I’ve run into the same thing with a duplex project—got dinged for not putting the APN first in the file name, even though the guidelines just said “include parcel info.” It’s wild how much of this stuff isn’t spelled out. Has anyone actually gotten a clear answer from a city planner, or is it always just “refer to the guidelines”? I sometimes wonder if there’s an internal checklist they use that we never see. If you do get a call back, I’d be curious if they actually clarify anything or just repeat what’s already online.
Title: Dealing with city red tape for building approvals
Honestly, it’s like they’re guarding the Holy Grail of file naming conventions. Last time I submitted plans for my 1920s place, I got bounced for not labeling a PDF “correctly”—whatever that means. I swear there’s some secret city planner handbook none of us are allowed to see. I’ve called and gotten the same “refer to guidelines” spiel, but once in a while you get someone who’ll actually walk you through it step by step… if you catch them before lunch. Otherwise, it’s a mystery.
Yeah, the file naming thing tripped me up too. I had to resubmit three times because I put “_final” at the end instead of their weird code. Ended up making a checklist for myself: double-check file names, confirm PDF layers are flattened, and always call before uploading. It’s ridiculous, but it saved me another round of rejections.
Man, I feel you on the checklist thing. It’s wild how something as tiny as a file name can hold up a whole project. I’ve had to redo paperwork just because I used dashes instead of underscores—felt like a scavenger hunt with no prize. But hey, you figured out a system that works for you, and that’s half the battle. These hoops are annoying, but you’re getting through it.
Yeah, the tiniest details can trip you up—been there more times than I care to admit. I’ve had inspectors send back plans just because a measurement was off by a fraction or a label wasn’t in the right spot. Makes you wonder if they’re actually looking at the big picture or just hunting for technicalities. Have you ever tried submitting everything digitally? Sometimes the online portals are even pickier than the people behind the desk...