The Permitting Reality This New Housing Law Will Not Fix
The Permitting Reality This New Housing Law Will Not Fix
A follow up to our post on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
Last week I wrote about the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the sweeping federal housing law that includes language about streamlining permitting and environmental reviews. I want to follow that up with something more honest, because I do not want you walking away thinking your next trip to the Guilford County permitting office is about to get easier. It is not, and I want to explain why, using our own experience as a property owner and manager here in Greensboro.
What federal permitting reform actually touches
Most federal permitting reform targets federal review processes. Think environmental review timelines on projects that involve federal funding or federal land, or federal grant dollars that get conditioned on local governments loosening zoning rules. What it does not do is walk into your local permitting office and change how a specific inspector reads a punch list, how long a review sits on someone's desk, or how consistently different inspectors apply the same code. That is a local administrative reality, and it lives at the county and city level, not in Washington.
Our own experience with local permitting
I want to share what this has actually looked like for us, because I think a lot of owners and investors in the Triad will recognize it.
We added a small shed on one of our properties. It was under 10 by 10 feet, which meant it did not need a permit at all. That did not stop a month of back and forth with the permitting department over something that turned out to be a complete misunderstanding on their end. A month of our time, spent proving a negative, on a structure that never needed their sign off in the first place.
At another home we manage, someone from the permitting department showed up and pressured our tenants to let them into a fully fenced backyard without us being contacted first. That is not how this is supposed to work, and it left our tenants understandably rattled.
When we raised concerns about how one particular inspector was handling these visits, someone else in the department told us he was just too enthusiastic about his job. I understand wanting to give staff the benefit of the doubt, but enthusiasm is not really the word I would use for showing up unannounced or pursuing something that was never a violation to begin with.
And then there is the punch list problem, which I think is the most common complaint I hear from other owners and contractors. One inspector gives you a list of items to fix before he will pass the job. You fix every one of them. A different inspector comes for the follow up and hands you a new list, sometimes contradicting the first one. Then a third. It can feel like Groundhog Day, except every loop costs you money and time. Come on boys, Rubric. Fixed.
Why this matters if you are buying, selling, or investing here
This is part of why my listing at 226 Friendly Avenue in High Point has disclosed unpermitted space. I want to be direct about that, because I think owners sometimes get quietly blamed for cutting corners when the real story is that the permitting process itself is what pushed them away from it. That does not excuse skipping permits where they are genuinely required, and I always disclose unpermitted improvements as a material fact, but it does explain a pattern I see again and again in this market.
If you are buying a property with any renovation history, ask about permits early and read the disclosure carefully. If you are taking on a project yourself, my honest advice is to lean on a contractor you trust who knows the local process, document every interaction with the permitting office in writing, and do not assume the second inspector will agree with the first one. Consistency is not something you can count on right now, so build your own paper trail instead.
Federal housing policy can shape supply and financing over the next several years. It is not going to touch what happens when an inspector walks your job site next month. That fight is still a local one, and it is worth paying attention to who is running for county commission and how the permitting department is managed, because that is where this actually gets fixed.
Joy Watson
Broker, Joy Watson Real Estate
NC License 307423, Firm License C37131
Equal Housing Opportunity
