Permit me to have Solar

The wife and I signed a contract to have Solar Energy installed on the house.  With a project this big, of course you have to have a building permit.  Also on the course, is our keen interest in solar and - - oversight insofar as all things having to do with the place where we live.  Okay.  With my wife, not everything has to be a teaching moment.  So it was I who phoned City Hall.  I looked up the website and telephone directory, picked what seemed to be an appropriate number and phoned.  There’s no one at that number to answer the phone but, there’s a recording, “if you need immediate assistance, call Georgia at”. 

     By the way, Georgia, as in “George” the Dragon Slayer, is a fictitious name.  I am using a fictitious name to leave her at least a modicum of peace and harbor the following information.  Georgia (fictitious) is one of the women who run the city.  She is the only one who knows enough about who gets what, and when, in order for anyone to change, build, or construct anything in the city.  When there is no protocol, she creates one and no one questions her decisions.   Though she may not have an engineering degree, she may as well have one.  She is a very smart lady.  She told me that I needed two copies of my plans, an estimate, and that the fee was $80.00 and up.  I asked her to what the fee went up.  She told me that it depended on the cost or value of the project.  I have a feeling that this is also something that she determines.

     I went to City Hall with my documents and check book, walked up to the counter and told a young man that I wanted a building permit to put solar panels on my house.  He handed me a form and I filled out the top with my personal information including address and telephone number.  There were some boxes that I could check if appropriate.  After due consideration, I checked “Other” and wrote in Solar Energy station.   Then the form got real confusing.  The questions wanted specifics, insofar as my project, having to do with construction, electrical, or plumbing.  I returned to the young man and told him about my dilemma.  My project had to do with all three categories.  He looked at the form and with a puzzled look on his face said that he had no experience with solar energy and would have to show it to the engineer.  He left for a few minutes and returned.  The total dollars for my project were listed in the dollar amount at the foot of the electrical category.  No other fields where completed.  He said, “Sign here and we’ll call you when it’s ready.”  “What will it cost”, I asked.

He said, “I don’t know.  The fee depends on the cost or value of the project”.  “How soon do you think it will be?” I asked.  “We tell people a week to ten days”, he said.  I thanked him and said goodbye.  Note to self; if you are going to change, build, or construct anything in this city, get to know Georgia.  Put Georgia’s telephone number in the password book.