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County announces AI plan‑review pilot and new geologic study in Seal Cove; director outlines timeline
Summary
San Mateo County Planning and Building Department reported that the Board of Supervisors approved a contract to pilot an AI plan‑review tool intended to speed building‑code compliance checks, and staff commissioned a geologic study for the Seal Cove area; the pilot includes a six‑month proof‑of‑concept and a one‑year build‑out plan.
San Mateo County Planning and Building Department leadership told the Planning Commission on June 25 that the Board of Supervisors approved a contract on June 10 to initiate an AI plan‑review pilot aimed at automating portions of building‑code compliance checks and reducing reliance on outside third‑party reviewers. The department also reported it has commissioned a new geologic study of the Seal Cove area in Moss Beach, a locality the director described as in a geologic hazard zone that has experienced recent ground movement.
Department director Steve (last name not specified in the meeting record) said the AI system will read electronic construction plans, measure elements against coded requirements and “produce a spreadsheet that identifies where inconsistencies have been identified by the system,” which then will be reviewed by a human plan‑review expert. “The way in which the AI system will work is, we will program in the code requirements. The electronic plans will be read by the AI tool, which will take measurements and compare whether or not those construction plans meet all the code requirements,” the director said.
Pilot design and expected effects
- Proof of concept and timeline: The director said the pilot includes a six‑month proof‑of‑concept to customize the system to county codes, followed by a full build‑out expected within about one year of project initiation.
- Expected time savings and scope: The director estimated that many third‑party building code reviews currently take two to four weeks and that the AI system could reduce that portion of the review to one or two days once fully functioning. The department processes more than 3,000 building permits annually; staff described a potential future state where a substantial share of residential and some commercial plan reviews could be performed in house.
- Integration and review workflow: The director described integration with existing permit and plan‑review software (Exela for permits and Bluebeam for plan review). Identified inconsistencies from the AI will be reviewed by county plan‑review experts before information is returned to applicants.
Staffing, data and evaluation
Commissioners asked whether additional staff would be required and what datasets would train the system. The director said the department expects to proceed with current staff during the pilot and that staffing needs could change if in‑house review volumes expand. He said the AI will be programmed with California building code requirements and that the team will use existing plans to test the system: the proof‑of‑concept will target dozens of projects across residential, commercial and zoning review categories before scaling.
Seal Cove geologic study
The director also briefed commissioners about recent community outreach in Seal Cove (Moss Beach). Because the area is in a geologic hazard zone and has exhibited soil movement, the county commissioned a new geologic study and committed to return to the community later in the summer to report findings and possible mitigation options.
What comes next
The director said the county will hold a kickoff meeting for the AI pilot and that the department will report progress to the commission as the proof‑of‑concept proceeds. The Seal Cove study results are expected to come back to the community and the commission toward the end of summer.
