Design client in LV contacts builder, who says it’s been taking him 8 months to pull permits there. Does that sound right?
Any other guidance with respect to building there?
Client contemplating pulling own permit to be able to shepherd process. I advised against. Please help me collect some reasons to convince her to not do that (assuming you agree).
1. Slippery slope if you start doing things that are builder’s job.
2. __________
Thanks.
Replies
Depends on whether the project is in the incorporated "City of Las Vegas" or in the outlying "Clark County". Probably 75% of what is considered "Las Vegas" is actually in the unincorporated areas. In either case, given the volume of work going on out there, I can see the permitting process being lengthy, though I never saw it run eight months (of course, I moved out in 1999, so it could have gotten worse).
One thing to look at is the possibilty of "Expedited Review". I know they have it in the City, but not sure if the County adopted it. Basically, you pay a fee (typically around $3,000) and sit down with the plan reviewers, the contractor, and the designers, and walk the project right through the review. Any required changes are redlined on the plan right there at the table.
With regards to pulling the permit herself, she'll now be considered an "owner-builder" and can't legally sell the house for two years after initial occupancy. They came up with that stipulation to prevent builders from circumventing the contractor licensing requirements by pulling all of their permits as "owner-builder". She'll also get crucified by the plan clerks and reviewers if they find a problem with the submission and she can't quickly resolve it. They'll kick the whole package back, and she'll basically start the review process all over again. They've got too much work to process to spend their time walking homeowners through the system.
Bob
Thanks Bob.This seems as good a time as any for me to gather these reasons. I have clients who want to be Owner/Builders, but this is the first who only wanted to snag the permit, and I wanna give them all due warnings...
Since the builder knows the process, it might take her a year or more and cost more for missed deadlines and lost papres
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