Pulling Permits - the necessary "evil"

Often in my residential work I come across times when a homeowner or contractor questions the need for pulling a permit for their project(s).  Sometimes there is an inherent understanding of the value and necessity, but others want to bypass the process to save time and money.  I strongly advise against this side-stepping and obviously recommend and condone pulling a permit.  I do realize that hiring an architect, paying permit fees, and waiting for permits to be issued cost time and money, but in the long run making this small initial investment (when compared to the project whole) can eliminate extra time and money spent in mistakes, costly changes, code violations/citations, and even being court-ordered to pay to remove the non-permitted construction.

Regardless of the size of the project (decks, to basements, to additions, to new construction) there are code implications - in order to preserve life-safety and the well being of the end users.  Architects who prepare plans for these types of projects are (or should be) well versed in the code requirements and impact on the overall design and construction.  An architect should always be consulted to see how the desires of the project at hand will be affected by these criteria.  Not doing so could lead to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and negative progress to even (especially) the simplest of projects.

In some very rare cases (amongst very few municipalities) an architect's seal is not required for submitting permit applications or even drawings.  However, it is still a good idea to have a licensed architect prepare the plans so that there is some measured level of competency in their creation with regard to code compliance and even thoughtful design.  This is by no means a suggestion not to have a collaboration between all parties involved (owners, contractors, etc), but rather just to have a physical set of documents that are pulled together as a result of a committee of ideals and then reviewed and distributed for a consistent record of thoughts.  These can also be used to keep everyone informed and have confidence in "apples-to-apples" comparisons of quotes, etc.  

But most importantly, the architect-prepared plans should have the basis of code compliance to get through the permit approval relatively painlessly and with an "Approval" stamp that was earned with little intervention or sacrifice to the design.  The municipality governing plan review will know the code well or will contract an entity that does.  If there are errors in the design they will inform applicants of the deficiencies, but will not necessarily advise on how to correct them.  That's where having an equal expert in your corner will help guide the design through this phase and hopefully at that point only minor plan adjustments will be necessary.

So in summary, always pull permits when required to do so, and contact your local architect for advice, counsel, and to make use of their expertise as an advocate for you, your project, and everyone's goal of safety and sustainability.  With proper planning from the inception of the project with regard to time and cost budgeting, the permit process can fit seamlessly into your schedule and can minimize future unwarranted headaches.