Elite Permits

In this blog, we want to share with you the first step of the permitting process. You need to find out under which building department your permit will be regulated; many times you assume it must be in “my county” but each county can have many smaller building departments within its area. This is extremely important as it will determine the requirements that apply to your project and the paperwork you have to fill out. Most jurisdiction have their own applications and they won’t accept anything other than theirs.

I happen to live in Florida where we enjoy beautiful beaches and weather, however, a small price that we have to pay is to endure the occasional hurricane. I remember when I moved to Florida in May 2004, my husband told me “don’t worry about the hurricanes, I have been here for over 10 years and not even one has come through the city”. Lucky me! That year and the following year we had two major hurricanes which went through our backyard and did significant damage to our property.

The number one reason that permits are rejected is due to the lack of completeness either in the plans or in the paperwork being submitted. Have you ever gotten something in a box that you have to put together? First thing you look for are the instructions (well, at least some people do), just to find out that they are lacking so much information that they are almost impossible to follow.

I happen to live in Florida where we enjoy beautiful beaches and weather, however, a small price that we have to pay is to endure the occasional hurricane. I remember when I moved to Florida in May 2004, my husband told me “don’t worry about the hurricanes, I have been here for over 10 years and not even one has come through the city”. Lucky me! That year and the following year we had two major hurricanes which went through our backyard and did significant damage to our property.

In an emergency….look for the alternative exit! When I started working on building code compliance almost 15 years ago, I wasn’t aware of the multiple exits that are required for buildings, I just thought they were optional exits by the architect but they are there for a reason. Any space that can accommodate more than 50 people must have a secondary exit so people can go in different ways. This is nothing more than another safe way to get out of the space.

Do I Need a Permit? This is THE question I get asked all the time, and 95% of the time the answer is, YES! As a former building department manager, I have found that most people don’t realize they need a permit because they are working within their own 4 walls…