What can I build with a Quick-Start permit?
A quick-start permit is only being offered for residential single family dwellings. It does not apply to any commercial structure, residential addition, remodel, alteration, or accessory structure.
What is a Quick-Start permit? Why would I want to do a Quick-Start permit?
The building permit review process can require additional information to be submitted before the permit can be issued which adds to the timeline before a permit can be issued. The request for additional information or clarifications take time and a construction start date cannot be set until that permit is actually issued.
A Quick-Start permit gives a contractor the ability to start the construction of a new single family dwelling while the plans are being reviewed for compliance with the State building codes. This allows a contractor to schedule foundation and framing contractors with better assurance of a start date.
The Quick-Start permit also allows for inspections to be scheduled and be resulted prior to the permit being issued. One might consider the Quick-Start permit as a means to have courtesy inspections prior to permit issuance. The inspections that are done during the Quick-Start are applied to the building permit when it is issued.
The Quick-Start has the potential of having the construction of the Single Family Dwelling start 4 or more weeks earlier than a project without the Quick-Start.
How does the Quick-Start permit work? What is the process?
When plans are dropped off at the Customer Service Center, the plans need to go through an “Inquiry Check” before a building permit record is created and the building permit review process started. During this “Inquiry Check” the County record will have an NQ as part of the name of the record. The “Inquiry Check” needs to be completed before a building permit record or Quick-Start record can be created.
The “Inquiry Check” may include:
- Site research for planning
- Sanitation verification
- Site research for soil characteristics that might require a geotechnical report (soil bearing capacity, liquefaction, slope, slide potential)
- Identifying applications and permit documents to submit are complete and Building Permit (BP) record is ready to be initialized
- Before the plans can be routed, there is the initial payment for plan review and for the Quick-Start
When the BP record is created, the Quick-Start (QS) record is created. If everything is in order, the Quick-Start permit will be issued in 2 to 5 workdays after this record is created.
When the Quick-Start is issued, a set of plans with an inspection card will be issued to be picked up and on site for inspections.