How to Start a Permit Expediting Business in California (2025 Guide)

California doesn’t certify expediters; it calibrates them. The edge is a mix of industry knowledge (portals, plan-check triggers, public noticing) and discipline (file conventions, submittal choreography, tight correction logs). Nail both, and you sell certainty.

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Pick a lane you can win (then earn the right to expand)

Start with one or two specialties where you’ll be flawless within 30 days:

• ADUs & additions (homeowner-led, high volume)

  
  

• Tenant Improvements (TI) for retail/office (schedule-sensitive, repeatable)

  
  

• Pools / retaining walls / grading (inspection-heavy; checklist discipline wins)

  
  

• Entitlements: CUP / Variance / TOC / SB9 lot split (slower cycles, higher fees, public process)

Pricing frame (simple & defensible): Quote a base scope that includes submittal + 1 correction round; set a clear per-round surcharge after that. TI can be tiered by square footage; entitlements billed by milestones (application → noticing → hearing).

Make it official (what California actually requires)

• Form an LLC or Corp with the CA Secretary of State (file online at bizfile). File your Statement of Information on time.

  
  

• Get an EIN (IRS) and open business banking.

  
  

• Obtain a local business license / business tax certificate where you operate (each city issues its own). CalGold helps you find the correct local offices.

License vs. role clarity: California has no state occupational license for “permit expediters.” In practice, you act as the property owner’s authorized agent—cities commonly require an authorization letter (sometimes notarized) before permits or entitlements proceed.

Discretionary approvals (CUP/variance, etc.):

The owner or owner’s representative applies; your role is coordination, filings, noticing, hearing logistics. City forms often require owner authorization (and in large jurisdictions, a notarized owner signature). Plans/studies must be produced by the licensed professionals the code calls for (architects, engineers, surveyors), and they may present at hearings.

Build the operating system before you take money

Core stack (lean, proven):

• Email/Calendar: Google Workspace

• CRM: Pipedrive or HubSpot Starter (stages below)

• Outreach: Mailshake (SPF/DKIM/DMARC live)

• Phone/SMS: OpenPhone (log to CRM)

• Tasks/PM: ClickUp or Trello (one template per permit type + city)

• Files: Google Drive with strict naming (City_PermitType_Address_YYYY-MM-DD)

• E-Sign: PandaDoc/DocuSign (agreements & change orders)

Templates to ship Day 1:

• Intake form (APN/address, jurisdiction, permit type, drawings status, target dates, decision-maker)

• Jurisdiction checklist (portal, file naming, fees at submittal/issuance, typical corrections)

• Submittal package index (exact PDFs by sheet and naming)

• Correction log (date, reviewer, code ref, action owner, due date)

• Client comms: kickoff email + Friday status recap template

• Fee agreement + change-order policy

Map California like a pro (your Jurisdiction Book)

Build a living Airtable/Sheet with columns for portal link, contact, counter hours, submittal method (ePlan/in-person), file naming, typical timelines, common traps, and fees timing. Add rows weekly.

Two anchors you’ll hit constantly: LADBS and LA County Building & Safety (EPIC-LA). Their sites form the backbone of your LA-region playbook.

The sales system (where most new firms fail)

Pipeline stages (mirror these in your CRM):

1. New Lead (goal: respond < 5 minutes)

2. Discovery Booked (15–20 min)

3. Scoped & Quoted (proposal in 24–48h)

4. Won — Kickoff (intake complete; deposit paid)

5. In Plan Check (status by jurisdiction + round)

6. Ready to Issue

7. Closed — Issued (final recap + review/referral ask)

Qualification script (surgical and short):

• Jurisdiction + permit type (ADU/TI/CUP/TOC/SB9/pool/wall)

• Drawings status & who’s the designer

• Target dates (lease, financing, construction)

• Prior submittals/corrections?

• Decision-maker + budget authority

Four KPIs that predict revenue:

• Speed-to-lead (<5 min)

• Show rate (≥70%)

• Proposal turnaround (≤48h)

• Throughput (permits issued / PM / month)

Delivery rhythm that creates “trust capital”

• Mon AM: sweep every file in plan check; touch reviewer queues that are idle.

• Daily: log one contact attempt per active reviewer (email/call). Escalate at 7 days of silence.

• Fri: send a simple, skimmable client recap: status, blockers, ETA, next actions, owner of each next step.

• Milestones: archive submittal proofs, receipts, and a neat correction summary (with code refs) after each round.

  
  

This cadence is why contractors and architects will keep calling you back.

Compliance that protects you (and keeps clients calm)

• Owner authorization: Keep an authorization letter on file (LA County even publishes a template; many cities require it).

  
  

• Call recording: California is all-party consent (Penal Code §632). Announce recording and capture consent.

  
  

• Outreach rules (texts/calls): TCPA consent rules still apply; 2025 changes emphasize clean opt-out handling and consent provenance. Stick to human-sent emails/SMS and keep opt-outs honored.

  
  

• Privacy: If you collect homeowner data, follow CA privacy basics (post a privacy policy; minimize personal data in shared links).

How to land your first 30 clients (that actually pay)

Channels that work in CA (do these in parallel):

• Architect pipeline: DM 20–30 local firms/week on LinkedIn with a “free jurisdiction review + submittal checklist” for their next ADU/TI.

  
  

• Contractor alliances: TI GCs, pool builders, ADU builders. Offer white-label expediting.

  
  

• Google Business Profile (GBP): List “Permit Expediting Service,” add photos of submittals/issuances, ask for reviews that include the city name (query match).

  
  

• Local SEO posts:

1. “How long permits take in [City] (2025)”

2. “ADU permit checklist — [County]”

3. “CUP timeline — what to expect in [City]”

• Referral engine: Send a post-issuance recap + “Here’s the final timeline we achieved” graphic. Ask for one intro.

Hiring without sinking margin

• 0–10 active files: you + a VA (intake, calendar, portal uploads, chasers).

• 10–30: add a PM with strengths in your top 3 jurisdictions.

• 30+: split roles—Client PM (comms, scope) vs Expediter PM (city side). Add one ops coordinator just for portals/forms. Nearshore admin keeps cost low; your U.S. expertise stays on the city/strategy calls.

FAQ (fast and honest)

Q: Do I need a contractor/architect license to be an expediter?

A: No. You’re an authorized agent managing process and filings. Licensed pros handle design/stamped plans, reports, and often hearing presentations. Cities will ask for proof you’re authorized by the owner.

Q: How soon can I start?

A: If your templates and CRM are ready, you can take your first paying project in 2–3 weeks.

Q: Best pricing for beginners?

A: Flat fee + one correction round; add per-round surcharge. Quote entitlements by milestone.

You move permits. We move the pipeline.

Great expediters lose deals to slow follow-ups, messy quoting, and silent weeks—not to better competitors. That’s why Permits Pipeline exists:

• We run multi-touch cadences (email/SMS/calls/LinkedIn) tuned for permit sales cycles.

  
  

• We qualify hard (ADU/TI/CUP/TOC/SB9) so you only work real opportunities.

  
  

• We send confirmations, recaps, and next steps in your CRM, under our/your brand—and keep every touch visible.

  
  

• Typical outcome: owners reclaim ≈15 hours/week from sales admin and babysitting, and focus on delivery.

You’ll have enough headaches starting up in 2025—don’t let sales be one of them.

We’ve worked alongside expediters, speak city-hall shorthand, and run the cadences that turn interest into signed retainers. You run operations; we free ≈15 hours/week and keep your calendar full.

Questions? Email us at: Consulting@permits-pipeline.com