When embarking on a commercial remodeling project in Minnesota, one of the most critical steps is securing building permits from your local municipality. However, what happens when the city rejects your building drawings or specifications? Understanding who is responsible for handling these revisions can save you time, money, and considerable stress during your commercial remodeling journey.
The Permitting Process in Commercial Remodeling
Before any commercial remodeling work can begin, detailed drawings and specifications must be submitted to the local building department for review. These documents ensure that your project complies with Minnesota Building Code, local ordinances, zoning regulations, and safety standards. While this process is essential for protecting public safety and ensuring quality construction, it’s not uncommon for municipalities to request revisions, clarifications, or additional information before issuing a permit. This back-and-forth is a standard part of commercial construction.
Who Is Responsible for Permit Revisions?
Here’s the good news for property owners: you are not responsible for handling building permit revisions during your commercial remodeling project. This responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of your general contractor and the project architect.
When the city identifies issues with submitted drawings or specifications, your general contractor acts as the primary point of contact and project manager. They coordinate directly with the architect to address the municipality’s concerns and prepare revised documents. This partnership between the contractor and architect is crucial for successful commercial remodeling projects, as it combines construction expertise with design and code knowledge.
The General Contractor's Role
Your general contractor serves as your advocate throughout the commercial remodeling permitting process. They review the city’s comments and feedback, communicate with the architect about necessary changes, ensure revisions address all municipal concerns, resubmit updated documents to the building department, and track the approval process until permits are issued.
This comprehensive management approach is part of what you’re paying for when you hire a qualified general contractor for your commercial remodeling project. Their experience navigating municipal requirements in Minnesota means they understand local building departments’ expectations and can expedite the revision and approval process.
The Architect's Responsibility
The architect who designed your commercial remodeling project maintains professional responsibility for ensuring their drawings meet code requirements. When revisions are needed, they must update the plans, address structural or design concerns, ensure compliance with all applicable codes, seal and sign revised documents, and coordinate with engineering consultants if necessary.
Most architectural contracts include a certain number of revisions as part of their scope of work, recognizing that the permitting process often requires adjustments during commercial remodeling projects.
Why This Matters for Property Owners
Understanding these responsibilities protects you during your commercial remodeling project. You should never be asked to personally navigate building department requirements, interpret building codes, or coordinate between multiple professionals. Your role is to approve changes that affect the project scope or budget, provide access to the property for inspections, and respond to questions about your business operations or specific needs.
Working with the Right Team
Successful commercial remodeling in Minnesota requires a general contractor who understands local permitting processes and maintains strong relationships with architects and municipal officials. At Randahl Construction, we manage every aspect of the permitting process, ensuring your commercial remodeling project moves forward smoothly without placing unnecessary burdens on you as the property owner.
When permit revisions are required, we work efficiently with architects to resolve issues quickly, keeping your project on schedule and within budget. Our experience with commercial remodeling throughout Minnesota means we anticipate potential permitting challenges and address them proactively.
The bottom line: permit revisions are a normal part of commercial remodeling, and handling them is your contractor’s responsibility, not yours.
