I know what you are thinking, “what does attending the SubContractors’ USA Top 25 Subcontractors Awards Luncheon on June 22, 2022 in Houston, Texas have to do with building permitting?”

Aside from the fact that there was a super networking environment, tasty food and a great jazz musician adding to the ambience, there were anchor institutions like Dallas Independent School District (DISD Bond Program) in the mix to learn about upcoming design and construction projects. And aside from PermitUsNow being the only building permit expediting firm to be recognized with a Top 25 Subcontractors Award, the keynote luncheon speakers: President of Houston Transit, Tom Lambert and VIA Metro Transit, San Antonio Deputy CEO, Ed Johnson talked about their $7.5 billion and $1.3 billion light rail expansion and bus rapid transit (BRT) capital projects, respectively.

Both projects discussed during the luncheon require permitting of great magnitude. From demo to civil to building, etc., permits will be sought from the City of Houston Permitting Center and City of San Antonio’s permitting jurisdiction. When these organizations move into permitting, their perspective Permitting Centers’ workload will increase. And when this happens, where are you in the scheme of things. Are your projects being pushed aside?

“Helen, that’s nice to hear about the SubCUSA’s Awards Luncheon and the good food, but what does this mean to me as a General Contractor or Architect or Project Owner in Houston and San Antonio?”

I’m glad you asked as no one will tell you about the permitting hey have you thought about’s gained from attending this industry luncheon, but PermitUsNow. So, here’s the bottom line, when billions of dollars of capital projects begin rolling into the Houston Permitting Center and into COSA’s permitting jurisdiction, it behooves you to be aware so you can plan accordingly to minimize possible delays in plan review.

Below are 6 questions you should think about your permitting needs when large capital projects are heading into your local jurisdiction.

• Should you hold predevelopment meetings with Permitting staff to ask reasonable code questions and at a minimum, you know that at least they are aware of your project(s) coming through?
• Can you phase your project work? And if so, what makes the most sense in phasing?
• What do we gain by demolishing some areas early?
• Do we have any long lead time materials possibly causing deferred submittals?
• Has the Permitting Center changed any internal processes or issued any new amendments that could impact project?
• Do we have the bandwidth and know-how to handle permitting internally?

In Conclusion

Luncheons and industry events are important to attend for identifying opportunities to grow your business and to make new contacts. When doing so, consider listening to keynote speakers with an open ear to hear how what is being shared that will impact your projects in the future and note ways you can mitigate hiccups.

If your organization is strapped and wanting to look at alternatives to managing permits, know that at PermitUsNow, 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