Mad Duck Secures Plan Check Approvals in Fresno’s Challenging Jurisdiction

Permit Place provided permit expediting services for Estudio Architecture on multiple tenant improvement projects at the Mad Duck restaurant/bar location in Fresno, California. Each project required coordination with the City of Fresno Development and Resource Management Department, Building and Safety Division, and careful management of multi-discipline review paths.

Initial Tenant Improvement Scope

The first effort involved a comprehensive renovation of an existing restaurant-bar space within a shopping center. The scope included:

• Interior demolition
• New non-structural walls
• Decorative beams and columns
• Extensive millwork, lighting upgrades
• Equipment coordination
• New doors and windows
• Updated mechanical, electrical, and plumbing utilities
• And a bar canopy structure

All while maintaining existing use, occupancy, and path of egress.

Subsequent Revision Scope

A later permitting effort focused on revising the wood-look canopy structure and back-bar wall, removing all structural elements beneath the floor. This phase required coordinated resubmittals across several architectural sheets, selective structural revisions, and updated electrical drawings, all within the context of an already-approved tenant improvement.

Challenges

Fresno presents a demanding plan review environment, particularly for restaurant projects with layered MEP and life-safety considerations. The City’s submittal standards, discipline-specific review paths, and detailed correction cycles can quickly compound schedule risk if comments are not managed carefully.

Because these were separate tenant improvement efforts at the same site, the challenge extended beyond any single permit cycle. Maintaining continuity across submissions, while accounting for evolving reviewer expectations, code interpretations, and project refinements—required disciplined documentation control and careful coordination to avoid rework or review resets.

Solutions and Strategies

Permit Place relied on its Due Diligence process and Fresno-specific experience to establish a repeatable permitting framework for the Mad Duck location. Key measures included:

• Front-loading jurisdiction-specific requirements prior to each submittal
• Structuring coordinated application packages to reduce avoidable corrections
• Managing reviewer comments across disciplines to prevent misalignment between review cycles
• Maintaining steady communication with City staff to keep reviews advancing without idle gaps

Lessons learned from the initial permit cycle were documented and applied to subsequent submittals, allowing the team to refine response sequencing and improve overall review efficiency.

Project Wins

• Secured plan check approval for multiple tenant improvement efforts at the same restaurant-bar location in Fresno
• Successfully managed both a full TI and a targeted revision scope without reopening prior approvals
• Leveraged accumulated jurisdictional knowledge to reduce review friction on subsequent submittals
• Demonstrated how continuity, documentation discipline, and local expertise improve outcomes for repeat work at a single site

Together, these projects highlight the value of experienced permit expediting in challenging jurisdictions. And show how accumulated local knowledge can translate into greater certainty when projects return to the same location under evolving scopes.