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#1 Reason Permits Get Rejected

august 19, issue 1

ELITE PERMITS

BRIEFING ON CONSTRUCTION & Some other stuff

#1 reason permits get rejected
Written by TATIANA gUSt

The number one reason that permits are rejected is due to the lack of completeness either in the plans or in the paperwork being submitted.

Have you ever gotten something in a box that you have to put together? First thing you look for are the instructions (well, at least some people do), just to find out that they are lacking so much information that they are almost impossible to follow. That’s exactly what a plans reviewer experiences when they read a plan/permit that is incomplete.

PS: Best way to show what you want to do is to have a before and after detailed plan, and we plans examiners just play at “find the differences” 🙂
When working at a building department, many times after I had issued a rejection, I would have a contractor stop by to explain to me, “I am doing this, and that, and also that”. I would look him in the eyes and ask him, “How am I supposed to know that from the documents submitted if you are not here telling me this? How will the inspector know that?” I could see the lightbulb go on in their head as they realize why they got the rejection comments.
So, the next time you are putting together a permit package, think about how you need to show what you want to do, with just the written information. In other words, make sure that your assemblage instructions are so clear that anyone can build your project without you having to tell them in person how to do it.

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Exposure represents the adjustments due the characteristics of the terrain surrounding the building.

Exposure B.For buildings with a mean roof height of less than or equal to 30 feet (9144 mm), Exposure B shall apply where the ground surface roughness, as defined by Surface Roughness B, prevails in the upwind direction for a distance of at least 1,500 feet (457 m). For buildings with a mean roof height greater than 30 feet (9144 mm), Exposure B shall apply where Surface Roughness B prevails in the upwind direction for a distance of at least 2,600 feet (792 m) or 20 times the height of the building, whichever is greater.

Exposure C.Exposure C shall apply for all cases where Exposure B or D does not apply.

Exposure D.Exposure D shall apply where the ground surface roughness, as defined by Surface Roughness D, prevails in the upwind direction for a distance of at least 5,000 feet (1524 m) or 20 times the height of the building, whichever is greater. Exposure D shall also apply where the ground surface roughness immediately upwind of the site is B or C, and the site is within a distance of 600 feet (183 m) or 20 times the building height, whichever is greater, from an Exposure D condition as defined in the previous sentence.