You may ask, why not wait till you do the entire gut, but my consultants suggest that an interim step of abatement and a temporary rooftop allows for the permitting process to be smoother with a clean asbestos survey.  

Our doing the right thing, contact the zoning department and explain to them what you will want to do and if it will require a special use permit or if it can be done as of right

O&E is Owners and Encumbrances, it provides current information such as the current or last owner, liens and encumbrances of records, any pending litigation, construction permits filed in the past (usually) 6 months, ordinance violations and current taxes as well as other current matters.

@Ram SrinivasanI set out to answer you this morning, but BP suddenly decided I was an unverified user and would not permit me to post ....

The seller had pulled permits back in 2011 to de-convert the basement and do some other items but never paid for the permits or actually done any of the stuff.

For example, how do I get a permit without plans for interior work?

Hi Jeremy, I don't have a yes or no answer, but with my experience here in San Francisco as an Interior Designer we don't flip homes without getting a permit and a licensed  contractor especially if it's a major renovation.

We will permit the work so the city will know. 

We opted out of 1 of the offers submitted as the property did not have permits with the city for the 2nd unit. 

A new contractor has just handed me some paperwork to sign; the Notice of Commencement, which to my understanding, is required that I sign, and a builders permit that he wants me to sign and have notarized prior to him doing his part.