A Building Permit Should Be Forever
Do not ever throw away your copy of the building, electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits, issued for your home, especially for any remodeling or alteration projects. The existence of this document will help you close the sale of your home, if any questions should arise regarding the competency of the workmanship. Make sure you check […]
Water Availability Letter
A water availability letter is almost always a requirement of for every construction or building permit you may be applying for. Make sure you speak with the water purveyor that will be providing water to your property. It is quite common that there is not adequate fire flow on the existing water system to allow […]
Why Use A Building Permit Expediting Firm
You want the building permit review process to go as quickly as possible. Delays in the building permit approval can cost thousands of dollars. Architects are excellent at creative design and solving the code issues that are constantly changing. Most design firms have to sort of feel their way through the permit process at each […]
Interacting With The Permitting Staff
Remember when dealing with department staff to be courteous, cooperative and most of all curious. Treating the customer service staff with mutal respect will go a long way toward getting your submittal processed in a timely manner. Do not assume anything is taken care of. Ask lots of questions and make sure you get a […]
Is Your Permit Lost In The System?
If someone is not on top of what is happening with your building permit application, it could get buried in a multitude of regulations, policies, procedures and local ordinances. If a plan reviewer does not have all the information they need to complete the review of your project it could very easily get lost in […]
Getting Permits Faster
In the City of Los Angeles, there is a way to phase your project if you ask for it. You may want to ask you local building official to do the same. It’s up to them but sometimes, waiting for the entire design of your project to be completed before you submit for a permit […]
A Building Permit Does Not Guarantee Occupancy
Just because your plans have been approved by the jurisdiction, your building permit has been issued and you have completed the construction of your project does not mean it will meet all the necessary life safety requirements to get your certificate of occupancy. One client had installed 43 4 ft x 8 ft heat and […]
Is Your Permit Application Lost?
Is your building permit lost? This may seem like it could not happen. Not true! We have talked to several clients that have gone through this hard to believe experience. Make sure to check with the local permitting agency from time to time about the status of your permit. It is your responsibility to make […]
Yes! Up To One Year To Get A Building Permit!
A lot of jurisdictions are now taking up to a year or more to process a building project, especially if there are any land use issues, such as steep slopes, a stream or pond, or maybe a wetlands on the site. Just a basic land use approval for a building project is typically 4-6 months […]
Getting The Right Jurisdiction
You can cost yourself a lot of time if you are not absolutely sure which jurisdiction is responsible for building permits on your property. Sometimes County and City boundaries are not exactly clear. Find your tax parcel number then you can go to our City Links Page and find the correct jurisdiction by calling them […]