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Every finding cites its source
  • County assessor parcels
  • Municipal codes
  • General plans
  • FEMA flood maps
  • CAL FIRE hazard zones
  • State housing law

Built for the people who get sites approved.

Entitlement runs through many hands. Prebreak gives each of them the same parcel, the same sources, and the same plan.

  • Developers and owners

    Know what a site can become before you commit to it.

    • Buildable envelope
    • Route comparison
    • Open risks

  • Architects

    Start design from the standards that actually govern the lot.

    • Setbacks and height
    • Density and FAR
    • Cited code sections

  • Engineers and consultants

    Pick up the research and decisions that came before you.

    • Shared sources
    • Agency requirements
    • Open questions

  • Project managers

    Keep every approval step, owner, and dependency in one place.

    • Approval plan
    • Team workspace
    • Review-ready documents

Get clear answers, an approval plan, and a team in sync.

Parcel research

Know what governs your site.

Start with your parcel

From parcel number to approval plan.

Start research

  1. Enter a parcel number

    Start with an APN. Prebreak finds the parcel, its boundary, and the zoning, overlays, and plans that apply to it.

  2. Review the research

    See the standards that govern the lot, each tied to its source, with the questions that still need an answer called out.

  3. Plan the approval

    Compare the routes the site may qualify for, choose one, and work the steps with your team until you can break ground.

Every route to approval, side by side.

The same parcel can be entitled more than one way. Prebreak checks which routes your site may qualify for and what each one asks of the project.

  • By right

    Ministerial

    The project fits existing zoning, so it moves to a building permit without a discretionary hearing.

  • Ministerial approval

    Ministerial

    Staff check the project against objective, written standards. No public hearing and no CEQA review.

  • SB 423

    Streamlined

    Streamlined ministerial approval for qualifying multifamily housing where a city is behind on its housing targets.

  • SB 79

    Streamlined

    Added height and density allowances for housing near qualifying transit stops in California.

  • Density bonus

    Layered on zoning

    More units, incentives, and waivers under state law in exchange for including affordable homes.

  • CEQA

    Environmental

    Environmental review under California law, or an exemption that lets a project skip it.

  • Rezone

    Legislative

    A change to the zoning map or code, approved by the city council after public hearings.

One project, from first parcel to approval.

Research, planning, and the documents that come out of them live together, so nothing is lost between handoffs.

  • Zoning, drawn on your lot

    Boundary, setbacks, and the height envelope on the parcel itself, in plan and in 3D.

  • Every answer, cited

    Each standard links to the code section, map, or record it came from, so anyone can check it.

  • An approval plan your team can run

    The chosen route becomes steps with owners and dependencies, kept with the research behind them.

  • Documents ready for review

    Turn the project into professional documents for owners, consultants, and agencies.

3 beliefs that guide our company

Doug Waters
Doug WatersCo-Founder and CEO at Prebreak
Aaron Cassar
Aaron CassarCo-Founder and CTO at Prebreak

We believe good research should be traceable.

Every parcel has its own rules, history, and unanswered questions. A useful answer needs more than a confident summary: it needs the evidence behind it.

Prebreak keeps governing sources and open questions alongside your project, so your team can see what supports a conclusion and what still needs confirmation.

We believe the plan should fit the parcel.

Local zoning, density bonuses, and streamlined review can lead to different projects on the same site. The right comparison starts with your goals and the requirements of each route.

Put those options next to one another before committing to a direction. Keep the conditions, dependencies, and unresolved decisions visible as the project takes shape.

We believe progress is a team effort.

An entitlement project moves through owners, designers, engineers, agencies, and consultants. Each handoff should carry the research and decisions that came before it.

Prebreak brings the work into one shared project, so the next person can understand the context, pick up the open questions, and help move the plan forward.

A wider view
of development.

All articles
Research reportsLand-use approvals, project timelines, and research methods.