The planning department was a breeze compared to what we would encounter at the building department for our city.  Everything was efficiently reviewed in the planning department within six weeks.  Getting approval from the building department and being issued our permits would take six months - to our utter dismay.  It was almost always expected that there would be redline notes on our plans.  Our architect had warned us that no plan every submitted would come back with immediate approval not matter how simple the project.

It took a good four months just to get back to the first revision of comments.  Every one of the comments need to be addressed by your architect by making adjustments or clarifications.  The irony of the matter is - it doesn’t really matter who’s right about the code.  You pretty much have to play the game of doing what the building department wants to see on your plans.  We had heard stories from our architect about a general contractor remodeling his own him in our city.  His plans did not encroach on a setback that was supposedly present on his property in the eyes of the plan engineer.  This argument went back and forth until the building department conceeded on the point after our architect had showed them the records to prove the setback didn’t exist.  BUT - the building department then levied fire sprinklers to be included on his project - a $10,000 increase in cost and complication.  The contractor fought them on this as well until he could not afford to waste any more time or money and just conceeded because it would have cost him more in the long run to keep his subs in limbo than on other client projects.