsibility block requires the name, firm, address, and California registration number of the architect or engineer in general responsible charge. For each delegated discipline — structural, mechanical, electrical, geotechnical — add the delegated professional’s firm, registration number, and contact information. The applicant signs a statement of responsibility affirming authority to submit the plans.
The rest of the form covers site conditions and funding: whether the project sits in a flood hazard area, whether a geohazard report has been submitted to the California Geological Survey, whether the site is in a fire hazard severity zone, and, for relocatables, whether a waiver of durability applies. If you’re pursuing state funding, note whether the project will be submitted to the Office of Public School Construction and add the OPSC application number if you have one.
What the Cost Estimate on the DSA 1 Triggers
DSA plan review fees are calculated from the estimated project cost you report. The fee schedule that took effect July 1, 2026 applies to any plans DSA receives on or after that date, and the schedule in effect on the receipt date is the one that governs the project through its life.2Division of the State Architect. Plan Review Filing Fee Adjustments
For public K–12 and community college projects, structural review runs 0.55 percent of estimated cost for the first $1 million and 0.39 percent on every dollar above that, with a $250 minimum. A $5 million project generates $5,500 on the first million and $15,600 on the remaining four, for $21,100 in structural review fees.
Access compliance fees apply to every DSA-reviewed project and follow a tiered structure with a $500 minimum:
- First $500,000: 0.36 percent
- $500,000 to $2 million: 0.18 percent
- $2 million to $25 million: 0.07 percent
- $25 million to $50 million: 0.06 percent
- $50 million to $100 million: 0.04 percent
- Over $100 million: 0.03 percent
Underestimating the construction cost on the DSA 1 doesn’t save you anything. At closeout you file form DSA 168, the Statement of Final Actual Project Cost, and if the real number significantly exceeds the estimate, DSA bills the difference before certifying the project.
Submitting the Application and Plans Electronically
DSA runs plan submittal through an Electronic Plan Review system built on DSA Box and Bluebeam Studio. The design professional first registers for a submittal date. DSA creates a folder structure in DSA Box, and the design team uploads the plan set in PDF on that registered date.3Division of the State Architect. Electronic Plan Review for School, Essential Services Construction Projects
DSA screens the upload for completeness and formatting, then formally accepts the submittal. Accepted plans move into a Bluebeam Studio Session where reviewers work through the set. When the review is done, the design professional gets an invitation to the session and can download the marked-up plan set.
If corrections come back, you schedule an in-person electronic back check at the regional office. Corrected plans go into the Bluebeam Studio Session before the appointment so DSA staff and the design team can walk through the fixes together. Post-approval changes and deferred submittals move through the same Bluebeam session.
Turnaround varies. During code transition periods, when a new edition of the California Building Standards Code takes effect, DSA has noted that increased submission volume can add up to six weeks to normal processing.
When DSA Review Isn’t Required
Not every school project needs a DSA file. For 2026, alterations or reconstruction of existing school buildings with an estimated construction cost of $134,000 or less are exempt from DSA plan review, approval, and construction oversight for structural safety, fire and life safety, and access compliance.4Division of the State Architect. IR A-22 – Construction Projects and Items Exempt from DSA Review
Two rules bound the exemption. You can’t split one larger project into smaller pieces to slip under the threshold. When you calculate the estimated cost, exclude the cost of air-conditioning, heating, and ventilation equipment and insulation, provided installation doesn’t require structural alterations. The exemption removes the DSA oversight layer; the underlying Title 24 code obligations still apply.
New school buildings, additions, and relocations require DSA approval regardless of cost. Separately, the 2026 valuation threshold for Path of Travel accessibility upgrades is $209,208, which governs when alterations, structural repairs, or additions to existing buildings trigger path-of-travel requirements under the 2025 California Building Code, Chapter 11B, for projects submitted to DSA after January 19, 2026.5California Department of General Services. Valuation Threshold Update
Faster Tracks: Pre-Check and Over-the-Counter
Two expedited pathways can compress plan review time when a project uses standardized designs.
Pre-Check Approval
Pre-Check (PC) approval lets DSA sign off on the design of a commonly used structure before it’s attached to any specific project. Once a design carries PC approval, any design professional can drop it into site-specific plans at multiple campuses without DSA re-reviewing the structure itself. Eligible structures include single-story relocatable buildings, shade structures, light poles, structures supporting solar components, and freestanding signs.6Department of General Services. Procedure – Pre-Check (PC) Approval
Pre-Check covers design only, not construction. You still file a separate DSA 1 each time you incorporate a PC-approved design into a project, and the design professional has to make sure the PC drawings and the site-specific drawings are coordinated before submittal.
Over-the-Counter Review
Over-the-Counter (OTC) review provides same-day or near-same-day approval for qualifying projects. New construction OTC projects are limited to structures with a currently valid DSA Pre-Check approval. Eligible PC structures include relocatable buildings, lunch and shade structures, carports, solar structures, flag poles, and freestanding signs.7Division of the State Architect. PL 07-02 – Over-the-Counter Review of Projects Configurations that create complex structural load paths or trigger fire and life safety requirements beyond what the PC covers may not qualify. Call the regional office before scheduling an OTC appointment if there’s any doubt.
Forms That Track the Build
Once DSA approves the plans, a different set of forms runs alongside the construction work.
DSA 152: Project Inspection Card
The DSA 152 stays on site. The project inspector dates and initials each section as work is verified against the DSA-approved documents. The card covers structural safety, fire and life safety, and accessibility, organized into milestones: initial site work and foundation preparation, vertical and horizontal framing, appurtenances, and finish site work.8Division of the State Architect. DSA 152 – Project Inspection Card The inspector can’t sign off on a section until all required testing and inspections for that phase are complete and the paperwork is in hand.
DSA 291: Laboratory of Record Verified Report
The engineering manager of the Laboratory of Record completes the DSA 291 to document testing and special inspections. Copies go to the design professional in general responsible charge, DSA, the project inspector, and the school board. You file it as an interim report tied to specific inspection card sections, as a final report at the end of the structural testing and special inspection program, when construction is suspended for more than a month, when lab services end before the program is complete, or when DSA asks for it.9Division of the State Architect. Laboratory of Record Verified Report
DSA 154: Notice of Deviations
When the project inspector spots work that departs from the approved documents, they log it on the DSA 154. The same form later records the resolution once the deviation is corrected.10Division of the State Architect. Notice of Deviations / Resolution of Deviations
Verified Reports: The DSA 6 Series
The DSA 6 series is three verified reports, each a sworn declaration under penalty of perjury that the work matched DSA-approved documents. All three must be filed before a project can be certified.
The DSA 6-AE (Architect/Engineer Verified Report) is completed by the architect or engineer in general responsible charge. You file it as an interim report for each section of the DSA 152 before the project inspector signs that section off, and again as a final report when the project is substantially complete. The final version has to confirm that any changes affecting structural safety, access compliance, or fire and life safety were approved by DSA.
The DSA 6-PI (Project Inspector Verified Report) is completed by the project inspector and sent directly to DSA, the design professional, and the school district. It’s filed when the project is substantially complete, when work is suspended for more than a month, when the inspector’s services end, when a building is occupied before the full scope is complete, or when DSA requests it.
The DSA 6-C (Contractor Verified Report) is completed by each prime contractor with a direct contract with the owner. The contractor attests that the work was performed and materials used and installed in compliance with the approved documents.11Division of the State Architect. DSA 6-C – Contractor Verified Report
Missing verified reports are one of the most common reasons projects stall at certification.
Assembling the Certification Package
A DSA project isn’t legally complete until DSA issues a certification letter. Occupying a school building without certification creates legal and funding problems for the district. Closeout means uploading a specific set of documents to DSA’s Certification Box:
- DSA 1, the original application
- DSA 102, contract information
- DSA 108, delegation of responsibility
- DSA 168, statement of final actual project cost
- DSA 6-AE, 6-PI, and 6-C final verified reports
- DSA 291, final laboratory verified report
- DSA 292, special inspector verified report
- DSA 293, geotechnical verified report
- Notice of completion
- Change orders, construction change documents, deferred approvals, addenda, and revisions
A single missing item blocks certification. School districts and design professionals who need to upload closeout documents must request access to the Certification Box by submitting a DSA Certification Box Access Request; the upload portal is no longer publicly available, and a separate access request is required for each project folder.12Division of the State Architect. Certification Box for Construction Projects
DSA reviews the package and lists any deficiencies on form DSA 301-N. You have 60 days to resolve them. If they’re not resolved in that window, DSA grants an additional 60 days before the project risks being classified as non-certified.
Checking Your Project Status
DSA’s Project Status eTracker is a public tool for monitoring plan review and construction oversight progress. A project becomes searchable once plan review files are submitted. Look it up by DSA application number or by county, school district, and school name.13California Department of General Services. Track Plan Review Process for School, Essential Services Construction Projects
Projects that entered the system after November 1997 have six-digit application IDs and appear in the main eTracker section. Older projects with four- or five-digit IDs are searched through a separate Pre-eTracker lookup. The Certification Letter Type column tells you where things stand: Type 1 or Type 2 means the project is certified, Type 3 or 301P means non-certified, and a blank means construction is still in progress or hasn’t started.14Department of General Services. DSA Project Status eTracker Instructions
Checking eTracker during plan review and construction is how you catch missing verified reports, pending inspection approvals, or unresolved deviations before they turn into certification delays.