How to Complete and Submit California Form DSA 140: Post-Approval Document

California Form DSA 140 is the cover sheet the Division of the State Architect requires whenever you send post-approval documents for a school or essential services construction project. You attach it to deferred submittals, addenda, revisions, and construction change documents that modify plans DSA has already stamped. The form routes your materials to the correct regional office and carries the signed certification of the Design Professional in General Responsible Charge that the changes have been reviewed for compliance with Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations.¹

When the Form Is Required

Four kinds of post-approval documents trigger a DSA 140:¹

Deferred submittals flagged in the original approved plans for separate detail later.
Addenda issued after DSA approval but before construction begins.
Revisions that significantly change approved construction documents or redesign previously approved items.
Construction Change Documents (CCDs) for modifications that come up during construction.

CCDs are split into two categories, and the category decides whether you even need to submit. A Category A CCD is any change that affects structural safety, access compliance, or fire and life safety. These must be submitted on DSA 140 and approved by DSA before the affected work begins, and DSA charges a review fee for each one.²

A Category B CCD covers changes that do not touch structural, access, or fire and life safety. By default, Category B CCDs do not have to be submitted to DSA at all. You submit one only if DSA requests it in writing, or if you choose to send it voluntarily. When DSA reviews a Category B submittal, it looks only at whether the change really belongs in Category B, not at code compliance, and it can reclassify the change as Category A if it disagrees.²

Clarifications of already-approved documents are not changes under DSA’s rules. If the design professional is only explaining what the approved plans already show without altering them, no CCD and no DSA 140 are needed.²

What to Gather Before You Start

Having everything on hand before you open the fillable PDF saves a round of rejections. You will need:

The DSA application number from the DSA identification stamp on the approved plans. The format is a two-digit regional office code, a dash, and a six-digit project number, for example 02-114987.³
The DSA file number, which appears on the identification stamp and on the signature sheet of the specifications.¹
The school district or owner name, and the project and school name exactly as they appear on the original DSA 1 application.
The revised drawings and any supporting materials: architectural sheets, structural calculations, testing reports, or specification sections documenting the change.
The CCD, addendum, or revision number the design professional has assigned to track this change in sequence.

The blank form is a fillable PDF on the California Department of General Services website.¹

Filling Out the Form

The form has six sections. Most are straightforward data entry; Sections 4 and 5 are where errors tend to delay a submittal.

Section 1: Submittal Type

Mark whether this is a new submittal or a resubmittal, then check the box for the document type: deferred submittal, addendum, revision, or CCD. For a CCD, enter the CCD number and check Category A or Category B.¹

Section 2: Project Information

Enter the school district or owner name, the DSA file number, the project name and school, and the DSA application number. These entries have to match the original project records exactly.

Section 3: Applicant Information

Enter the submission date, the firm name and contact details for the person preparing the submittal, and whether additional pages are attached and how many.

Section 4: Reason for Submittal

Check one or more boxes explaining the reason for the submittal. The options cover revisions or addenda before construction, changes during active construction, documents tied to an existing DSA 301-N or 301-P notification, and submittals meant to obtain DSA approval of an uncertified building. For a Category B CCD, mark whether the submittal is voluntary or required by DSA. If DSA required it, attach the written notice.¹

Section 5: Design Professional in General Responsible Charge

The Design Professional in General Responsible Charge, usually a licensed architect, structural engineer, or professional engineer, enters their name, professional license number, and discipline, then signs a statement certifying that the attached documents have been examined for design intent and appear to meet Title 24 and the project specifications.¹ That signature carries real weight. The design professional is personally responsible to both the school board and DSA for ensuring completed work conforms to the approved plans and the regulations.

Section 6: Confirmation, Description, and Listing of Documents

For addenda, revisions, or CCDs, check the confirmation box verifying that all post-approval documents have been stamped and signed by the responsible design professional listed on the original DSA 1 application. Write a brief description of the construction scope covered by the submittal, then list every DSA-approved drawing affected by the change. Attach additional sheets if the list runs long.¹

Submitting Through DSAbox

DSA accepts post-approval submittals electronically through DSAbox, its cloud-based file sharing platform for school construction projects.⁴ File names have to follow DSA’s conventions, because files that don’t follow them won’t route correctly and can derail the submittal.

The naming rules are set out in DSA Procedure PR 18-04. Each document type has a dedicated folder in the Bluebeam Studio Project, and files use type-specific prefixes with version numbers. A CCD approval document file would be named something like CCD_001_V1.pdf, with its supporting file named CCD_001_V1_SupportingDocument. Deferred submittals, revisions, and addenda use the prefixes DS, REV, and ADD respectively and follow the same version pattern.⁵

All review and approval documents go up as PDFs. Plan sets larger than 1 GB should be split into multiple volumes. Review itself happens on the Bluebeam Studio platform, which DSA staff and design professionals access through Bluebeam Revu.⁶

Review Fees

DSA charges plan review fees for post-approval submittals, with the amount depending on the type and scope of the change. Structural plan review of K-12 and community college projects carries a $250 minimum, and access compliance review a $500 minimum, both on sliding scales tied to estimated project cost. The current rates take effect July 1, 2026.⁷

One fee quirk is worth knowing. If DSA requires you to submit a Category B CCD and then agrees it is genuinely Category B, no review fee is charged. A voluntary Category B submittal, by contrast, is billed for the review.²

After You Submit

Once DSAbox accepts the upload, DSA assigns the submission to the regional office handling your project. You can track status through DSA’s online project tracking tool using the application number or the school district name.⁸

Review time varies with the complexity of the change and the regional office’s workload. If reviewers find problems, they issue corrections. The design professional then schedules an in-person electronic back-check appointment at the regional office. Before the meeting, the corrected plan sets have to be uploaded into the Bluebeam Studio Session so DSA staff and the design professional can walk through the changes together and verify every required correction.⁹

Do Not Start Category A Work Before Approval

For Category A changes the rule is absolute: construction on the affected work cannot begin until DSA approves the CCD. Proceeding without approval exposes the project to enforcement. DSA can issue a Request for District/Owner to Stop Work, an Order to Comply, or a formal Stop Work Order when work proceeds without approved documents or does not conform to what was approved.¹⁰

Why Timely Submittals Matter for Certification

Every DSA 140 you file feeds into the project’s final certification, DSA’s determination that construction complies with the codes governing school buildings. Missing or incomplete post-approval documents can block certification altogether.

If a project is occupied without certification, DSA begins notifications on a fixed schedule. At 60 days after construction, occupation, or use of the project, DSA sends Form DSA 301-N listing deficiencies and responsible parties. If the project is still uncertified at 120 days, DSA issues Form DSA 301-P, which is posted in the publicly viewable Certification Box alongside the project’s construction start notice.¹¹

DSA also sends a 90-Day Letter to the project architect or engineer requesting missing documents. If those documents do not arrive within 90 days, DSA closes the project without certification. The most consequential penalty: DSA will not approve new proposed projects associated with uncertified construction, which can freeze a district’s future building plans until the open certification issue is resolved.¹¹

1
Division of the State Architect. DSA 140 – Application for Submittal of Post-Approval Document
2
Division of the State Architect. IR A-6 – Construction Change Document Submittal and Approval Process
3
Division of the State Architect. DSAbox Naming Standards
4
Division of the State Architect. DSAbox File Sharing for School Construction Projects
5
Division of the State Architect. PR 18-04 – Electronic Plan Review for Design Professionals
6
Division of the State Architect. PR 18-05 – Electronic Plan Review for Consultant
7
Division of the State Architect. Plan Review Filing Fee Adjustments
8
Division of the State Architect. Track Plan Review Process for School, Essential Services Construction Projects
9
Division of the State Architect. Electronic Plan Review for School, Essential Services Construction Projects
10
Division of the State Architect. IR A-13 – Stop Work and Order to Comply
11
California Department of General Services. Project Certification for Schools, Essential Services Construction Projects