“Sometimes I think these departments just want to see if we’ll jump through every hoop before they say yes.”
Honestly, it does feel like that sometimes. Last time I got denied, I just called and asked what exactly they wanted changed. Saved me a lot of guessing. Never tried cookies—feels a bit much for my budget. Digital submissions? Haven’t seen it work smoother than paper yet... usually just more hoops, different format.
I get the frustration with digital submissions, but honestly, I’ve had better luck with them lately—at least there’s a record of what I sent, and it saves me trips across town. Paper gets lost or sits on someone’s desk forever. Maybe it depends on the department? Still, I wish they’d just spell out what they want upfront. Would save us all some headaches...
Totally get where you’re coming from. I used to dread digital forms, but now I kinda prefer them—at least you can track what’s been sent and when. Still, every department seems to have its own secret rules... Had a permit denied last year because I missed a tiny checkbox buried in the instructions. My advice? Double-check the submission guidelines, then call or email someone in the office if anything’s unclear. Sometimes just asking saves a ton of back-and-forth. Hang in there—it gets easier once you’ve done it a couple times.
Honestly, I couldn’t agree more with the part about every department having its own “secret rules.” It’s wild how something as small as a missed checkbox can derail the whole process. Been there myself—last spring I submitted everything for a deck permit, triple-checked the forms, and still got bounced back because I didn’t attach a site map (which was mentioned in a footnote, of all places).
I do think digital forms are a bit of a blessing, though. Like you said,
I’d take that over mailing in a stack of paper and hoping for the best. Still, it feels like they could make things clearer, right?“at least you can track what’s been sent and when.”
One thing that helped me was actually dropping by the office in person—felt like an old-school move, but the staff walked me through the checklist and pointed out stuff I’d have missed again. Not always possible, but if you’re local, it’s worth a shot.
Hang in there. After the first headache, it really does get easier. And hey, at least you know what to look for next time…
Totally get where you’re coming from with the “secret rules” thing. It’s like every department is playing a different board game and nobody bothered to hand out the instructions. I swear, I’ve spent more time decoding permit requirements than actually working on my house.
I’m with you on digital forms being a step up—at least you can see what you sent and when, which beats the old “lost in the mail” routine. But man, some of those online checklists are just as cryptic as the paper ones. The last time I applied for a fence permit, I had to upload the same document three different ways because the system kept flagging it as “missing.” Turns out, it wanted a PDF, not a JPEG. Would’ve been nice if they just said that up front.
Dropping by in person does help, but I wish there was a way to get that same clarity without having to take time off work. Maybe one day they’ll make this stuff as easy as ordering a pizza... but I’m not holding my breath.
