What does Permit Desk Intake version 3 ask, step by step?

Why does the order matter?

Because each step protects the one after it. If I open the ordinance before I know whether the lot is a corner lot, I may read the wrong section. If I explain the fee before I have checked the sketch, I may quote a category the sketch does not support. If I ask for a signature before offering an accessible format, I have asked someone to sign a document they may not have been able to read. Version 3 fixes the sequence so that none of those happen by accident.

Step one: what do I record first?

Section 1: the property address, the proposed work and the resident's contact preference. Then two questions that change everything downstream. Is the fence a replacement? Is the property a corner lot? A replacement six-foot fence needs a permit under section 4.2. A corner lot brings section 4.5 and its 25-foot sight triangle into play regardless of height. Both answers go on the record before I choose a form.

Step two: which source do I read?

Section 2: Ordinance 2026-07, section 4.2 for height and section 4.5 for the sight triangle. Not the 2025 handout. The procedure names the handout specifically as not the deciding source. If a resident has brought one, I follow the handout procedure: acknowledge the difference, show the current section and date, and note which edition was discussed.

What if the resident just wants a quick answer?

They get one, with its source. "Six feet or higher needs a permit, section 4.2, adopted March 2026." The quick answer and the cited answer are the same sentence. What version 3 removes is the quick answer without the section.

Step three: what do I check on the sketch?

Section 3: the boundary, the proposed height and any street corner. Then I explain the $85 fence fee with the FY2026 fee schedule open on the counter, so the resident can see the line I am reading from. If the sketch is incomplete, I return it with a written list of the missing details. The procedure does not allow a quiet rejection; a resident should never leave wondering what was wrong.

Step four: when do I offer accessible formats?

Section 4: before asking the resident to read or sign. Read-aloud, large print, audio copies or an interpreter arrangement, through Wen Zhao's accessible-services procedure. The offer comes from me; the resident should not have to ask.

Step five: what goes in the log?

Section 5: the source title, the section, the date, the staff member and the next action. The test I apply is whether another clerk, reading the log tomorrow, could give the same answer and point at the same page. If they could not, the entry is not finished.

Who owns the procedure, and how do staff certify on it?

Marcus Hale owns version 3. Staff certify on it through Permit Desk Procedures 2026, the county's current certification track. Completing an older refresher does not certify the updated procedure; the certification is for version 3 specifically. I completed it. Rosa Delgado, our new permit technician, is partway through the track, with lesson 3 current, and until she certifies she works the counter alongside someone who has.

What changed from the previous version, in practice?

The corner-lot question moved to the start, the handout was named as superseded, the accessible-formats offer became a required step before any signature, and the log entry gained a fixed set of fields. Those four changes are the whole difference between a counter that usually gets it right and one that can show its work.

What does a finished log entry look like?

Something like: "Replacement backyard fence, six feet, corner lot: yes. Source: Ordinance 2026-07, section 4.2 (height) and section 4.5 (sight triangle), adopted March 2026. 2025 handout discussed and identified as superseded. Fee category: fence, $85, FY2026 schedule. Accessible format offered: large print, accepted. Next action: referred to Planning & Building for section 4.5 review. Clerk: D. Okafor." Every field the procedure names is present, and a reader can open each source and check it.

How long does version 3 intake take at the counter?

Long enough to do the five steps in order and no longer. The sequence is designed to prevent rework: a corner-lot question asked at step one avoids a second visit, and an accessible format offered at step four avoids an unsigned form coming back. The time saved later is the time spent now.

Q&A

The questions staff and residents ask about intake version 3 are answered below.

Last updated 1 October 2026.