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One of DOGE's reforms is for the federal government to adopt a performance culture a la Silicon Valley. As stated in the "Fork in the Road" email that went out to all federal workers on Jan 28: How does your office "reward and promote those that exceed expectations"? And how do you...

Looks like us Feds are headed back five days/week pretty soon, which will be a big adjustment for our district considering we're only in office one day/week right now. Plus, our main office is in downtown Los Angeles, which is a beast for most folks to commute to. For those who have completed...

How do other offices out there collect customer service feedback? One problem we seem to have is that although we have a survey (https://regulatory.ops.usace.army.mil/ords/f?p=136:4), it only asks customers questions at the section/organization level and doesn't offer any opportunity to comment...

I'm about to start a temporary stint as supervisor next week. This will be my first time moving from a senior staff-level role to actually overseeing people. Anyone have tips related to managing permitting staff (or being managed) that they can share?

Have any permitting staff out there ever received gifts, e.g., from appreciative permittees? How does your office handle this situation? Me and a coworker recently each received anonymous $50 Visa gift cards with unsigned thank you/greeting cards. Our Office of Counsel thinks we might be able...

The USACE Regulatory (Norfolk District) GPT incorporates the following: All content included in the USACE Regulatory National GPT Content from the Norfolk District website Have additional documents to add? Please reply below. Any files or webpages you'd like incorporated into the GPT can be...

The Los Angeles Building Codes GPT incorporates the following: City of Los Angeles Mechanical Code (3/6/23) City of Los Angeles Plumbing Code (3/6/23) 2022 California Building Code Including 2023 City of Los Angeles Amendments, Volumes 1 and 2 (1/1/23) 2022 California Green Building Standards...

Which type of permit office would you rather work with/for? One that's more professional and bureaucratic, with more top-down decision-making, but slower One that's less professional and bureaucratic, with more delegated decision-making, but faster I thought this question represents a good...

In your experience, which is more critical for ensuring quality permitting administration? Is it timely permitting or effective enforcement? Why do you think so?

Has anyone ever dealt with situations where the renovation work requiring permitting is relatively minor compared to what the building department is requiring in terms of plan drawings? I was recently quoted $17,500 for remodeling work that's mostly drywall/flooring work, with only a small...

I wanted to take a moment to make everyone aware of Permitting Talk's Anonymous Posting feature. Through our day-to-day experiences in the permitting world, we inevitably gain various insights and opinions about the people and processes we encounter. We know that sharing such insights would be...

There are two Permitting Talk features that are super helpful for communicating your professional credentials to others: signatures and username badges. You can edit your signature by clicking your username in the top right and then clicking "Signature" (circled blue below). To request a...

Anyone have stories about violations or non-compliance issues they helped resolve? Share with the community here.

I decided this year would be a good year to try and hike Mt. Whitney but then learned that I just barely missed the lottery for permits. Apparently the lottery runs Feb 1 - Mar 1. I'd really like to get the day use permit and go during the prime window (late Aug/early Sep), if at all possible...

I was curious about situations where a homeowner has an old, dilapidated structure (e.g., a compromised garage) on their property, which represents a clear safety hazard to themselves, adjacent homeowners, and/or passersby. Oftentimes, these homeowners cannot afford to repair the structure and...

Occasionally someone purchases a home only to discover that permits weren't obtained for some of the home's past renovations. The homeowner may decide to fix the unpermitted work to meet code standards but may be uncertain how to engage permitting authorities on the issue. To understand how...

I reached out to several building departments to ask about permitting requirements for detached pergolas. I was particularly interested in how different codes/offices would approach an issue involving pre-installed concrete footings and what permitting options might be available to a homeowner...