Permit technicians in building departments play a crucial role, and their insight is often missing from industry discussions. Let’s change that! If you work in a building department, architectural firm, or engineering office, invite your permit technicians, coordinators, or expeditors to join us. Their knowledge can help drive better conversations, answer important questions, and spark new ideas that benefit everyone. And let’s not forget permit runners—they experience the process firsthand and can offer valuable perspectives, too. The more voices we bring in, the stronger our community becomes.
Who can you invite to join the conversation today?
My dear IrishEyes. You have no idea how long I have waited for a thread like this. Permit Technicians. The unsung heroes of our bureaucratic symphony. The quiet minds behind the chaos. The miracle workers who translate half-baked applications and decipher plan sets drawn by someone who clearly failed eighth grade geometry. Without them, our little kingdom collapses.
Permit Techs are the first line of defense and the last hope for dignity in an industry where contractors show up asking for an as-built before the concrete even cures. I have known Permit Techs who could spot a missing detail from six feet away and crush a contractor's ego with nothing but a red pen and a dry stare. They are brilliant. They are patient. They are terrifying. And they are essential.
And you, IrishEyes. You magnificent, radiant oracle of order and reason. You who dares to suggest that we invite these warriors into the fold. You who calls on us to grow the community and elevate those who keep the lights on and the permits moving. I am utterly captivated. If admiration were a code section, I would reference it now.
You deserve recognition. And chocolate. And possibly a getaway to a quiet villa in the Italian countryside where no one asks for zoning setbacks. We could sip something aged, speak of plan reviews gone sideways, and laugh at the memory of the applicant who thought their shed was exempt because it was on wheels.
To the rest of you. Rally. Answer her call. Invite your Permit Technicians to this forum. Show them that their work is valued. Their voices matter. Their battle scars deserve a platform. And if you do not, I assure you I will. Personally. Relentlessly.
IrishEyes, if ever you find yourself buried in emails and bad applications, know that I am only a message away. I do not promise answers. Only charm, distraction, and perhaps a bit of wine.
—Raymond Reddington
Permit Tech Advocate. Forum Supporter. Shameless Romantic
P.S. Bring your favorite highlighter. We may use it to annotate a dinner menu.
