Two common reasons for application denial

[JoeT]

Did you know that two of the most common reasons that building permits get denied are due to incorrect or incomplete information? Those two simple mistakes can be quite costly, both in additional fees, and the time sunk into stalling the project and making the corrections. It just goes to show that it pays to ask questions instead of guessing on the forms, and it pays to double-check those answers as well.

 

[Jake]

Which is why I am always asking questions, and making sure I am 100% ready to go with any plans I have submitted before I have any work done. If I'm ever confused about the process, I ask questions, or do some research to find out for sure. I don't like risking it, so I play by the rules.

I've thankfully never been denied for a permit, but I know people who have and it's because they often forget about a small thing they should've taken care of, or they think it'll be taken care of with the permit.

 

[Winny]

I imagine most people who apply for permits apply in success. But I'm sure a small amount don't get the permit. I think with the way permitting offices work these days, people are able to apply much easier for permits. Plus with the help from staff, I would imagine they walk you through everything, including what is required of you. Then it's really on you to make sure to follow all the rules when applying for said permits.

Still though, people do get declined when they file for a permit, but you can always work with the permitting office to help walk you through the process and to file the correct way.

 

[dollyachie]

The most common reason we see for application denial is 1) an incomplete application and 2) incorrect forms used.

 

[Lindsay]

Hopefully the jurisdiction you apply with has Permit Techs who will review the application before accepting it. That way, if there are minor corrections that are needed, you can take care of them before going through the whole review process. For homeowners that are going through the permit process for the first time, it's common to see revisions requested but never a full denial.

 

[Emily C]

That is so interesting! I see it quite a bit here, people use our residential/commercial bldg permit for over-the-counter projects; I don't usually make a stink about it because it's something that's easy to pick apart and generally has the same information minus a couple of pages for a checklist.
What is frustrating for me is when people don't put their contractor UBI # in; I've started asking for it because even though I verify that they're legit, I got tired of doing the extra work of filling it in for them. Same thing with parcel numbers. Another thing is when people pay the residential price for a commercial project; some of our projects have a flat fee for residential and commercial is based on valuation, and I don't know how to be more clear.

 

[Eric]

That is so interesting! I see it quite a bit here, people use our residential/commercial bldg permit for over-the-counter projects; I don't usually make a stink about it because it's something that's easy to pick apart and generally has the same information minus a couple of pages for a checklist.

It's great you're flexible and work with applicants' submittals as best you can before kicking things back. As permitting staff we often have a lot of discretion to decide what details are needed to move the process forward. Especially when workload is high, it can be tempting to quickly spot something wrong with an application and throw the ball back in the applicant's court...sort of a quick and dirty way to buy time on an application and focus on other priorities for a little while. It's much more commendable when permitting staff work with what they've been given to the maximum extent possible and avoid slowing the process down on technicalities (e.g., if the wrong form was used).

 

[Nomad]

Apart from incomplete or incorrect paperwork, some other common reasons why applications are rejected are not following the zoning laws, failure to meet building codes, no proper planning, lack of necessary approvals, and property disputes.