Opinion of Sign permit and inspectors, whats the limits?

[Rick]

Don't be posting all your damn list of rules and regulations and other BS you can dig up on the internet use your common sense based on the information I have provided.

Well gosh...

In this case, it's obvious, you did not conduct any business. The owner
of the business should have pulled the permit IF it was required and
any engineering, taxes and fees required submitted with that.

I have no problem with permitting.I 'm on a project where a variance has
been going on for a year, and one where it took 6 months because part
of the old monument signs encroached on to city property. This same
city had a code subcontractor go through with a fine tooth comb on every
sign on the property, with that, we had the fire inspector and state health
and safety inspector...

So One Project

Building/Permitting
Code Consultant
Inspector - who has been hard top deal with till we sat down and had lunch
Fire Inspector
Health and Safety Inspector
DOT
City Council
Architectural Review
Insurance Company (for encroachment)
Lawyer
The Client with a:
Project Manager
Architect
Interior Designer
Marketing Team
In-house Designer...

and a cr@ppy installer who can't dig a hole!!!

You have my sympathies

 

[GAC05]

Well gosh...

In this case, it's obvious, you did not conduct any business. The owner
of the business should have pulled the permit IF it was required and
any engineering, taxes and fees required submitted with that.

I have no problem with permitting.I 'm on a project where a variance has
been going on for a year, and one where it took 6 months because part
of the old monument signs encroached on to city property. This same
city had a code subcontractor go through with a fine tooth comb on every
sign on the property, with that, we had the fire inspector and state health
and safety inspector...

So One Project

Building/Permitting
Code Consultant
Inspector - who has been hard top deal with till we sat down and had lunch
Fire Inspector
Health and Safety Inspector
DOT
City Council
Architectural Review
Insurance Company (for encroachment)
Lawyer
The Client with a:
Project Manager
Architect
Interior Designer
Marketing Team
In-house Designer...

and a cr@ppy installer who can't dig a hole!!!

You have my sympathies

On the bright side
migraine headaches caused by beating your head against the wall trying to comply should soon be covered under the ACA.....

wayne k
guam usa

 

[Rick]

On the bright side
migraine headaches caused by beating your head against the wall trying to comply should soon be covered under the ACA.....

wayne k
guam usa

I bill by the hour... funny with all the red tape, and it's the installer who pi$$es me off....

 

[visual800]

Update on this

The owner called and told me they called her back and she went and paid $25, score 1 for me and my mouth.

these times are hard and when something this insignificant as in the location with no sign restrictions it is uncalled for. As Pat said this is in a casino town I have to wonder if the city has any control over that project obviously not

 

[DrCAS]

Easy solution...

A place I used to work solved all of this easily... "I am sorry, but we just don't install any signs due to the size of our crew and such. We do work closely with a sign service and erection company that will be more than capable of helping you out."

After being there for awhile, I was amazed at how little work we lost and how few headaches we had from the installation stuff.

Just saying...

 

[Techman]

They bought that sign retail in another town. You did not deliver it and get paid. They paid for it in your town. They ordered it and you made it in your town..
No bizz license needed. Not your problem.

You helped install it as a friend. You did not get paid to do it. It was a favor.. They get the permit. Still not your problem.

 

[jen.reelez]

Rules are rules.Does not matter to the inspectors whether the the sign was for a friend and you did it for free.We don't get a permit for every sign we do like if it's changing out a plastic face in an existing light box.If it's new sign and not a replacement we get a permit or let the customer make the call whether or not get a permit and have them sign off on it that the permit was their responsibility.I know it sucks but just be glad they are not fining you or making you provide engineer drawings.

Cannot do anything to change rules, but just have to obey it.
Peace & prosperity comes when there is obedience to what is just.
After all, we are accountable if we do not follow the rules.

 

[visual800]

Cannot do anything to change rules, but just have to obey it.
Peace & prosperity comes when there is obedience to what is just.
After all, we are accountable if we do not follow the rules.

OH NO! Rules were made to be broken sir. Thats what I learned earlier in life, people that conform have no gusto.

No I get the permit thing on large scale, but Ill be damned if I am going to spank the hornet nest over some window lettering, pan face swap out and so on. The rules have gotten ridiculous and out of hand.

 

[Pat Whatley]

On a similar note....I'm installing an 8' x 12' sign two blocks down the road from your sign, on the same road, closer to the town, and I've got the city people telling me it's not in city limits so I don't need a permit from them and I've got the state highway people telling me it is in city limits and I can't install it without showing them the permit first.

Sooooo.....the customer is going to install it himself and deal with the permit crap after the fact.

 

[TXFB.INS]

permits are a joke for the smaller stuff.

99% of the codes contradict themselves and the other part is just stupid


did a banner last week, business is closing and needed a "liquidation sale" the permit took a week to pull and cost as much as the banner

 

[gnubler]

but some of these Municodes are STUPID and when you point out the obvious flaws they get all pissy and you then get black labeled for future permits

on more than 1 occasion, we find out the location for install and will A walk away from the job or B have the customer install and provide any material / design specs that they need

Bumping this glorious decade-old thread. The rant remains the same.

Anyone else ever dropped a job due to permitting hell? I finally did. I HATE turning work away, but it's just not worth the aggravation. It's now nearing October and the permit process has been bouncing back and forth on this one since last April. My customer is a tenant in a large building that's managed by a property mgmt company and the owner is out of state somewhere. I no longer do permits for people, but do provide mockups and general material specs. It's now been kicked back to me several times because I'm listed as the contractor and the latest one was the final straw for me. Permit denied due to lack of insanely specific information about the installation, including screw sizes, and a slew of conflicts between the proposed sign and the property's Master Sign Program. The MSP is outdated due to major renovations in the building and tenant/occupancy changes that no longer apply to the original plan. Eeek, I'm out. I contacted my customer and politely dropped the job. I'm in business to make and install signs in a timely manner. Not wait on things endlessly while local government shuttles paperwork back and forth. We're talking about a simple 4ft wide wall sign being installed at ground level, probably less than 2 hours install time. Should have been done months ago.

I'll be curious to see if the customer ever gets his sign, and when.

 

[gnubler]

Another one recently, where I spoke to another business owner who runs a metal shop and wanted to hang a banner up on the building. He said it went back and forth through permitting for TEN FRICKEN MONTHS (he said an F-word that wasn't fricken) until he finally just hung the banner up and told them to fine him. They did, a $1500 fine, which he paid so he could move on with his business and life. Most expensive banner ever? LOL.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

It's billable time. The longer the permit takes... the more they get charged. I'd just charge the customer to get it engineered and they will call out all the specs. I had one I submitted in Albuquerque back in April and it just now got approved.

 

[Stacey K]

Our process in town is pretty quick I usually have an answer in a week. However, I typically put it on the customer to get the permit and they typically do not get permits.

The year I started in business and bought the eye sore of the city, the city was on my a$$ about closing up an old well and cutting trees down and cleaning up the property I had bought --- I DID ALL OF THAT. Then the next year they did the sewers and sidewalks and charged me $10,000. Then they wanted me replace a stone wall they removed (another $6k!!!). I told them to kiss my a$$. THEY ended up paying for the wall and since then they are very nice to me and don't say much about permits.

 

[gnubler]

Some of my local municipalities farm out the permit inspections to an engineering firm, so it just adds to the back and forth delays.
Made and installed a sign once for an engineering/survey firm and they managed to submit and approve a permit app within two days. Funny how that works.

 

[JBurton]

It's billable time

Good luck collecting on some permits. If it's for a national, you'd better have in writing on the front end that you'll attend variance request hearings at XX rate.

We often permit and install same day, just had one that had a NDR on a pharmacy name change, so the owner was concerned about it leaking to his employees from the city. We were about 75% done with the install before the permit got approved. It helps to bring the permit folks cookies on occasion is all I'll say.

 

[Johnny Best]

They need city permits for signs, I have seen questions on here for installing signs and some of the designs. So for people like me I hope the permit process keeps some of you from putting up some of the stuff I have seen The group who want the permit process to stop are the same group that likes the way Fedderman from PA dresses.

 

[JBurton]

The group who want the permit process to stop are the same group that likes the way Fedderman from PA dresses.

Hey now, I like permits and the way Fedderman hits the senate floor. I also love how the Senate offcially relaxed their unwritten dress code. You idiots, how can it be official if it's unwritten?