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Fixed, thanks :) Please do. As mentioned in the top post, I can add any files (e.g., local code documents) and it will become part of the GPT's knowledgebase.

In Corps Regulatory, we now have regulations on the books that require the applicant request a "pre-filing" (aka "pre-application") meeting before applying for their 401 Water Quality Certification. There's a reasonable period of time (RPOT) attached to 401 applications, after which the 401...

The New York State Building Codes GPT incorporates the following codes, accessed at https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes/new-york: 2020 Building Code of New York State (Nov 2019) 2020 Energy Conservation Construction Code of New York State (Nov 2019) 2020 Existing Building Code of New York State...

The California Building Codes GPT incorporates the following codes, accessed at https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes/california: 2022 California Administrative Code, Title 24, Part 1 with July 2024 Supplement 2022 California Building Code, Title 24, Part 2 (Volumes 1 & 2) with July 2024 Supplement...

The Florida Building Codes GPT incorporates the following codes, accessed at https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes/florida: 2023 Florida Building Code, Accessibility, Eighth Edition (Jul 2023) 2023 Florida Building Code, Building, Eighth Edition (Jul 2023) 2023 Florida Building Code, Energy...

Thanks for that info, @Mondo. I just Googled the bill and see that there's plenty of continued news updates/discourse, so it appears to be very much alive still. I assume the bill's fate rests with the results on the upcoming election at this point. The legislation doesn't appear to be strictly...

Thanks for the comment. I agree, you'd think they'd focus first on infill-type solar development (e.g., cover parking lots). That would also make sense in terms of producing energy closer to the urban/commercial areas where it's mostly being used and minimizing transmission losses. But I agree...

Dealing with consultants, I get the sense that most just want to be able to throw their client a bone if/when they get a call from them or at their next status update meeting. I get a lot of "I have a meeting with my client coming up...what can I pass along regarding our status with milestone...

Agreed. Speaking for 404 permitting (my purview), I agree renewals are pretty straightforward. For NPDES I imagine the state authority/EPA just makes sure you're current on all monitoring/compliance items, like you said. I would think that reissuance should be straightforward from there. For...

I think permits only exist for camping/hiking in areas where demand is super high, like Yosemite. The government has to limit access to such areas, otherwise there'd be real environmental impacts/safety issues. I took our family to Yosemite a while back and we had to get reservations ~5 months...

Welcome!

Thanks for sharing this. I'm not super familiar with Section 402 NPDES permits but understand five years is the statutorily required maximum. That is, the requirement is included in the Clean Water Act itself (see Section 402(b)(1)(B)) and wasn't added separately in federal regulation. It would...

Hi @Edmaneira. Thanks for posting and for your inquiry regarding wetland permitting services. I work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers so unfortunately can't be hired to perform wetland permitting/consulting work involving Corps permitting. However, there are other knowledgeable practitioners...

Interesting article! My (limited) understanding is that FERC approves nuclear power plants and this process currently takes an extremely long time. I think it's fair to say that permitting for data centers currently happens a lot faster than for nuclear power plants. It seems like getting these...

Thanks for the explanation! It also seems interesting that the HUD Code provides nationally mandated standards for manufactured homes as compared with the "adopted code" approach used for state/local building codes. I guess the difference is that manufactured homes involve a factory...

I think that permit applicants, and especially their consultants, need to view the end goal of the permit process as not just about "getting a permit" but about "getting a legally defensible permit." If a permit office gives you a piece of paper saying you're authorized to do work, but the...

I definitely hear you on this. Still, despite the hazards, I'd rather that work - and especially decision-making - be delegated as much as possible. I think morale among permitting staff is going to be higher when people feel empowered to take action and have real-world impact without getting...

True. We have protocols we follow starting from investigating the "alleged violation" to establishing that a violation occurred and then coordinating with EPA and other federal/state/local agencies on a resolution. It definitely takes time and we have to consider whether the resources invested...

Hi Dave, thanks for dropping by and sharing this info! I really like your website, including your blog page where you posted this update. I wasn't aware there were federal standards for manufactured homes. I assume HUD's standards overlap with ICC international/state building codes, so that by...

Good advice. Bottom line is that permitting is a customer service profession and we should be careful not to set unreasonable expectations for ourselves. When workload ramps up, customer service can suffer, and - for permit office staff - it can feel like we're falling short. What's important is...