Should pre-submittal meetings be required for all major building permits?

[EmilyPage]

We currently have pre-submittal meetings required for expedited permits, but optional for all other building permits. During the 1-hour meeting, a plans reviewer and zoning officer look over the proposed plans, answer any questions the applicant has and informs them of our submittal standards. When pre-submittal meetings are requested, they are usually scheduled within 2 weeks of requesting and have improved the submittal quality significantly leading to faster intake times. Additionally, we have many contractors who have been submitting permits for years that incorrectly submit applications, resulting in a few back-and-forths to get it the way we need.
If we were to request these meetings for every major building permit, it would slow it down at the front end but would result in time saved during the entire review process. Do any other jurisdictions require a pre-submittal meeting for every major building permit? What is your experience? If you don't, why not?

 

[Jeff]

Major projects must go through a design review /entitlement process through Planning prior to submitting to Building & Safety. Building & Safety provides input during this process and highlights any issues that need to be resolved prior or during plan check.
It is a required process that does take time. Unfortunately by the time the applicant is ready to submit full plans for review, they can be very frustrated with the process.

 

[Noctis]

If I were an applicant, I would feel more confident if I had meetings like that. If going through all the hassle means less chance of rejection or faster approval time, then why not? The officers can 'punish' those who still fail to meet the requirements after going through the meetings by rejecting or delaying the proposal. That sounds like a good motivation to make people cooperate.

 

[Emily C]

We do that for land use proposals, the applicant pays a fee and applies and then staff reviews and will meet with the applicant to talk feasibility and let them know what will be needed to continue.
For bldg permits, I think it would be nice, but if it's a "major" project it's likely gone through the land use/design review process already, which would include this type of meeting.