DSA Project Lookup: Search eTracker by Application Number

A DSA project lookup is done through eTracker, a free online tool from California’s Division of the State Architect that shows the plan review and construction status of public school and essential services building projects. You can reach it at apps2.dgs.ca.gov/DSA/Tracker/. To pull up a record you need either the DSA application number or the county, school district, and school name.¹ The tool covers active projects and older archived records.

What You Need Before You Search

The fastest route is the DSA application number. It has two parts: a two-digit regional office code, then a six-digit project number assigned sequentially by that office.² The regional office codes are:

01: Oakland
02: Sacramento
03: Los Angeles
04: San Diego

An application number like 02-100627 was the 627th project submitted to the Sacramento office.² You’ll often find the number on architectural blueprints, in school board minutes about facility work, or on building permits and notices of completion posted at the site.

Without the number, search by county, school district name, and school name.¹ Spell them exactly as they appear in official records. A single campus can carry several projects at different stages, so the more specific you are, the less filtering you’ll do afterward.

Running the Search in eTracker

Start from the DSA project tracking page on the Department of General Services website, which links to the eTracker application.² If you have the application number, enter it directly to open a single project record. If you don’t, the path depends on the school type:

For K–12 schools, choose the option to search school projects by county and school district. Pick the county from the map or list, then the district. Every project associated with that district’s schools will appear.
For community colleges, use the separate community college search and browse projects by college.

Click any application number in the results to open the full record, which shows milestones, review history, and current status.³

Older Projects

Projects submitted before eTracker existed carry four- or five-digit application numbers instead of the current six-digit format. To find them, click the Pre-Tracker link inside eTracker, select the Pre-Tracker Client List, and search by district name.³ These older records stay publicly accessible, which matters because school buildings often remain in use for decades and their original certification status is still relevant for renovations and insurance.

Reading the Project Status

Every project record shows a status that tracks where it sits in DSA’s pipeline: plan review, active construction, then either certification or closure without it.

During plan review, DSA staff evaluate blueprints for compliance with the California Building Standards Code (Title 24), covering structural, fire and life safety, and accessibility requirements. Review begins within five working days of a registered submittal.⁴ Once plans are approved, construction proceeds under a certified project inspector, who verifies that the work matches the DSA-approved plans and meets code.⁵

The status most people are actually looking for is certification. A certified project has a DSA letter confirming that construction was completed in accordance with all applicable safety requirements.⁶ If you are a parent, community member, or board member asking whether a building went through the full safety process, that letter is the answer.

Certification is not automatic when construction ends. DSA reviews the file to confirm the required paperwork was submitted and outstanding issues resolved.⁷ If documents are missing, DSA sends a 90-day letter to the architect and district requesting everything within that window.⁶

When a Record Says “Closed Without Certification”

This is the status that should get your attention. DSA closes a project without certification when it cannot verify that construction was completed to code. That happens either because deviations from the approved plans were reported during construction, or because required verification documents never came in within the 90-day deadline.⁶

The consequences carry weight. DSA will not approve new proposed projects associated with uncertified construction, so a district can find itself blocked from other campus improvements until the outstanding project is resolved. If a building becomes occupied without certification, DSA places a report on the deficient paperwork in the Certification Box, which is open to the public.⁶ California law does not prohibit a district from occupying a building before certification is issued, but doing so without completing the process creates a public record of non-compliance and blocks future approvals.

Partial certification is possible. DSA can certify portions of a project’s scope separately if those portions include everything needed to make the affected structures fully code-compliant, including accessibility and fire safety.⁶ That helps districts that completed most of the work properly but had a problem with a specific component.

If the Lookup Doesn’t Answer Your Question

DSA runs four regional offices, and each handles projects submitted from its geographic area. The regional code in the application number tells you which office to call; a number starting with 03, for example, went through Los Angeles.²

Oakland (01): 1515 Clay Street, Suite 1201, Oakland, CA 94612, (510) 622-3101
Sacramento (02): 1102 Q Street, Suite 5200, Sacramento, CA 95811, (916) 445-8730
Los Angeles (03): 355 South Grand Avenue, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, CA 90071, (213) 897-3995
San Diego (04): 10920 Via Frontera, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92127, (858) 674-5400

DSA headquarters in Sacramento takes general inquiries at (916) 322-2490.⁸

1
California Department of General Services. Track Plan Review Process for School, Essential Services Construction Projects
2
Division of the State Architect. Plan Review for Schools, Essential Services Construction Projects
3
California Department of General Services. How to Look Up a Project in DSA Project Status
4
Division of the State Architect. Start Construction Project by Submitting Plans for Review
5
Division of the State Architect. Project Inspector Certification
6
California Department of General Services. Project Certification for Schools, Essential Services Construction Projects
7
Division of the State Architect. Project Certification Guide
8
Division of the State Architect. Contact Us