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What are some of the most frustrating things about being a permit tech? I'll go first. I'll preface it by saying that my team is great...communication is, for the most part, awesome. My current issue is when one or two departments are ready to issue, and I'm waiting on the last to sign off with...

Woo! Welcome!

Having handouts at the counter, having a station where they can DIY (esp. for electronic submittals). Just being willing to help out those who don't have a clue and are trying to do the right thing.

Hey! I was watching a youtube video as part of my WABO class and the inspector was doing a final on a home and he was walking thru making sure everything was to the plans/code. He looked at the smoke detectors but didn't test them, just said "they're hard wired in"....I'm wondering what you all...

I agree with checking with the code compliance office, but I also wonder if the county has adopted a property maintenance code? If so, that may help her a little. She should also look into tenant rights for that area. Sometimes, especially if the building dept. does not have an adopted PMC...

Thank you - that's basically what he said and clarified that LNI does the wiring component. So all is good!

I ended up asking my building official because he's OOO till next week and I need to process the permit (or not). He said that electrical does the wiring only and everything else is thru us, basically. He worded it more eloquently than that, but I understand it now.

I received a submittal for a "wireless fire alarm communicator"..and I'm not very privvy to a lot of the fire alarm/suppression types, but this feels electrical to me? How do you all know when it is? I'm only asking because our jurisdiction doesn't handle electrical permits, so I want to let the...

Interesting! My jurisdiction encourages electronic submittals, but we're not 100% there yet. We are actually in the process of a software conversion & should be going live in October. I'm worried mostly about my demographic, the elderly who "don't do computers" or the contractors who come in...

I'm not in Texas, so forgive me, but my local jurisdiction's policy would depend on the location of the proposed stand. Is it on private property? Does the seller have permission from the property owner to be on their property? If it's not in the right of way, that's really all they'd need.

I don't think it's worth it. I know it's frustrating, but what's stopping the person from going in to the office? The office could be facing staff shortages, which isn't an excuse, but sometimes the phones go unanswered because it's not a priority. I would encourage the person to go in, or have...

Interesting. Further questions.... Would we accept a permit when it's not required for the work? How would we charge that? Inspections? We can guide contractors to resources available, but if a permit isn't required, I don't even think we'd review the project.

Try talking to the Building Official. They would probably be the ones in charge of the permit techs; if that doesn't work, try the Director, who should be overall in charge of the department. Start within the department itself, and if nothing happens, then go higher.

ohhh heck no. Seriously?! That is maddening.

It is unfortunate that the department won't work with you at all, especially for a smaller project. Thanks for sharing your experience/perspective, it definitely makes sense, and honestly, I don't blame you for going the route you did.

I really like this feature!! I tried to trip it up with some questions, but it's answered all of the ones I asked so far. I really like how it references where it comes from when it answers.

That is so interesting! I see it quite a bit here, people use our residential/commercial bldg permit for over-the-counter projects; I don't usually make a stink about it because it's something that's easy to pick apart and generally has the same information minus a couple of pages for a...

I think most jurisdictions would agree that first time "offenders" get one freebie, especially if they follow the appropriate steps and stop work until things are approved. Mistakes happen, some people simply don't know the rules.

That contractor needs an ethics check. I guess it's easy to suggest something like that when it's not your home or your life you're risking. That gives me a huge ick feeling...if I ever came across that I would recommend the homeowner find another contractor.

I would think it would be exempt from a permit if it's under 200 sqft and not attached to the house...