Find the missing decision in the permit path.
When an ADU application stops moving, the important question is what is waiting on whom. Separate an authority review from an incomplete submission, an unanswered correction or a decision still with the owner. Each needs a different response.
In this conversation
- Establish the actual application status.
- Check that the drawings describe one project.
- Give each correction an owner.
- Identify reviews outside the drawing set.
- Prepare for issuance without promising a date.
Establish the actual application status.
Record the application number, submitted drawing revision and latest written communication. Confirm whether the package has been accepted for review, is receiving corrections, has outstanding clearances or is ready for issuance. These are different milestones.
Ask the appointed permit lead to verify the status through the relevant authority. A conversation about likely approval is not a substitute for the application record. Keep the owner informed using the same status language.
Check that the drawings describe one project.
Compare the site plan, architectural layout, structural information and proposed services. Look for unresolved differences in openings, dimensions, equipment or utility routes. A reviewer should not have to decide which of two conflicting drawings expresses the proposal.
Maintain a submission checklist specific to the property and application. A standard-plan option can simplify part of the design work, but it does not answer every question about placement, existing conditions or connections.
Give each correction an owner.
Create a response log with the comment, responsible professional, proposed response and affected sheets. Distinguish a clarification from a change to the design. The architect and relevant specialists should resolve their own technical information.
Before resubmission, check that the response letter and revised sheets agree. Archive the superseded set so that an older floor plan is not inadvertently reused for pricing or a later application.
Identify reviews outside the drawing set.
Ask which planning, utility or other clearances apply and whether they can proceed alongside the main review. Confirm the correct jurisdiction first; a Los Angeles postal address alone does not establish the permit office.
Show owner decisions separately from authority actions. Selecting a different layout while corrections are underway can require further coordination. Record the effect before treating the change as a minor preference.
Prepare for issuance without promising a date.
Use a current list of remaining requirements, with a named person checking each item. Confirm what is needed for permit issuance and which inspections will follow during construction. An approved drawing package is not itself evidence that every prerequisite has been completed.
A realistic programme marks authority dates as assumptions until confirmed. It also distinguishes approval from procurement and construction readiness, so a permit update does not become an unsupported start-date promise.
Questions for the first meeting
- Current application and revision
- Latest correction log
- Owner decisions still open
- Required outside clearances
- Issuance requirements and next verification
Further information
Review the references below with your project team. Confirm local requirements with the responsible authority and product-specific requirements with the manufacturer.
Planning a custom home or major renovation with an architect or interior designer?
Continue the conversation.
Permits & property · 3 min read
Start with the right permit authority.
Permits & property · 3 min read