Permits sit in three places: the contract says which ones you carry, the drawings show the work that triggers them, and the local authority decides what’s required and how long it takes. This playbook reads all three.
What you get
- One row per permit – Specific types like “Building permit – new construction”, including the trade and utility permits outside the building permit.
- Required – Yes, no, or TBD where the authority has to confirm.
- Responsible – Contractor, owner or a named trade, taken from the contract language.
- Required date – Worked back from the schedule using the review times found.
- Notes with sources – The spec section, sheet or authority page behind each item.
How it works
- The agent establishes the address, municipality and building type, and asks you if the address is missing.
- It reads Division 01, the general conditions and the cover sheet notes for who carries which permits.
- It reads the drawings for triggers – demolition, shoring, crane, hoarding, sidewalk occupancy, service connections, fire alarm, sprinkler, signage and more.
- It researches the local authority’s process, separate trade permits, review times and inspections, using the authority’s own pages first.
- It builds the log, checks nothing the drawings trigger is missing, and flags the critical path permits and every TBD with the question to ask.
Try asking
- Build a permits log for this project. What do we need before we can start excavation?
- Which permits does the contract make the owner responsible for?
- We need a tower crane and a sidewalk closure on Queen Street. Add those to the permits log with review times.
