Building Permits: Tips, Tricks and How to Get One?

So you are finally ready to get started on your dream remodel job. But where do you start, and how do you get a building permit?

I have friends and family ask me all of the time about building permits — when you need one, how to get one, and of course how much? There is no simple answer to any of these questions, every project is unique, cities all have different requirements, but there is a general progression to the process that usually remains typical. To help my clients understand all of the steps involved, I have prepared a set of guidelines — outlining each step along the way:

1.) Identify the project goals and general scope of work.

• Sketch rough plan drawings, save pictures or create a pintrest account, write a design wishlist. These are all helpful tools to communicate your goals to a designer or builder.

2.) Visit your city’s building / planning department website

• Look for a building permit checklist, there is typically a document available that outlines the different permit types and specific application requirements. For example, the City of Scottsdale offers a very informative set of guidelines for a standard residential building permit package, here: Scottsdale Single Family Residential — Permit Checklist

3.) Interview a builder and/or design professional

• If you have a relationship with a builder it always helps to bring them in early, to offer advice, give ballpark pricing, and review all of your options. This valuable initial consultation is usually free of charge, and very helpful to get a project off the ground.

4.) Engage an architect or draftsperson to produce the permit drawings

• It is always best to work with a licensed architect (Scottsdale Licensed Architect), although some residential work does not require a stamp. City’s do prefer to see a stamp on the drawings, as an assurance of quality and liability.

5.) Review the schematic design drawings with your builder, for preliminary pricing.

• Your builder should be able to provide a ballpark estimate or fixed fee, from which to build an owner — contractor agreement.

6.) Engage Structural, MEP and/or Civil engineers, if the design requires consultant feedback or drawings

• The saying goes, if a shovel is going into the ground, you need a civil engineer. Structural engineers are often brought on to design framing plans, foundations, and provide calculations for the city.

7.) Select products, fixtures, finishes and equipment.

• Visit showrooms, design centers and look online. Create a list or spreadsheet of all your products. Pay close attention to the finishes, dimensions and all requirements. For example a shower requires: a shower base, shower head, arm, control, mixer, handspray, spray mount, and drain kit. All in matching finishes, with a consideration for available water pressure. There are many parts and pieces to coordinate. Your design professional can help here.
• If you cannot make up your mind on a tile spec or light fixture, select a price to be used as an allowance say $10psf for a tile or $150 for a light. This will help keep your numbers tight but allow time to for you to make final decisions.

8.) Finalize the design and provide your builder or bidding builders with a coordinated set of drawings and product specifications for pricing.

• If budget is tight, it is important to hold a 5–10% contingency in your total budget to accommodate any unforeseen costs.
• Negotiate a contract type with your builder. This may vary from a fixed fee, to a cost-plus (cost of materials/labor plus GC profit of around 10–20%). The contract and price should be reviewed by your Architect.

9.) Submit your drawings and permit application to the City Plan Review.

• The traditional submittal method is for the general contractor to submit the drawings and all necessary forms, proof of insurance and licensure, and permit fee check. However, if you are a homeowner performing the work, you may submit on your own behalf without a CSL.
• Many cities now offer online submittal services, such as Scottsdale, Arizona. This is often the preferred submittal method, and typically has a quicker turnaround time. You simply upload PDF plans and forms through a city portal, and pay fees online, here: Scottsdale Digital Plan Submittal
• Consider other authorities, such as HOA or community design review boards.

10.) Corrections and Approvals

• The typical residential review will take around 2 weeks. Usually the reviewers will respond with a list of comments or corrections, to be addressed by the architect and engineers. Once all corrections are resolved, the city issues a permit fee, and the builder picks up the plans and pays the fee. Fees are calculated based on project square footage, usually in the range of $500 to $2,000 depending on size.

Congratulations, you have a building permit! Time for the real fun to begin!

Blog post by Ryan Austin, RA-DSGN LLC

Ryan is a licensed architect in Phoenix, Arizona, and offers residential and commercial architectural design services to owners and builders throughout the valley.

Originally published at https://www.ra-dsgn.com on April 21, 2020.