Do you remember the book titled “The Little Engine that Could”? It’s an American classic that was written during the 1930’s. The main message of this book was to bolster the reader’s confidence and let the reader know that if they put their mind, heart and soul into a mission then tackling a surmountable challenge is possible.

“I think…I think..I can. I think I can” said the little blue engine while summoning every ounce of strength to push up the mountain.

What we do not see or know in the story is who helped the little engine along the way as he was chugging up the mountain. Who were the coaches and guides like Yoda in the Star Wars movie that were a catalyst to the little engine’s success?

Like the little engine, many contractors that are facing the permitting mountain for the first time stand scared thinking and wishing for a permit in a timely manner. They put together the permit package, check permit application as best as they can and then submit to the jurisdiction hoping for the best. After weeks go by, the contractor sees a slew of rejection comments. Their heart sinks and gung-ho spirit becomes deflated as they begin to grapple with next steps to avoid being late in starting construction.

So, what are some helpful ways to meet the permitting mountain head on? See below 5 steps to overcome rejections and to conquer the mountain in Permitting.

• Pull rejection comments and separate comments into an easier to read format for yourself so can decipher information being relayed.
• Check jurisdiction’s permitting website for relevant information associated with comments
• Call or email Plan Reviewers at jurisdiction to schedule a meeting to walk through rejection comments one by one.
• Contact a Building Permitting Expert that have experience in helping to address Permitting comments and proven in obtaining permits with your type of project scope.
• Develop an action plan that supports your project’s timeline to minimize delays in starting construction.

In addition to the above suggestions, make sure to address each rejection comment. To ignore responding to a comment will only generate another rejection or more as the Plan Reviewer has no idea to what’s going on since comment was not addressed. If you feel that a particular rejection comment is not applicable, then respond by referring Plan Reviewer(s) to scope of work or to a specific sheet in plan set that answers comment.

In Conclusion

There are billions of dollars of construction work bustling in many markets in the U.S. and across North America. This business scenario pulls in new contractors that are unfamiliar with the permitting process. If this is you, know that you can be successful in responding to rejection comments and winning the day, especially when realizing when you have bitten off more than you can chew and engage permitting experts like PermitUsNow where we are committed to pulling permits for our Architect, Contractor, and Project Owner clients without delay, eliminating their frustrations with the permitting process. Plus, we make it easy for you to work with us. Simply: (1) Email us your plans, (2) Follow up on our feedback for any missing items and (3) Let us get your permitting done for you.

So, send us your plans today and we’ll free you up to focus on doing what you love – building your customers’ dreams. #BuildSafe