Spent six months trying to get a simple city permit for a new sign downtown

I opened a small shop on 104th Street last year and needed a new sign. The city website said the permit process takes 4-6 weeks. I filled out the forms, got my drawings, and submitted everything. Then came back requests for extra paperwork from three different departments, each taking weeks to answer. From start to finish, it took almost half a year just to hang a sign. Is the city's process just too slow, or did I miss a faster way to get this done?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_martinez20d ago

Six months for a sign permit is just unreal. The part that gets me is the website saying 4-6 weeks when they clearly have no plan to hit that. It's not you, it's a system built to make you give up. They send you in circles between departments because no one is in charge of the whole thing. I'd be surprised if anyone gets it done in under three months without knowing someone on the inside.

wendyk5626d ago

Three different departments" is the REAL problem. I waited four months for a fence permit because planning kept "losing" my file.

uma_martinez25d ago

Ugh, @wendyk56, you gotta start calling them every single day.