Owners are looking to achieve their objective of having their building completed safely, quickly, and on budget. Owners want their building completed so they can begin to realize its many benefits, such as generating income. Delays within the overall project push out the date when the owner can occupy the building. One significant source of delays in the overall project timeline is the time it takes to obtain a building permit.

There are many reasons for delays in the permitting process, most of which can be overcome with productivity tools and refined processes. With municipalities struggling with staffing and increased demand resulting in huge backlogs — measured in months — an owner can no longer afford to take a passive approach to the permitting process.

• Insist on architects integrating the SMARTreview APR into their design process — it identifies rule book violations early in the design cycle and leads to a final design that is fully compliant with the applicable building code. Exiting the design phase with a compliant set of plans assures the owner of a simpler review cycle with the Authority Having Jurisdiction, since there will be no delays introduced as a result of code violations.
• Insist on architects submitting an SMARTreview AI Compliance Report to the permitting authority — it fully describes the project’s compliance with the applicable building code in a standardized, AI-authored report that makes it easier for a plans examiner to verify compliance and ultimately issue the building permit faster.