Getting a Permit Is Not the Same as Managing One And Confusing the Two Is Costing the Construction Industry More Than It Realizes

In construction, we often talk about permits as milestones.

“The permit is in.”

“We’re waiting on the permit.”

“Once the permit is approved, we’re good.”

These statements sound reasonable. They’re familiar. And they’re also misleading.

Because getting a permit and managing a permit are not the same thing—and treating them as if they are is one of the most common (and expensive) habits in the industry.

The Industry’s Quiet Assumption

Most contractors don’t intentionally ignore permit management. They simply assume it’s embedded in the process:

Someone submits the application

The city reviews it

Corrections get addressed

Approval arrives

On paper, it looks linear. In reality, it rarely is.

Permits don’t behave like static documents. They behave more like living projects—subject to interpretation, timing, shifting requirements, reviewer discretion, and downstream consequences.

And that’s where the gap forms.

“Getting a Permit” Is an Event

Getting a permit is transactional. It focuses on submission.

It answers questions like:

Are the forms filled out?

Are the plans uploaded?

Have the fees been paid?

Has the application been accepted into the system?

This is where many teams stop paying attention—because once the permit is “in review,” it feels out of their hands.

But that’s a dangerous assumption.

“Managing a Permit” Is a Discipline

Managing a permit is proactive. It focuses on outcomes.

It requires ongoing oversight of:

How reviewers interpret the scope

How corrections are framed, prioritized, and responded to

How timelines align (or don’t) with construction schedules

How one permit decision affects inspections, COs, close-outs, or future phases

Permit management asks a different set of questions:

What is this reviewer actually flagging—and why?

Is this comment a code requirement, a policy preference, or a misunderstanding?

What happens if this permit stalls for two weeks? Who absorbs that cost?

Are we creating downstream issues by rushing this response?

These questions rarely get asked when the permit is treated as a checkbox.

Common Bad Habits (That Feel Normal)

Let’s call out a few patterns that quietly derail projects:

1. Treating Corrections as Clerical Work

Corrections aren’t just redlines—they’re conversations. Poorly framed responses can reset review cycles, introduce new comments, or escalate scrutiny.

2. Submitting Without a Strategy

Uploading plans “as soon as they’re ready” without aligning scope, sequencing, or jurisdictional nuance often creates more delays than it prevents.

3. Assuming the City Will Flag Everything

Building departments review for compliance—not constructability, efficiency, or future inspection conflicts. Waiting for reviewers to catch issues is not a strategy.

4. Ignoring the Permit After Approval

Approval isn’t the finish line. Conditions, inspection triggers, expiration dates, and close-out requirements can quietly impact the back half of the project.

These habits don’t come from carelessness—they come from underestimating the role permits play in project control.

Permits Are a Risk Management Tool

At a higher level, permits aren’t administrative hurdles. They are risk indicators.

They signal:

Scope clarity (or lack thereof)

Documentation discipline

Coordination between trades

Readiness for inspections and close-out

Well-managed permits reduce uncertainty. Poorly managed permits amplify it.

And in an industry where margins are tight and schedules are unforgiving, uncertainty is expensive.

The Shift That Separates Experienced Teams

The most effective contractors don’t ask:

“Did we submit the permit?”

They ask:

“Who is actively managing it—and what does success look like at the end?”

That shift—from submission to stewardship—is subtle, but powerful.

It’s the difference between reacting to delays and anticipating them.

Between resubmitting blindly and responding strategically.

Between “waiting on the city” and understanding how the system actually works.

A Final Thought

Permits don’t fail projects overnight. They erode them quietly—through delays, rework, missed inspections, and misaligned expectations.

Getting a permit might get you started.

Managing it is what gets you finished—on time, on budget, and with fewer surprises.

And that distinction matters more than ever.