Author
Permit Desk Clerk, Planning & Building
Permits
A resident has a sheet that says seven feet. The ordinance says six. Here is the counter review checklist I work from, the rehearsal every clerk does before the real conversation, and how I check the source before I speak.
Delia Okafor · Permit Desk Clerk, Planning & Building · · 4 min read
Permits
Version 3 took effect on 1 April 2026 and fixes the order of a permit inquiry: details first, source second, sketch and fee third, accessible formats before any signature, and a log entry another clerk could check.
Delia Okafor · Permit Desk Clerk, Planning & Building · · 4 min read
Fees
Partly, and the conditions are written down. A refund request within 30 days of withdrawal, before plan check starts, returns 80 percent of the permit fee. After plan check starts, the case goes to a documented review instead.
Delia Okafor · Permit Desk Clerk, Planning & Building · · 4 min read
Fees
The FY2026 fee schedule lists four figures residents meet most: $85 for a fence, $140 for a deck, $120 for a re-roof and $110 per hour for plan check. The receipt you get for any of them confirms payment, not permission to build.
Delia Okafor · Permit Desk Clerk, Planning & Building · · 4 min read
Permits
Residents arrive with the 2025 handout because it was true when they picked it up. Here is how the permit desk handles the moment a superseded sheet meets the current ordinance, without blaming anyone.
Delia Okafor · Permit Desk Clerk, Planning & Building · · 4 min read