Planning Division

Advisory:   Public Counter Operations are limited to "By Appointment” in Response to COVID-19 

To comply with current health orders, we have implemented COVID-19 Prevention Protocols and modified our public counter operations and submittal processes. If you have questions about land divisions, use permits, General Plan amendments, zone changes, variances and a number of ministerial planning permit applications, please use the informational links provided or give us a call before visiting us at our public counter.

County Adopts Resolution No. 2021-16 NEW! 

County Adopts Resolution No. 2021-16 to update COVID-19 temporary measures for health and safety business operations. To submit, please download the Notice of Intent forms for Temporary Measures for COVID-19 Application Form or the Fire-Related Host Winery Business Operations Application, and then submit the completed fillable form(s) to our PBES cloud service here and PBES staff will be notified that it has been submitted.


  1. Services & Programs
  2. Useful Information & Links
  3. Other Department Information

New: Napa County Use Permit Compliance Program

Compliance Program FAQs

Status Determination Process (PDF)

Current Projects

The Department regularly posts information about major planning projects. View a list of major current projects.

Pre-Application Meetings

Pre-application meetings are an opportunity to meet with staff from all Divisions and receive valuable feedback on more complex projects involving a Use Permit/Major Modification or other Use Permit related application, such as winery uses or development projects. In particular, staff can identify the type of application and related permits that may be necessary, permit processing steps and timelines, and pertinent information and technical studies that will be required to submit a complete application. Fees will be charged for the pre-application meeting service.

Note: For guidance and application requirements for residential building construction projects, such as new residential building permits, additions, modifications, etc., please use this link to visit our Building Division web page.

To schedule a pre-application meeting, please follow the steps (below) to use our Online Permit Center system (due to COVID social distancing protocols, appointments are currently limited to virtual meetings via Zoom). 

  1. From the PBES Online Permit Center Site you can register for an account. Once your user account has been created, you can login and get started.
  2. Under the heading for Planning, click “Schedule Meeting” and follow the system prompts to enter information for the property, owner, contact, project details, upload project documents, and pay fees.
  3. Once completed, click the “Schedule Date/Time” button and follow the prompts to select a date/time, and confirm the contact information and appointment time.
  4. Once you have finished and successfully scheduled your appointment, you will receive an email confirmation. If you need assistance, please call (707) 253-4417 during business hours. 

For more detailed step by step instructions with screen shots, please refer to the following user guides: How To Apply For a Pre-Application Meeting in OPC and How To Register for an Online Permit Center User Account.