Owner + design team
Confirm the parcel
Verify city or county jurisdiction, property records, existing permits and the proposed scope.
Exit condition: A confirmed address, parcel and scope brief.
08 / Plan the handoffs before the start date
Permit & approval timelines
Map the path from a complete application to an issued permit and utility clearance. Build a schedule from current agency estimates instead of a generic promise.
Track milestones, not a promised permit date.
Project type, completeness, revisions, other departments and utility work affect the path. Use the responsible agency’s current estimate for your exact application.
Planning department
Check planning requirements
Ask about zoning, use, design review and any site constraints before completing a building package.
Exit condition: A planning clearance or a defined planning review path.
Designer + contractor
Prepare a complete submittal
Coordinate drawings, calculations, product documents and required energy forms. Use the current agency checklist.
Exit condition: A package accepted as complete for review.
Design team + reviewers
Respond to plan check
Keep one response log linking every comment to a revised sheet or written explanation.
Exit condition: Review comments resolved across all required departments.
Permit applicant
Obtain the permit
Confirm fees, signatures, contractor information and other conditions for issuance.
Exit condition: An issued permit and the approved construction documents.
Contractor + utility + inspector
Coordinate utility + inspections
Resolve utility design or service work, schedule required inspections and preserve access to work before it is covered.
Exit condition: Required inspections and utility releases completed.
Build a schedule from your estimates.
Enter durations in calendar days. Convert agency business-day estimates before entering them and allow for holidays. This models readiness after permit issuance and any utility clearance needed before construction; it does not estimate the construction or final inspection period.
Get a useful status update.
“Is the application complete and assigned? Which review is still open? What must our team provide next? Does the quoted time cover one review cycle or permit issuance? What event starts that clock?”
A review target is not a guarantee of issuance. Keep a dated log of the agency estimate, dependencies and the next responsible person.
Find the responsible agency →Keep utility work visible.
A service change can require utility coordination separate from the building permit. Identify design, access, customer work and any disconnect/reconnect or inspection-release steps early.
PG&E’s building and renovation resources describe project pathways. For municipal utility service, use the local utility’s requirements.
PG&E project resources ↗Leave room after approval.
Equipment procurement, contractor scheduling, construction inspections and final permit closeout follow their own sequence. Add these to the project schedule instead of treating the permit date as the completion date.
FROM THE YKCA JOURNAL
Make this page useful for your project.
When should I select parallel permit and utility review?
Only when the actual process allows both paths to proceed after preparation without one waiting for the other. Confirm the dependency with the project team and utility; otherwise model the paths sequentially.
