Helen Callier, Contributing Writer
Architects, developers, contractors, project owners, and others involved in construction projects want to obtain building permits quick so construction can begin on time. When delays occur in processing building permits, for all parties involved in a particular construction project, frustrations begin to rise and thoughts of losing money on the project jump to the forefront as an imminent threat.
To avoid headaches and the loss of time and money in obtaining building permits, here are three of the most powerful ways to speed up the building permit process:
Plan – Typically most architects and engineers focus on what they were hired to do and that is handling the intricacies of the building or infrastructure design and then completing construction plan sets. At the point of finishing the plan set, if the local jurisdiction’s building codes and zoning ordinances have not been fully considered or checked for the most recent changes, then you can factor in a loss of time and added costs to obtain your building permit. Key: Proper planning is one of the best steps to eliminate set-backs in city permitting.
Get to Know Local Jurisdiction – To move expeditiously through the permitting process, it is important to understand the local jurisdiction processes and regulations. Some jurisdictions only accept electronic submissions and others have a manual process with a certain amount of plan sets to be submitted.
For example, Fort Bend County, Texas, is still experiencing strong development in housing, retail, and commercial development. A few of the small municipalities in the county have made changes to their building codes and zoning ordinances, and not being in the loop on these changes will create delays in obtaining building permits and will impact the project owner’s wallet in an adverse way. Key: Stay up-to-date on building codes and zoning laws of local jurisdictions.
Use a Permit Expediting Service – Permit Expeditors intimately know local jurisdictions building permit processes, have established relationships in permitting, understand building codes and zoning ordinances, and most importantly, stay abreast of the latest changes that can severely cause delays in obtaining a building permit.
Permit expeditors can review plans for compliance, help complete the right forms, and know the right permitting staff to meet with to move through the permitting process fast.
Permit expeditors remove headaches and help to save time and money so that construction projects start according to schedule.
Recently during a social gathering, a new pizza place owner shared his frustrations on the months it had taken for him to obtain a building permit. He was not aware of which local jurisdiction his restaurant was located in and after spending an inordinate amount of time going back and forth at one jurisdiction, he finally was informed that he was in the wrong municipality. This was a great shock and he kept saying to me that he was missing the local football season which is a peak time for his new pizza restaurant. Key: Identify resources that are experts in building permitting.
We are excited about the construction opportunities in the Houston area and in Texas. Whether your market area is slow or experiencing strong growth, obtaining a building permit fast is essential to the success of starting ground ups, renovations, and expansion construction projects on time. We’re here to eliminate frustrations and help architects, engineers, developers, and project owners to obtain building permits fast to assist in creating ideal environments to live, work, and play in. Ask us any question on building permitting or visit us at www.permitusnow.com for additional information on expediting your building permit. See you again in Subcontractors USA for our next article on Mayor Turner’s Permitting Transition Team Report and what it means for your next building permit.
Helen Callier, CEO of Permit Us Now, is the one-stop building permit expediting firm that helps architects, engineers, contractors, and project owners save half the time and money in obtaining building permits in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and North Texas. Connect with @PermitUsNow on Twitter and Facebook.
