Speedway Permitting

I had an interesting discussion recently regarding the issue of getting permits to do home improvement in Speedway. A few thoughts:

• With respect to contractors, I am not too worked up about the idea that Speedway's permitting process may be a bit antiquated. After all, it is a contractor's job to ensure that all permits are properly obtained. While it may add a bit in cost to remodeling projects, I don't see that the public necessarily owes it to professionals to make their jobs easier. After all, as much as I would like the courts to be a bit less antiquated, I hold myself out as someone who knows how to navigate them. It's not up to the public to pay to make my job easier.
• That said, I think that when certain "public" systems (i.e. courts, permitting, etc.) become too cumbersome, they then impose costs on the public writ large. For example, if the courts are so inefficient that it takes 5 years for your civil complaint to be heard, that is a significant cost to the litigants; this without even considering the fact that attorney fees tend to escalate as litigation drags on, litigants may be entitled to pre-judgment interest (or in the alternative, inflation erodes the value of the relief obtained in court), etc. As to permits, if it becomes unwieldy to get a building permit in Speedway, the cost of household improvements will escalate relative to greater Indianapolis, the housing stock in Speedway will be depleted, and the value of all of our homes will depreciate.
• Clearly, there ought to be a balancing of interests in this regard.

With respect to "DIYers" or "Weekend Warrior" home improvement types, however:

• We (and I use that term very loosely) are NOT experts in obtaining proper permits.
• We are doing it ourselves, probably, because we are looking to save a few bucks.
• The last thing we want is to be told during the late stages of a project that we need to start over because, for example, a doorway is 3" too narrow. Not being a contractor, I don't know the specifics of building code.

I have always found the public officials in Speedway to be very conscientious of the burdens they are placing on the citizenry, and I applaud these officials for addressing this issue before it becomes too cumbersome, as referenced above. I believe that they are earnestly attempting to strike a proper balance between, on the one hand having an efficient and easy to understand permitting process, and on the other hand making sure that structures built in Speedway are safe, code compliant, etc.

Too often I find myself being critical of things on this blog. As the old saw goes, the news never reports when the plane lands safely, right? Only when it crashes. This is a welcome opportunity for me to write affirmatively about the efforts undertaken on our behalf by our public officials.

Bravo!