Building Permit Templates: The Good and The Bad

Submitting building permits is a necessary part of the construction process—no matter how convoluted or inefficient they may seem. Building permits help to maintain compliance with local laws and regulations, with the goal of ensuring that construction is safe and secure for future occupants. Because of this, the permit submission process can often be long and cumbersome.

Some people turn to templates to try and streamline the permit process. Building permit templates can help create a more uniform submission process for construction teams, but using them can lead to submission issues. In this article, we discuss building permit templates, how people use them, and how they affect the permit submission process.

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Building permit basics

A building permit is a government-issued document that grants construction companies the authority to build, renovate, or demolish structures intended for public use. This could apply to any type of building, including residential, commercial, or public structures. The type of building permit required depends on the project and the municipality where it is located, which can make the permit submission process challenging due to the many variables that can cause delays.

To simplify this process, construction teams, permit expeditors, and project managers often turn to building permit templates.

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What is a building permit template?

A building permit template is a reusable document that helps standardize the permit application process. An effective template aligns with the specific requirements of the local municipality, which vary depending on the type of project. Most building permit templates include the following components:

• Construction type: Is the building residential or commercial? If residential, is it a single-family or multifamily home?
• Project description: Outlines the project’s goals, expectations, and the intended use of the final structure.
• Site plans: Provides blueprints and tentative plans for the construction.
• Zoning information: Ensures the project complies with local zoning regulations.

Because building permits can differ based on the project type and location, this is not an exhaustive list. For the most accurate guidance on what is needed for a building permit, consult your local municipality or refer to PermitFlow’s Municipal Guides.

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The pros and cons of using building permit templates

Many construction teams utilize building permit templates to help create more efficient processes. Building permit templates are often used by permit expediters and specialized construction teams to assist the permitting process. However, there are some downsides to utilizing building permit templates. 

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The pros:

• Streamlined processes: Templates create a plug-and-play system, allowing you to quickly fill in necessary information without starting from scratch each time.
• Reduction of mistakes: A reusable framework acts as a checklist, ensuring all parts of the application are completed.
• Fewer delays: Fewer mistakes mean faster approvals, minimizing or eliminating permitting delays.
• Reusability: Ideal for teams working on similar projects repeatedly, saving time and effort.

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The cons:

• Less flexibility: Templates may not suit every project type, requiring multiple templates for different permit applications.‍
• Initial set-up cost: Creating high-quality templates requires an initial investment of time and resources.
• Not accommodating of regulatory changes: Building codes and regulations can change from year to year, and outdated templates can lead to non-compliance if building codes or regulations change.
• Limited scalability: Templates may not adapt well when expanding to new municipalities with unique rules and regulations.

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Alternatives to using building permit templates

While building permit templates are great for teams that work on the same type of projects within the same municipality, using building permit templates for larger teams who want to scale might not be the right solution. 

Here are a few other ways you can ensure your building permit process goes smoothly, without using a building permit template:

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Work with professional consultants

If your project is complex enough and requires several different permits, working with consultants—such as architects, engineers, or permit expediters—can help you identify exactly what permits you’ll need and how to submit them.

Working with architects and engineers might be required for your project to help create accurate schematics and blueprints. Permit expediters are an optional part of the process, but they can help you navigate the permit submission process as they are often connected with those managing permits within the local government.

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Develop an in-house compliance team

If your organization is large enough and you’re looking to scale outside of your local municipality, creating dedicated permitting teams can help permitting across all of your projects. In-house compliance teams help by cross-collaborating with other teams on the project to get the information they need and compiling them into a format that’s necessary for the permitting process. That means leaving more time for the construction team to focus on what they do best.

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Use specialized software

Building permit software can help construction teams manage the process of submission construction permits without having to hire new people or establish new teams. Consider software like PermitFlow, that helps organize the permit submission process into actionable steps and provides a clear overview of where a permit is at any given stage. 

Building permit software can help you easily manage multiple permits at once, understand what’s needed at every stage, and prevent delays by notifying you when a permit needs attention.

Organizing building permits with PermitFlow

Maintain efficiency and submit documents at the right time with PermitFlow. PermitFlow helps construction teams with a simple solution for managing several permit submissions simultaneously. Curious to see how PermitFlow can streamline your processes?

‍Talk with one of our permitting experts today to learn how PermitFlow establishes a more concise permit submission process.