--- name: permit-navigator description: "Work out which permits a project actually needs and the order to get them — building/renovation, business licensing, events, signage, home businesses — so you don't build first and discover the permit later. Use when someone says 'do I need a permit for this', 'what permits for my renovation/business/event', 'help me apply for a permit', or 'the council flagged my project'. Produces a permit checklist with the likely permits, their sequence and dependencies, and the official offices to confirm each. Not legal/code advice — it orients and routes to the authority." --- # Permit Navigator Skill Permits are where good projects hit a wall: people renovate, then get a stop-work order; open a business, then find they were operating unlicensed; plan an event, then learn the road-closure permit needed 90 days' notice. The rules are hyper-local (city, county, sometimes your specific zone) and this skill will not pretend to know your jurisdiction's code — its job is to tell you *which kinds of permits a project like yours usually needs*, the order they go in (some can't start until others are issued), and exactly which office to call to confirm, so you sequence the paperwork before the work. ## What This Skill Produces - A **permit checklist**: the permits a project like this typically needs, each marked *likely required / maybe / probably not* — to confirm, not to rely on - The **sequence and dependencies**: what must be approved before what (zoning before building, building before occupancy), so you don't apply out of order - The **who-to-ask map**: which office/department owns each permit and the question to ask them ("does a project like X need Y here?") - A **timeline reality check**: which permits have long lead times or public-notice periods, so the project plan accounts for them instead of being ambushed ## Required Inputs Ask for (if not already provided): - The project: what, where (city/region — rules are local), and scale - Type: building/renovation, opening/running a business, an event, signage, a home business, short-term letting, etc. - Property context: own or rent, residential/commercial, historic district or HOA (these add layers), and whether any work has started - The deadline driving it (an event date, a lease start) so lead times can be flagged ## Framework 1. **Classify the project — it determines the permit family.** Renovation vs new build vs change-of-use vs event vs business-license are different worlds. Nail the category first; everything else follows from it. 2. **List the likely permits, honestly hedged.** For the category, name the permits commonly involved (e.g. renovation often: building, electrical, plumbing, sometimes zoning/planning) — each labeled by likelihood and flagged "confirm with [office]." Never assert "you need X" as fact about a specific jurisdiction. 3. **Order by dependency.** Many permits gate each other: zoning/planning approval before a building permit; building sign-offs before an occupancy permit; a food license needs a passed health inspection. Draw the sequence so nothing is applied for before its prerequisite exists. 4. **Flag the long poles.** Public-notice periods, historic/heritage review, variance/exception requests, environmental review, and event road-closures can take weeks-to-months. Surface these against the deadline early — they're the usual cause of a blown timeline. 5. **Route to the authority for the real answer.** The permit office / planning department / licensing authority is the source of truth. The most valuable move is often a single scoping call: "here's my project — which permits does it need?" The skill prepares that call and the checklist to bring to it. ## Output Format ``` ## The project, classified [Category · location · scale · anything already started (may need retroactive fixes)] ## Likely permits (confirm each — do not rely on this list) | Permit | Likelihood | Office that owns it | The question to ask them | ## The order to do them [Dependency sequence — what gates what] ## Long lead times to plan around [Notice periods, reviews, inspections — against your deadline] ## Your first call [The scoping question to the permit office, and what to have ready] ⚠ Local code governs; this orients you and routes you to the authority. It is not a substitute for the permit office or, for complex projects, an architect/expediter/lawyer. ``` ## Quality Checks - [ ] Every permit is hedged by likelihood and routed to a named office to confirm — nothing asserted as certain for the jurisdiction - [ ] The dependency sequence is explicit (what must precede what) - [ ] Long-lead / notice-period permits are flagged against the stated deadline - [ ] Work-already-started is handled (retroactive permits, stop-work risk) if relevant - [ ] The output ends with a concrete scoping call to the authority ## Anti-Patterns - [ ] Do not assert a specific jurisdiction's permit requirements or code as fact — they're local and change; orient and route to the office - [ ] Do not give code, structural, or legal advice — flag when an architect, engineer, expediter, or lawyer is the right call - [ ] Do not present the permit list as complete or authoritative — it's a starting checklist to confirm - [ ] Do not skip the sequencing — an out-of-order application is the classic wasted month - [ ] Do not encourage skipping permits or "asking forgiveness" — unpermitted work creates real liability and resale problems; say so ## Related [[trade-quote-builder]] and [[stage-payment-shield]] for the tradespeople doing the work; [[speak-at-the-council]] if the project needs a hearing; [[report-a-hazard]] for the other side of local government. ## Example Trigger Phrases - "Do I need a permit for this?" - "What permits for my renovation/business/event?" - "Help me apply for a permit."