We just charge for the permit itself, plus charge an hourly amount which is quoted as 'Obtaining Permits... $85 an hour + materials and keep tabs on it.
As watsons mentioned, you can have one take no time at all, or one that involves going through historical hearings or variance proceedings. It never goes the same and when you work in different municipalities, it can vary some more. In our small town, they have several sign ordinances based upon which block you on, which district or what side of the street you're on.
We just had one, where I verbally called the codes department and told them what we were going to submit for a set of channel letters and they gave me a verbal Okay and said to go ahead and make the plans and send them in.
I gave the customer the parameters and we finalized a drawing he liked and we submitted the drawing. No one ever got back to us. The customer complained and I called again and the codes people said, sure.... no problem, when we get it we'll process it. Still no answer. This went on for a month or two. My customer was irate and for due reason. I called the codes people again and asked to speak to a supervisor or whatever it took to get the job done.... once and for all.
Well, they told me they haven't done anything because this business doesn't exist in their records and then asked me all kinds of questions to which I finally said, I'll have to get back to you with my answers. I called the guy back and said.... hey Johnny.... are you doing business in Muhlenberg or Reading ?? Your new store is in Reading, but they have no record of you even being in that store. The guy said something like :Oops: and he'd call me back.
Turned out, they weren't registered there at all and were operating 100% illegally. They figured since they opened a store a mile away from their old one everything would fly just dandy.
It took them three more months until I could go on. Now, we're so swamped, I can't get the job done in the time-frame he wants. He wants us to drop everything, since this took so long. I told him he racked up $750 in permitting fees and I need that to go any further. Now he's ranting and raging how I'm raking him over the coals and I stopped him and said... Look, I got your deposit and its non-refundable. I wasn't the dolt that didn't know how to file my business in a legal manner in the right town. I don't need the permit, so tell me what you want to do. I'll get them up sometime late September, but not before you give me the $750.
Then he said, send this drawing over to my landlord and make sure they'll allow it. Okay, but that will now be $795, before I send it over. Come on over and give me cash and I'll do it yet this afternoon.
I just got an e-mail thank you from him and he's sending someone over later today or tomorrow morning.
So you see, all kinds of things can go wrong and why should you be out the time and the money for their stupid butt mistakes.
Up front, put it in writing that they are fully responsible for those costs at the start of pulling the permit. Then nothing can come back to bite you in the butt later on.
