Permit Approval Documentation
Permit approval documentation resulting from a public hearing can be formalized after the appeal period’s expiration and another meeting of the commission or board when previous meeting minutes can be approved by a majority vote, signed by the board or commission chair, and sealed by the secretary. Some jurisdictions require a reading of each approval at the city council for up to three meetings before the approval becomes final. Wireless site operators require the site acquisition consultant to collect and submit all approval documentation for project files before final project compensation is disbursed.
Final Building Permit Details
The building department may require structural design data, foundation report drawings, and calculations for new structures prior to issuing the building permit (BP). These drawings and reports may not be available until late in the development process since the geotechnical soil composition investigation necessary for foundation design isn’t typically conducted until just prior to ordering the tower fabrication. Many urban building departments won’t even accept the BP application without soil test data, foundation design, and tower drawing calculations, and if they do, they are anxious to receive this information to complete their BP review and issuance.
The site acquisition consultant may be called upon to coordinate preparing the application package and receiving of the BP. Some clients hand off the building permit procurement responsibility to the general contractor (GC), and the site acquisition consultant is the best resource to facilitate this handoff smoothly. The GC for a particular project may not be known until late in the BP application process. It’s not uncommon for a GC to show up at the jurisdiction office to pick up the BP only to find out the staff can’t find that file. The site acquisition consultant can help by keeping and conveying accurate file references to assist the GC with the staff’s memory. The client wants the BP as soon as possible, yet if the reports aren’t ready, the file may go into building department limbo, started but not completed. Where is it?
Value of the Work
Building departments may charge building permit fees based on the applicant’s estimated cost of construction. In such cases, the BP fee may not be required with the application submission. The estimated cost of construction or the value of the work may need to be included in the BP application. The site acquisition consultant may have a fair idea of what the BP fee will be (based on published rate information). The jurisdiction might not request BP fees until the BP application has been thoroughly reviewed by building officials and the final BP fee is determined, which may include additional incidental items not published in the rate schedule. Usually, the A&E firm or construction manager can provide a value-of-work estimate. The site acquisition consultant gets the final BP fee cost as soon as it is available and requests a check in a timely manner to keep the project moving without delay.
Contractor Requirements
Some jurisdictions may be hesitant to accept or issue building permits without knowing who the project contractors will be. These jurisdictions are likely to charge contractors for a license to perform construction contractor services in the jurisdiction. Work by contractors not locally licensed in these jurisdictions is not viewed favorably and may result in penalties. Contractor requirements for licensure in the jurisdiction need to be communicated to the project team for inclusion in the project bid package. Though this information can be discovered during search area due diligence and reported in the final SCIP, it may need to be reiterated as the project comes to a close and is prepared for handoff to construction management. With some assurance from the site acquisition consultant, a jurisdiction may be willing to finalize the building permit contingent on contractors without existing local licenses visiting the jurisdiction offices and securing those licenses prior to commencing work. Contractor licenses typically require renewal annually.
Periodic Permit Reviews
Zoning or land-use permits may come with a condition that the use be approved by review periodically, such as every two years, to ensure compliance with conditions of the permit or other jurisdiction regulations. A hearing may be scheduled for this purpose, as needed. For periodic reviews, the planning staff is responsible for visiting the facility and developing a compliance report based on any inputs received from the public since the permit was granted for the previous review. Wireless facility representation may not be required at this hearing, though it is helpful for the site operator to know if any outstanding issues require attention or resolution to keep site operation in compliance with the local jurisdiction as previously promised.
