Startups pursuing capital projects, often treat permitting as an administrative task - something that happens “in the background” while the focus is on process and facility design. This assumption is very incorrect.
After more than a decade delivering small and large capital projects ranging from $250K to over $250M, I’ve learned that permitting is one of the highest-leverage risk management functions in project delivery.
When it’s handled well, projects move quietly and predictably. When it’s handled poorly, schedules slip, costs escalate, and teams scramble - often without fully understanding why.
The irony is that failure rarely looks dramatic. There’s no crane collapse or concrete pour gone wrong. Instead, there’s a missed review, a delayed utility approval, an unexpected inspection requirement, or a regulatory interpretation that surfaces too late to correct cheaply.
By the time construction crew feels the impact, the damage is already done. For startups that are already constrained on resources, a stop work order due to a permitting compliance miss can be the death knell.
Permitting Controls the Critical Path Earlier Than Construction Does
On paper, permitting looks simple and linear: fill out the necessary forms, submit supporting documents, relevant authorities review the documents, you answer any questions or make the necessary changes requested, and the permit is issued.
In reality, permitting is a complex maze that controls:
- What equipment can be used
- When design can be finalized
- Where can the facility be located
- What the CAPex will be and when financing conditions are satisfied
- When long-lead equipment can be purchased
- When contractors can mobilize and inspections can occur
- When occupancy and revenue generation can begin
On large commercial and industrial projects, I’ve seen permitting decisions made in the first 10% of a project determine years of downstream impact - especially when environmental review, utility coordination, or multi-agency approvals are involved.
Successful permitting always comes down to the same fundamentals:
- Clear scope definition: Regulators respond to clarity. Ambiguity creates review cycles.
- Early authority mapping: Knowing who has jurisdiction — and when — is more important than knowing the forms.
- Permit dependency sequencing: Some permits unlock others. Missing that order creates dead time.
- Design–permit alignment: Drawings that don’t match permit assumptions result in rework.
- Inspection planning: Inspections are not events; they are milestones that must be scheduled and prepared for.
These fundamentals don’t change whether the project is a backyard unit or a billion-dollar industrial site.
Why Engineers and Senior PMs Must Own Permitting Strategy
Permitting sits at the intersection of:
• Engineering judgment • Regulatory interpretation • Construction sequencing • Stakeholder coordination
That’s why I’ve always treated it as a leadership responsibility, not something to be delegated blindly. As an engineer, I understand how technical decisions affect compliance. As a project manager, I understand how approvals affect schedule, cost, and risk.
I’ve been the person teams turn to when: • Agencies disagree on requirements • Inspectors interpret drawings differently • Environmental conditions threaten schedule • Occupancy approvals become the gating item
Permitting doesn’t reward improvisation. It rewards preparation.