Texas continues to have a robust economy with billions of dollars in design and construction on the horizon in 2025, stemming from new convention centers to school bond programs to hospitals to mixed-use development, plus more. Texas is the bright star and for architects, contractors, and project owners to position themselves for success, having a strategic mindset on permitting is vital.
I know that the new year brings lots of excitement, especially when you have new projects in your pipeline, but here’s what we know at PermitUsNow. Whether you are the architect, contractor or project owner, new projects have their own set of challenges that require efforts to mitigate to eliminate delays in permitting to start construction on time.
To assist you in your journey, below are five permitting strategies for your consideration when planning your new commercial projects in 2025:
Strategy #1: Key Design and Construction Dates – Hitting project dates are crucial for the success of construction projects and in meeting project owners’ overall requirements. Reach out to your authority’s lead plan reviewers or department supervisors to gain insights into their workload and to review the impact of any changes in ordinances that could derail your project. Knowing inside dynamics, changes in ordinances, etc. allows you to determine the best strategies to use for permitting your project.
Strategy #2: Project Phasing – Determining phasing work on large-scale commercial projects is important for starting and completing construction on time. For example, pulling foundation-only permits provides the opportunity to kick-start construction while other design scopes are in review at the authority.
Strategy #3: Deferred Submittals – Identifying items that can be reviewed later than the main building itself eliminates delays in permitting. Some examples of items that can be deferred are fire protection plans, generators, ladders, and parts of mechanical systems. Refer to your authority’s permitting website or schedule a pre-development meeting to review which items are typically deferred. Deferring certain items allows you to move into construction faster as the details are worked out with long lead items.
Strategy #4: Site Conditions Requiring Variances – Floodplains, property setbacks, historical landmarks, roads by site, traffic lights, drainage, and forestry are examples of site conditions that are best to be identified and planned for upfront. Pre-development meetings with the jurisdiction are recommended so that you can eliminate surprises during permitting and avoid unnecessary delays. Feel free to call 1.844.PERMIT.4 for clarifications on site conditions that could trigger a variance.
Strategy #5: Building Code Concerns – I have heard horror stories where the engineer of record or architect was not too sure how to satisfy meeting a specific building code but decided to submit plans to permitting. The best way to handle doubts in producing a design that complies with building codes is to ask the city plan reviewer before submitting for permitting. This is also the case once construction has started and the contractor realizes that there is not enough space, or whatever the issue might be, to reach out to the city before incurring exorbitant costs due to delays in construction or with a revision permit.
In Summary
Permitting commercial projects is a science and art that often requires creativity to comply with building codes and to start construction on time. PermitUsNow has permitted new ground-ups, expansions, additions and major remodels, and has intimate experience in developing strategies in pulling permits.
When you have a challenge with permitting, you can call PermitUsNow at 1.844.PERMIT.4. We are committed to pulling permits for our architect, contractor, and project owner clients without delay, eliminating their frustrations with the permitting process. Plus, we make it easy for you to work with us. Simply: 1.) Email us your plans, 2.) Follow up on our feedback for any missing items, and 3.) Let us get your permit done for you. So, send us your plans today and we’ll free you up to focus on doing what you love– building your customers’ dreams. #BuildSafe
