Would it be fair if you jumped through all of the hoops required to get a building permit, only to have the requirements change after you have received the permit? We don’t think so, and luckily Representative R. Neil Walter’s bill, HB 188 now prevents such a scenario from happening.
More specifically, the bill ensures fairness for those in the construction process by stipulating that cities and counties cannot change the permit requirements after a permit has been issued. The bill provides for two logical exceptions — the permit requirements can be changed if the permit holder requests and if the requirement is to ensure the building meets building codes.
A substitute to the bill also added clarifications about operation of tower cranes, all of which seemed useful and constructive.
Libertas supports legislation that makes the permitting process more fair. We applaud Representative Walter for his bill and for the House Political Subdivisions Committee and Senate Business and Labor Committee for considering and unanimously recommending it. Lastly, we commend the Senate and House of Representatives for passing the bill unanimously.
Local Government Policy Analyst
Lee is the Local Government Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute. He has had a lifelong passion for research, writing, entrepreneurship, local government, and building relationships with people from all walks of life.