A Permit Expediter never has a dull day, especially when he or she is in the field, traveling to and between various city departments to make sure that your company’s permits are processed as quickly as possible. Since the everyday work activities of Permit Expediters can be a mystery to many, even those in the design/construction industry, we at Permit Advisors have decided to demystify the permit expediting conundrum.

To uncover the everyday duties of a Permit Expediter, we spent the day with Craig Plezia, a Senior Project Manager at Permit Advisors. With a background in Architecture and Building Design, Craig understands the permitting process intricately. He works exclusively with projects in the city of Los Angeles, frequently spending his day at the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Below we have outlined what an average workday looks like for Craig.

7:30 am

Craig arrives at LADBS to pull a ticket and secure an early spot in the queue for a counter plan check meeting. While waiting for his ticket to be called, Craig catches up on emails and coordinates with the rest of the LA team to make sure everyone is on the same page with their responsibilities and meetings for the day.

8:00 am

Craig quickly completes the counter review and secures approval on a small retail store interior alteration. This was swiftly approved as all requirements had previously been addressed and the project was only awaiting a few items from the structural engineer.

8:30 am

Craig meets with the Building Department to complete a scheduled plan check meeting for a project that had been submitted beforehand. While at the meeting, he reviews a client’s architectural and structural drawings with the Plan Reviewer. The Associate asks him specific questions about the details related to a particular wall and Craig elaborates. Towards the end of their meeting, the Associate requests a few additional items from the Architect. Craig documents these to be relayed to the client later in a formal update.

9:30 am

Craig heads back to the Permit Advisors office in Beverly Hills, where he can sit down at his desk to write up a concise update regarding the earlier meeting. He sends the update over to the architect and client including details of the additional requirements requested by the Permit Associate. He then updates the rest of the LA team by adding meeting notes to their detailed database.

10:00 am

He receives a request from another team member to help complete due diligence on a client’s potential project. He immediately initiates the due diligence process by researching all property records associated with the location of the proposed work. He then moves on to determining the specific zone and use associated with the site and arranges to meet with a contact at the Building and Safety department to confirm several details in question.

11:00 am

Craig compiles his research findings to a Due Diligence document that he will later send over to the client after he confirms the few remaining details outstanding, in the meeting scheduled for later today.

11:30 am

Time for a quick lunch!

12:00pm

When Craig returns to his desk, he notices that he has received several important emails. One is a notification that corrections for a project in review are ready to be picked up, and another from a client including a completed proposal and plans to proceed with the submittal of a new tenant improvement project. He then prepares and prints the associated architectural plans and applications for the project.

1:00 pm

Once packed up for the rest of the day, and some preparations for tomorrow, Craig returns to LADBS for afternoon meetings. One of these meetings is the clarification of some details related to the earlier due diligence. After that meeting, and the new client submittal is complete, he documents the results of the various meetings for company records and client updates.

4:00 pm

Now that the due diligence is complete with input from City representatives, he determines the overall requirements for the permitting process, including the required department reviews (i.e. building, fire, mechanical, electrical, plumbing) as well as the supplemental items needed for the application submittal.

Before the department closes, he follows up on the status of several pending projects currently submitted for review and secures the plan/corrections related to the notification received earlier in the day.

4:30 pm

As the City Departments close, Craig compiles the results of all his numerous meetings and status follow-ups. He then proceeds to update clients and teams via email with all the pertinent information and run down of status per department. For easier callback tomorrow, Craig details the progress of projects he oversees. This includes taking the time to document time, status, and the outcome of each project and task of the day. Finally, he drops the approved plans for scanning that will later be shipped, delivered, and picked up by contractors. With all his tasks done for the day, he sends plans to print and prepare his materials for the next day’s schedule of meetings.

5:30 pm

Head home to spend time with family and prepare for another exciting day with Permit Advisors!

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Craig Plezia has been with Permit Advisors for two years and has worked on projects varying in scale from the $1 billion Century City mall redevelopment, to hundreds of various sized interior tenant improvements.

As Craig’s day demonstrates, a normal workday as a Permit Expediter requires flexibility and organization. Permit Expediters must adapt swiftly and be willing to shift their schedule to meet clients’ needs as well as the city’s requirements. They must be able to understand the intricate details of building plans and supplemental documents so that they can communicate clients’ objectives effectively to the city. Most importantly, Permit Expediters must be highly communicative, regularly providing detailed updates to both their teammates and their clients.

In conclusion, a Permit Expediter never has a dull day. We are constantly on the move, making sure every permit is processed as smoothly and efficiently as possible. With backgrounds in architecture, design, and construction management, our Project Managers have the expertise to tackle problems that so frequently arise throughout the permitting process. Here at Permit Advisors, we solve problems strategically, keeping in mind that every project is unique.

Contact us at Permit Advisors at (310) 275-7774 to schedule your personal consultation with an experienced Permit Expediter.

About Permit Advisors:

Permit Advisors Inc. is a complete permit, entitlement consulting, and expediting firm based out of Beverly Hills, CA. We go beyond just submitting plans, as you may have experienced with previous expediters. We have established strong relationships with officials of many municipalities and have numerous time and cost-saving strategies that we implement to efficiently complete projects. We aim to secure all permits as quickly as possible. We keep track of all aspects of the permitting process and make sure that the project is given full attention by everyone on the team. We responsibly update clients and ensure that lines of communication are open between the jurisdiction, consultants, and the client. Contact us today for a consultation.